South Bend Tribune cuts arrive

I don't want to go off topic, but why are so many journalists going into law? Yes, it seems a natural fit, but aren't we going to help flood that job market now as well? Maybe I have a distorted view because several of my friends are now lawyers. But out of the five or so who are, the best job any of them got was as a Cook County prosecutor in the mayor's office, making $13 per hour. I wouldn't want to be paying off a law school loan making that. Becoming a lawyer doesn't automatically mean financial security. When I got out of journalism I looked for job fields where I was fairly certain my job would have no chance of getting cut. Going to law school is a noble concept, I just worry that some of these guys and gals may find themselves in as tough a financial spot as they were in journalism.

 

Instead of going off topic why not start a thread " Why are So Many Journalists Becoming Ambulance Chasers" ?

 

One of my best friends got out of journalism, went to law school and got a job making $70K his first year out. He'll be making twice that in a couple years.

If you have a law degree and have passed the bar and you're making $13 an hour, you're doing something wrong.

 

You might end up becoming The President of the United States.

 

Massive layoffs at the big law firms too, btw.

Oh, and those big salaries paid to new lawyers? They work 22 hours a day, 7 days a week. Be careful what you wish for--Charlie Weis might look pretty good after a couple years.

 

From what I've heard, the SB Tribune paid shit, even for a paper in a college town.

 

fixed

 

I wanted to pop into this thread, before it really went off the rails, and first of all thank everyone for the kind words. That being said, I would have to disagree with Mizzougrad96 on one thing - there will be and always has been plenty of reasons to read this section. Eric Hansen collects Football Writers Association awards faster than the 8-year-old version of me did baseball cards. At a school where basketball is considered a second-class citizen, Tom Noie is a first-class beat writer. Covering a school that plays its league games all over the map, he has never missed a game, I don't believe, in nine years on the beat. That's just two names. I could certainly go on.

About two years ago, recognizing where this business was headed, I opened my first sample LSAT in a New Orleans hotel room, the night before the Sugar Bowl. The idea was this: If I could perform well on the real thing, and somehow get myself accepted into one of a handful of schools that filled location and job placement criteria, it would be something to consider. As it turns out, I did, and I will begin classes in 2009. I guess there's a joke there about any club that would have me as a member, but I'll let it pass this time.

To address 21's thoughts, I'm certainly under no illusions about the workload that can accompany jobs at big firms. And to address PTown's, my younger brother is an attorney in Chicago who has had to fight and scratch his way to a liveable wage (and is now, by the way, a damned good lawyer doing important, honorable work). So I'm under no illusions there, either. But I'm also not locked into any one path. Academia appeals to me, though I understand how difficult that can be to get into. Hanging my own sign interests me. And, as it always will, journalism interests me. Along with many sports writers, my heroes in this business include people like Jeff Toobin, James B. Stewart and Samantha Power, Pulitzer-caliber journalists whose work is undergirded by a strong legal education.

Bottom line: I'm not committing myself to a specific niche. I did that once already. Not doing it again.

I guess at some point, everyone has to take the road less traveled, and that's what I've chosen to do. If this is truly my calling, and it is meant to be, I would certainly not be averse to coming back to it. If somehow my book sells well and I'm able to get a freelance career of some repute going over the next 2 1/2-3 years, I would likely be more than willing to consider letting that new parchment collect dust somewhere.

Practical? Eh, I can see where others might not think so. But at some point, you reach a time when you want to take your existence into your own hands, then sink or swim with whatever happens.

Thanks again, everyone, for your kind words. They are appreciated.

JC

 

Jeff--That's a great post. My comments weren't directed at you in any way, just the legal profession in general. Best of luck in your new adventure. 8)

 

My comment was meant as pro-Carroll, not as a shot at the rest of the staff.

He was the reason I read though...

 

Jeff:
Tell us about the book, if you can.

 

Just on the law school thing, you can also come out of it saddled with a huge debt from seven years of college.

(Jeff, I'm an ND fan and liked your work, btw.)