Raises hand. To that end, one thing I have read among the literature on the subject is that those that go to law school tend to be idealistic in one respect or another. Some think they're going to be great civil rights lawyers, or child advocates, or prosecutors, or defense attorneys, or advocates for the injured. And, well they may. But before they ever become great crusaders for rights or whatever, they spend years drafting and responding to discovery, reviewing document discovery, and summarizing depositions and making depo cuts for trials. And working 3000 hours a year to bill 2200. They burn out before they get there.
Or, a more practical idealism: they enjoy competing on ideas, prevailing on a motion, a trial, an appeal, when they're in the right, or should be. Or filing a patent on the worlds greatest invention and getting it granted, to be litigated and result in industry wide injunctions and huge damage awards.
And, even if any of that actually happens (which it does for most), it is months and years between victories. Because everything takes so damn long. And lots of scut work in between. And then asshole clients, or clients with asshole objectives. Liars and dissemblers everywhere. Bad facts. Stupid judges. Asshole opponents.
Most law students have experienced some degree of academic success, where the reward for the work comes on a semester-long time frame, at the longest. That's one of the shorter time-frames for reward in the legal profession. Double or triple or quadruple that for many or most things.
The money isn't all its cracked up to be, either for the vast majority of lawyers.
And some of the more cynical might say (Jonathan Harr/Jan Schlichtmann/Civil Action) that that idealism and desire to succeed/win comes from a place that covers up feelings of inadequacy or inferiority.
It can be quite the toxic stew.
/threadjack