I'm only a rising sophomore in college but I've known what I wanted to do for years: crisis management. This past summer and during my freshman year, I worked in my university's communications office wherein I saw not only how to deal with the media but also the strategic planning involved when dealing with potential and ongoing crises. My school has been involved in an investigation of sorts that has attracted national media attention for the past year, so I've been seeing a lot of strategy-planning sessions between the PR staff and our university's lawyers. Obviously I don't get to participate much in the planning of our PR approach (I only write press releases, respond to phone calls and emails and collect press clippings), but I do get to see a lot of the work that goes into crisis management. I also have a close family friend who is a top PR executive at a large corporation, and hearing her stories over the years about her job(s) and what she's had to do is really what sparked my interest in this field.
So, yes -- I do know what I want and it's definitely not to become a lawyer. However, the field of public relations in which I hope to work involves dealing with lawyers frequently because, as in any crisis, there is always potential for legal trouble. I know that crisis managers generally don't NEED a law degree to work in this field, but seeing the constant conflict between PR practitioners and lawyers makes me think that having a strong knowledge of the law will make me a better crisis manager in the future. I've found that there is so much wasted time on the part of the PR staff because they present crisis management audits that are quickly shut down by lawyers for possible legal issues. Even the most senior PR staff need to cross-check every detail of their plans with lawyers. By knowing the law thoroughly, I believe that I will be more effective and efficient in creating solid crisis management plans that won't further endanger my future clients in the court of public opinion AND in the court of law.
Debt is not an issue because I have scholarships to cover the cost of my undergraduate education, and my dad, mom and stepparents are willing to support me through law school if I choose to attend and don't receive enough scholarships.
Will law school be a good investment or will it be a waste of time and money? Though I won't be paying for law school, I also am trying to consider the opportunity cost of attending law school versus actually working full-time and just learning the ropes along the way. However, I do find that even those people who are in senior-level PR positions and have been working in the field for a long time still struggle with the intricacies of the law. Also, though I ultimately want to work in public relations, I have always been fascinated with legal studies and even strongly considered becoming a lawyer before I realized how much more I love PR work. I have a minor in business law, and even now I frequently read various universities' law reviews. I feel that law school won't be such a horrible, draining mental burden for me.
Many people have given me different opinions on this, but I haven't really been swayed in either direction yet. I know I have time, but I do like to plan things out well ahead of time whenever I can and I try my best to gather as much information as possible in situations such as these. What do you all think?
So, yes -- I do know what I want and it's definitely not to become a lawyer. However, the field of public relations in which I hope to work involves dealing with lawyers frequently because, as in any crisis, there is always potential for legal trouble. I know that crisis managers generally don't NEED a law degree to work in this field, but seeing the constant conflict between PR practitioners and lawyers makes me think that having a strong knowledge of the law will make me a better crisis manager in the future. I've found that there is so much wasted time on the part of the PR staff because they present crisis management audits that are quickly shut down by lawyers for possible legal issues. Even the most senior PR staff need to cross-check every detail of their plans with lawyers. By knowing the law thoroughly, I believe that I will be more effective and efficient in creating solid crisis management plans that won't further endanger my future clients in the court of public opinion AND in the court of law.
Debt is not an issue because I have scholarships to cover the cost of my undergraduate education, and my dad, mom and stepparents are willing to support me through law school if I choose to attend and don't receive enough scholarships.
Will law school be a good investment or will it be a waste of time and money? Though I won't be paying for law school, I also am trying to consider the opportunity cost of attending law school versus actually working full-time and just learning the ropes along the way. However, I do find that even those people who are in senior-level PR positions and have been working in the field for a long time still struggle with the intricacies of the law. Also, though I ultimately want to work in public relations, I have always been fascinated with legal studies and even strongly considered becoming a lawyer before I realized how much more I love PR work. I have a minor in business law, and even now I frequently read various universities' law reviews. I feel that law school won't be such a horrible, draining mental burden for me.
Many people have given me different opinions on this, but I haven't really been swayed in either direction yet. I know I have time, but I do like to plan things out well ahead of time whenever I can and I try my best to gather as much information as possible in situations such as these. What do you all think?