Law Professor at William Mitchell

Name: Eileen A. Scallen

Major: English, Speech

Law School: University of Minnesota

Description of your job: I practiced for a few years but am now a full‑time law professor at William Mitchell College of Law. Thus, I teach, write and engage in public service.

Do you have any advice for students who are considering going to the same law school you did? The U of M law school is terrific, but all law schools have had incredible tuition increases so it is no longer the fantastic bargain it was when I went there. I would look seriously at private law schools to see what kinds of financial aid they offer. You may discover that there is not a big difference.

I would also encourage Minnesotans to get out of Minnesota for a while. I left after law school to work in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was a terrific experience and helps to broaden your world view.

Is there anything in particular that you did during your undergrad that benefited you more than anything else in getting through law school and/or transitioning into the legal profession? Here's a big dirty secret for law school success: all law schools tell you that it doesn't matter what you choose as a major, but this isn't quite true. After 15 years of law teaching, I can tell you that students who majored in Communication Studies, English, Journalism, or any other program that puts a premium on written and oral communication, research, analysis and argumentation will give you the best preparation for law school and law practice. I also believe it is better to avoid double majors and take more course work in things like Accounting, Statistics, etc. because law school is like an advanced liberal arts degree‑‑it draws on an amazing range of subjects.

If you had a chance to go through law school all over again, is there anything you would do differently? Yes‑‑I would have the sense to walk away from those insecure students who wanted to "psych" me out and play off my insecurities. They were truly poison the first semester of law school, but the good news is that their fall grades made them shut down. Trust yourself‑‑know why you went to law school and what you want to get out of it. Then go get it‑‑don't let anyone make you second guess yourself.

Is being a lawyer what you expected it would be? Why or why not? I think most lawyers would say that today there is much more "business" in the practice of law‑‑marketing, management, finance‑‑than they ever expected. I had a good number of lawyers in my family, so I wasn't really surprised.

What is it like transitioning from being a law student to being a lawyer? There is a lot of fear at first as you go up the steep learning curve of your first real job. You wake up a lot at 3 am wondering if you filed the right papers or covered all your bases. But I loved getting paid for what I had been doing in law school (and paying them for the privilege) - research, thinking and writing.

Is there anything students should know about the legal profession before they decide to commit their life to it? My father (also a lawyer and a businessman) put this well‑‑know that the practice of law is hard way to make a living. He meant that for the amount of work and stress, you can make far more money doing other things. If you are just out to make a lot of money, go into business. You'll never make as much in law (unless you combine the two). But if you really love to read, research, think very hard from all different perspectives about a wide range of problems and communicate (and many liberal arts students do love these things), you just might love being a lawyer. Also, remember that a "lifetime" can be a long time or a short time, so you better enjoy what you do.

What does a typical day look like for you as a lawyer? I'm a law professor, so my day is pretty untypical. I do think that students think I talk for an hour and go home‑‑they do not see the hours spent researching and writing articles and books, hours spent advising and counseling students, hours spent meeting with colleagues on committees and in faculty meetings (by far the worst part of a great job), and hours spent talking to community organizations about my specialty. It is very busy and very rewarding (but not financially).