Assume we need more lawyers helping animals

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Let’s assume you think the world needs more lawyers helping animals.

What are your options to make this happen?

  1. You can become a lawyer and help animals.
    You can go to go through the schooling and training required to become a lawyer. This will cost you ~8 years and ~$100,000 and at the end of the process you’ll have 1 lawyer with the potential to help animals with their new skills and degree.
  2. You can convince existing and upcoming lawyers to help animals
    Hand out 10,000 leaflets at the 4 closest law schools to you or at a law conference. This will cost you ~$1,000 and ~50 hours. At the end of the process you’ll probably have convinced ~100 people to go vegan, and ~2 will contribute to help animals.  

If your goal is to get more lawyers helping animals then it is most certainty quicker and cheaper to convince existing lawyers to help animals than it is to become one yourself. 

But what if you’re particularly well suited to be a lawyer? This is very possible and I’m not saying you aren’t, but are you sure you’re more qualified than then the thousands of lawyers you could outreach to?* Take a step back, and weigh the odds, the cost, the risk, and the rewards of each path. Is it important that you become a lawyer so you can help animals? Or is it important the world has more lawyers helping animals? 

Rambling by Em. 


PS - If you ever want to talk through questions and thoughts you have about your career path and maximizing the number of animals you can help, please reach out, I’d be eager to connect. 

Related notes 
  • *Consider the cognitive bias “illusory superiority” also known as “the above average effect”, a condition of cognitive bias whereby people tend to overestimate their own qualities and abilities, in relation to the same qualities and abilities of other persons.
  • Other options for getting more lawyers to help animals 
    • You can make it easier for existing lawyers to help animals 
    • You can convince people who already spend their time convincing people to help animals to focus on convincing lawyers.

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