Mark Grannis on Knowing How to Know: Law School and Other Professional Discernments

How many of us wondered at some point in our lives: “Should I go to law school?” It’s a common question as one approaches college graduation. Students find themselves on that “moving walkway” toward the future: it will go forward, but at which stop should they get off? How can they pick a path on purpose—and not due to momentum? Heights upper school teacher Mark Grannis spent decades practicing law, even co-founding his own DC firm. Knowing many lawyers, one-day lawyers, and would-have-been lawyers in every stage of professional development, he noticed some patterns of discernment that genuinely helped people decide whether the law vocation was for them. This spring, he released Should You Go to Law School? Knowing How to Know, a guide that addresses law in particular and professional/vocational discernment in general. Mr. Grannis encourages people considering any career vocation to take stock of their academic and emotional talents, imagining where those can best be applied for the benefit of others. Chapters: 3:29 The genesis of the book 6:51 Grannis’s professional background 11:54 What a lawyer really does 15:33 Seeing career in vocational terms 19:50 Three lawyer temperaments: past, present, and future 24:23 Bad reasons to go to law school 26:33 The one good reason 29:10 Three questions for vocational discernment 33:20 The infinite, imaginative possibilities of work 39:42 AI and the future of law 43:47 Choosing a law school—or not