(1) Being a firefighter carries a much higher risk of death, crippling injury, or serious illness than being an attorney. Working for or against the mob aside.
(2) Most of the successful/happy attorneys that I know aren’t working in biglaw or large corplaw — they found their niches and have their own small firms. If you go to a reasonably cheap law school and have some business sense, starting a practice is possible within five years of graduation.