Another key difference is that in most top tier law firms, literally 2-3% of every starting class can expect to have a full career there. I've heard tech has a similar concept called stack ranking, but it seems much milder in terms of the forced attrition. Not to mention you don't need a full career at Google - you can always take that resume line and go to another big tech company, a startup or something midmarket. Law is much more segmented. The M&A lawyer laid off during a recession isn't going to find a job at a small firm because those generally do not do M&A.
I don't really hear of top tier software engineers struggling to find work - happens to out of work top tier lawyers all the time.
Oh, and for the record 15% of law school grads get that sweet 180k starting salary (a trajectory most won't stay on).
There are many, many lawyers making 40-60k a year working horrendous hours with no real hope of advancement.
Let me be clear: I have zero doubt in my mind, even with my very limited knowledge of the software engineering market, that I have no doubt the median software engineer is far better off than the median lawyer, likely in terms of pay, hours, and prospects all at the same time.
My question related solely to the top tier because that's where it's even remotely competitive.