In general to me the whole process of getting the degree, the bar and then the actually work and the pay unless you make it seems like rather bad compared to how easy SWE or related work can be.

The school is laughably expensive for something that should in reality be rather cheap. Read books, listen to lecturers? No laboratory work or practical experience and so on, clearly overpriced. And the studying to get approval of cartel? And then end up working for rather poor compensation for quite a long bit in career... As the pay is bi-modal, yes partners rake in money, but they also need to get the clients. But the people doing bulk of the work aren't that well paid.

Exactly. I was into a half dozen top law schools and had a very good LSAT score but what you mentioned nagged at me until I chose a technical masters instead.