Am I crazy to consider law school in my mid-50s?

[Anonymous]

My fantasy is to scrape into a top law school, make law review, clerk for SCOTUS, and then teach for as long as I can. I think RBG once hired a 50-something clerk

Um, that's pretty much everyone's fantasy that applies to law school, whether they are 21 or 50. But it doesn't pan out for most people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always wanted to go to law school. Got derailed after college into another career, then had kids and SAH for a lot of years. Kids in high school now, soon college. I can afford in-state tuition at local, not very prestigious law school, but would it be worth it to start now? I'd be almost 60 when finished -- what then? I took the practice LSAT and did very well on it, FWIW. I've always been interested in law and politics. I am healthy and hope to work into my 70s. Is this just a crazy idea? Will it be a waste of time/money? BTW, no one wants to hire me in my old field. I'm too old, skills too rusty. Age discrimination is alive and very well.

Then you die.

At almost 60 you will be five years away from collecting Social Security. Do you seriously think someone will hire you for a demanding position with no relevant job experience?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sad truth is that a lot of people don't think as well at 50 as they did at 20 OP. And forget about trying to find a job in the law. This market is saturated.

Bullsh!t! Are you 20? People become much smarter and more intellectually sophisticated as they get older. God, we sure do live in a sad, ageist hateful country where people actually believe this crap.

60. OP will be 60.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've always wanted to go to law school. Got derailed after college into another career, then had kids and SAH for a lot of years. Kids in high school now, soon college. I can afford in-state tuition at local, not very prestigious law school, but would it be worth it to start now? I'd be almost 60 when finished -- what then? I took the practice LSAT and did very well on it, FWIW. I've always been interested in law and politics. I am healthy and hope to work into my 70s. Is this just a crazy idea? Will it be a waste of time/money? BTW, no one wants to hire me in my old field. I'm too old, skills too rusty. Age discrimination is alive and very well.

Then you die.

At almost 60 you will be five years away from collecting Social Security. Do you seriously think someone will hire you for a demanding position with no relevant job experience?

First off, you can collect social security at 62 with full benefits at 66 2/3. Second, what about the OP starting their own practice or working in a small office? Why is everything oriented towards a large firm. A friend's daughter opened a family law office and another friend's brother graduated late 50's and became a divorce lawyer as a second career. Not everyone wants to be in Big Law.

[Anonymous]

OP, it's worth it if you have a specific career goal, have the scores to get into a top school, and can afford full pay with no student loans. If you are worried about age discrimination, elder law might be something to look into.

That said, I'm in my late 40s (have been practicing for more than 20 years) and can't imagine going to law school at my age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it OK to go to law school because you are curious about law and want to learn in a rigorous program, and don't need to worry about making money?

Of course. My neighbor did that, and never worked after she got her degree.

Another neighbor is doing a master in poetry right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I teach at a "T14" law school and each year we have a handful of students who are in their 40s, 50s and even 60s. They do fine, and have all gotten jobs. That said, the job market at less "elite" schools is tougher. I agree that going to law school at your age makes little sense if you see it as a way to make money, but if you can afford the tuition and can potentially afford to take a lower-paying public interest job, you will have decent options.

My spouse just went back to school (not law school) at age 50 -- we will see how he does!

This is OP. I'm still fantasizing about this, even though I've also given up on it!

I am heartened to hear that some older grads have gotten jobs. DH just got a new, high-paying job, so law school would be easily affordable. He says I should do it if I want to, just for fun, just to say I've done it. I'm pretty sure I'll do well on the LSAT, and I went to a top school and graduated near the top of my class (decades ago! does that even matter now?). So now that it's really possible, I'm balking....

Anyway, I appreciate all the comments here. I would be happy with a low-paying legal job.

FWIW, my aunt went back to school in her 70s, got a MSW, and became a social worker. She's 98 now, and just retired because she had balance issues, and worried she might fall on the job. She still drives and goes to the gym and lives in the house she built with her husband in the 1950s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, PPs. I do not have a pile of money to burn. I don't need to make a lot of money, but I do need to have something to do for the next 15 years or so. I don't want to get a degree, then do nothing but volunteer work either.

Feeling stuck right now. Mid-50s SAHM is not a good place to be when trying to go back to work. I've always been interested in law. When I was young, people told me to "follow your bliss." I didn't listen then.

Bucket list? Not really. Just thought it would be interesting and maybe I could work for a few years at a low-paying but somewhat interesting job. Pipe dream?

Yup. The low-paying but interesting jobs are still very competitive, and no one is going to hire a nearly 60-year-old baby lawyer.

I assume they will hire a 20-something "baby lawyer" though. Why? Why is the 20-something lawyer with no experience more valuable than the 60ish lawyer with no experience?

The acceptance of age discrimination as a given is pretty astonishing on this 50+ forum! Why is a person so much less desirable simply because he or she is older? All other things being equal (grades, recommendations, etc.), why is an older law school grad dismissed when a younger one is embraced?

There are a lot of high-functioning people in their 70s and 80s. Is the expectation that people in their 50s no longer have the mental fortitude to handle a difficult job? How is that different from the expectation that because someone has black skin they are lazy, uneducated and stupid? Or the expectation that because someone is Latin they are living in this country illegally?

I know age discrimination is a reality, but does it have to be accepted so easily just because "that's the way it is"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^I also want to say this (this is a take on what I say to myself often about many things; I'm just inserting "You are" for "I am")

You are among the luckiest person who has ever lived. You are a woman born in a rarified time and place--an exclusive time and place where you are not conscripted by race, gender, status of birth or social class. You are allowed to be whatever you want to be, where you can learn whatever you want to learn--all doors can be open to you. Your ancestors would kill for one-tenth of the opportunities that are laid before your feet, daily. Your only job is to to take those opportunities that have been given you and not limit yourself because of some artificial cage you have created for yourself..."it's too late; I'm too old," for example. Someone has to be the oldest new lawyer in America; it might as well be you. Go for it.

PP (should you still be around!) I have thought about this post many times. I have started on a new path, not law school, and I'm really enjoying it. I don't want to say what it is, because it's still in an early stage, but I have newfound confidence that I have not had in decades. I feel at times like I"m splitting out of my old skin, which is really, really difficult, and refusing to accept the limitations others have put on me because of my age. My relationships are changing and in a good way. I see myself differently, and people treat me differently as a result. It's a struggle to reinvent myself, but when I get discouraged I'm reminded of the lines from the Dylan Thomas poem "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please elaborate. "Yes" means nothing to me.

Read the question: Yes, it's crazy. If this is OP, the fact that you can't figure this out does not bode well for law school. Plus it's crazy for lots of other reasons.

What an obnoxious, unhelpful answer. Are you a miserable lawyer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've always wanted to go to law school. Got derailed after college into another career, then had kids and SAH for a lot of years. Kids in high school now, soon college. I can afford in-state tuition at local, not very prestigious law school, but would it be worth it to start now? I'd be almost 60 when finished -- what then? I took the practice LSAT and did very well on it, FWIW. I've always been interested in law and politics. I am healthy and hope to work into my 70s. Is this just a crazy idea? Will it be a waste of time/money? BTW, no one wants to hire me in my old field. I'm too old, skills too rusty. Age discrimination is alive and very well.

Then you die.

At almost 60 you will be five years away from collecting Social Security. Do you seriously think someone will hire you for a demanding position with no relevant job experience?

Do you really expect to die after age 60? That seems pretty young to me. All my relatives have lived well into their 80s and 90s, all physically and mentally able.

And why would someone hire a younger person for a demanding position with no relevant job experience? How do young law school graduates get jobs when they have not practiced law?

Does collecting social security mean you are incapable of working or contributing to our society in any meaningful way?

I would argue that a lot of people in their 20s are of little value to society (Hope Hicks, Stephen Miller come to mind). Why are older people valued so little simply because of their age?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, PPs. I do not have a pile of money to burn. I don't need to make a lot of money, but I do need to have something to do for the next 15 years or so. I don't want to get a degree, then do nothing but volunteer work either.

Feeling stuck right now. Mid-50s SAHM is not a good place to be when trying to go back to work. I've always been interested in law. When I was young, people told me to "follow your bliss." I didn't listen then.

Bucket list? Not really. Just thought it would be interesting and maybe I could work for a few years at a low-paying but somewhat interesting job. Pipe dream?

Yup. The low-paying but interesting jobs are still very competitive, and no one is going to hire a nearly 60-year-old baby lawyer.

I assume they will hire a 20-something "baby lawyer" though. Why? Why is the 20-something lawyer with no experience more valuable than the 60ish lawyer with no experience?

The acceptance of age discrimination as a given is pretty astonishing on this 50+ forum! Why is a person so much less desirable simply because he or she is older? All other things being equal (grades, recommendations, etc.), why is an older law school grad dismissed when a younger one is embraced?

There are a lot of high-functioning people in their 70s and 80s. Is the expectation that people in their 50s no longer have the mental fortitude to handle a difficult job? How is that different from the expectation that because someone has black skin they are lazy, uneducated and stupid? Or the expectation that because someone is Latin they are living in this country illegally?

I know age discrimination is a reality, but does it have to be accepted so easily just because "that's the way it is"?

Practically it's a ROI issue. Not many firms willing to take a risk on someone that close to retirement age. 20something lawyers might have less to offer in many respects, but represent a more viable long term investment.

[Anonymous]

I could do it, but would need to do one class at a time. Go for it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: BTW, no one wants to hire me in my old field. I'm too old, skills too rusty. Age discrimination is alive and very well.

Skills discrimination, too, it sounds like.

Experience discrimination as well. If you had the choice between a 50-something prospect who continuously worked (even if PT at times) and a person of the same age who had been completely out of the field for 30 years, which would you choose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: BTW, no one wants to hire me in my old field. I'm too old, skills too rusty. Age discrimination is alive and very well.

Skills discrimination, too, it sounds like.

Experience discrimination as well. If you had the choice between a 50-something prospect who continuously worked (even if PT at times) and a person of the same age who had been completely out of the field for 30 years, which would you choose?

This is the OP. I have very good skills in my field, but I don't know the latest technology, so that's been a problem for me. However, I know for a fact that a place I applied to hired a 20 something kid who could not do the job. I know this because a friend recommended me for the job, but the woman doing the hiring (in her 40s) wanted someone younger. I could have done the job in my sleep. My skills are a zillion times better than those of the 20ish kid, but I wasn't hired. I don't see any other way to describe than aside from age discrimination. I would do a better job, but they chose someone younger who could not do the job. This is from a friend who has to work with the kid, who can't do the job. How is this a good decision for the company? The 20ish kid isn't going to stay there for 20 years. I'd probably stay longer, so I'm a much better investment.