Is 68 too old for law school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is now 70.

If they are still alive.

Why wouldn't they be?

[Anonymous]

Not a lawyer but I got really good advice about hiring a matrimonial attorney with litigation focus from a friend's father who had been doing it for several decades.
Basically, he said to hire someone who can withstand the waiting around at court. There is a lot of downtime and schedules are not reliable. It can get physically demanding for an older person and this would not serve the client well to have an attorney come in tired, frazzled and their pencils not sharpened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a strong urge to study law and become a criminal law attorney. I'm in D.C. which has several law schools, with at least one (Catholic) having a night school. Yes? No?

It's not too late at all. When you're dead, it's too late.
If you can afford it, then go!
Do it!!
Law school is great. Some people hate it, but I loved it.
Do it OP!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, thank you. I wanted to be an attorney -- in particular, a public defender. I don't need to make money. But if the thinking here is no, I'd accept that. Thank you.
-- OP

Ignore the nay-sayers, OP. If you want to go to law school, then apply and get accepted and start classes. Do some research, though. It's very challenging, and you're gong to be exhausted by law school. Can you handle all that? Maybe going at night would be best. If you can't handle it, you could drop out. I don't think you'd be too old if you were 90. If you can do it, then you can. Life is short. Become a lawyer if you want to do so. As long as you're in good health, you can work until you're 80 or 100, who knows? Don't listen to anyone who wants to tell you not to do it. If you want to, go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, thank you. I wanted to be an attorney -- in particular, a public defender. I don't need to make money. But if the thinking here is no, I'd accept that. Thank you.


-- OP

Don’t write off your dream so quickly.

While I applaud having dreams, particularly academic ones, I agree with those who have said that someone facing criminal charges needs more than an elderly novice attorney probably has to throw at their case. Having said that, I think you should see if you can take a few courses. Many universities allow seniors to audit for free or for a nominal fee — although I don’t know if this extends to law school courses. See how you feel about what’s required, including pulling a few all nighters and rote memorization. Take the LSATs or whatever you need to do. Then assess yourself every step of the way, and get feedback. If someone you loved desperately needed a lawyer, would you, as an elderly novice be a good choice?

I think you should only do this if the process of attending law school is one that you would find valuable. If the true value for you would only come after you have been accepted, slogged through 3+ years of law school, AND passed the bar exam, I’d probably suggest leaning into another — possibly legally adjacent— dream.

This is obnoxious.
Not all 68 year olds are the same "age." Some are 50, some are 90, and everywhere in between.
OP, do not get discouraged by the comments you get on DCUM. They are universally discouraging. This is not the place to get advice. Most posters will find reasons to crush your dreams, like this PP.
Start the process. See if it's for you. If not, find something else. But don't give up before you start!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a lawyer but I got really good advice about hiring a matrimonial attorney with litigation focus from a friend's father who had been doing it for several decades.
Basically, he said to hire someone who can withstand the waiting around at court. There is a lot of downtime and schedules are not reliable. It can get physically demanding for an older person and this would not serve the client well to have an attorney come in tired, frazzled and their pencils not sharpened.

That pp is "Not a lawyer" is right.

I'm a litigator, earn several hundred k per year, and 99% of my work is at a desk. The work requires less stamina than driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gotta LOL and “do it for the love of learning”. I loved college and the learning I did there. I’m 50 and would consider a Masters. Law schools is very much not that. Law school is a boot camp. It’s an enormous amount of work, much of it on very dry, boring material. And unbelievably stressful. And generally cutthroat. I mean— a year of property law, a year of civil procedure, a year semester of criminal law, a year of constitutional law (most of IT not the fun stuff), TORTs, evidence. Rule against perpetuities anyone?. All learned by reading and outlining old Supreme Court cases and then being pointed at by a professor and told so stand and drilled in front of your classmates for an hour. Plus, all the secured transactions, etc you need for the bar.

I’m happy with where I ended up with a law degree (but was miserable the first 5 years of practice, as many people are when they are bottom of the totem poll). But I hated law school. And I don’t know a single lawyer who enjoyed. It’s drill and kill in a high stress environment. See how The payoff could be wortH it in Your 60s and 70s.

And it’s easily an 80 hour week. Assuming your brain processes as fast as a 24 year olds. Which, it doesn’t. And it isn’t small seminars debating the big legal issue of our day. It’s reading and notating cases, then praying you don’t get called on on the one day you ran out of time.

FYI You can represent social security disability claimants in agency hearing and at the appeals level (but not in federal court) without a JD. May also be possible before the VA. Doing something like that might be a better option.

Ignore this poster!!
I loved law school!! Loved every minute of it. And I work (for low pay) for a nonprofit, 40 hours a week. Stressful, yes, but not high stress.

[Anonymous]

Memory and cognition just aren’t the same, it will be hard work, I wouldn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that perspective. Not the OP but love seeing people motivate others and support them. We need more of that in the world.

but think of the cost. Most law schools are now $106k+ a year. $318k. and you're taking the placd of someone who coukd practice 60+ years. Also, your brain just isn't as sharo at that age than it was in youth

You know that discriminating on the basis of age is not legal. Are you a lawyer advocating breaking the law?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:yes, its too old but primarily because it's not very interesting as a "field of study". And tuition is very expensive. And there's plenty of ageism among attorneys (I am a 65 year old retired attorney)
However, if you really must try to become a "criminal law attorney" you should go for it.

If you are just interested in the law, take university classes in related fields such as "history of law". or "US Constitution" or even criminology

Attorney here - highly disagree. I think it is a fascinating field of study - worthy if you never practiced law a day in your life. Not just con law - everything helps you understand the systems about which our society is built. I do think that it would be difficult to start a legal career in any field - public defense included - at age 71. If you are independently wealthy and would not be relying on this to pay any bills, then perhaps. But a good education is invaluable at any age.

Another attorney here - strongly disagree. Law School is BORING wiith the exception of only a few courses like Con Law. Please go to a law school and sit in on some classes.

Thoughtful people can disagree.
I loved law school. I was not bored for a second. Interesting classes, great, smart people. Always challenging. Very challenging, and a huge pile of work, but I loved it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a lawyer but I got really good advice about hiring a matrimonial attorney with litigation focus from a friend's father who had been doing it for several decades.
Basically, he said to hire someone who can withstand the waiting around at court. There is a lot of downtime and schedules are not reliable. It can get physically demanding for an older person and this would not serve the client well to have an attorney come in tired, frazzled and their pencils not sharpened.

That pp is "Not a lawyer" is right.

I'm a litigator, earn several hundred k per year, and 99% of my work is at a desk. The work requires less stamina than driving.

I’m a retired divorce attorney and they sit around plenty, also. Plus, they are usually paid hourly so all that sitting around waiting for the case to be called is all paid.

[Anonymous]

^^ to add to the above…

OP, I worked in my third year of law school under this allowance: https://law.richmond.edu/students/certificate.html

It means you could be working in criminal law within 2 years.

[Anonymous]

Interesting to see this thread revived. It inspired me. My plan is to attend law school when I step away from my current position at 70.

Should be a suitable activity to keep my mind occupied and engaged. When finished I would do pro bono work until it became time to retire for good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a lawyer but I got really good advice about hiring a matrimonial attorney with litigation focus from a friend's father who had been doing it for several decades.
Basically, he said to hire someone who can withstand the waiting around at court. There is a lot of downtime and schedules are not reliable. It can get physically demanding for an older person and this would not serve the client well to have an attorney come in tired, frazzled and their pencils not sharpened.

That pp is "Not a lawyer" is right.

I'm a litigator, earn several hundred k per year, and 99% of my work is at a desk. The work requires less stamina than driving.

Despite it being all at a desk, it does take stamina. Dealing with opposing counsel and clients and staying up late to finish something under a deadline is more taxing than going to the courthouse for a couple hours. Don't even get me started on trial, where you go to trial all day then work all night to get ready for the next day of trial.

[Anonymous]

I know practicing attorneys who struggled to pass the bar when they relocated to a new state…and they were in their 40s. The bar exam is very challenging.

I know lawyers who lost their jobs or took a break for several years to be a caregiver, and nobody would hire them because they were deemed too old in their 50s.

To the poster who said they could always just work at legal aid: those jobs are actually very, very competitive.