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35 y.o. DH thinking about Law School (2nd career). Advice?
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Anonymous
| My DH is in banking. The industry is sort of tanking. His job is secure but he hates it. We're in a financial position where he could pay himself a salary and pay for tuition. He is considering law. I know there are a lot of lawyers on this board. What (local) schools would you recommend for someone in his position? What kind of law would you advise that would be a)not too difficult to break into and b)somewhat lucrative? Any other advice? |
Anonymous
| The legal market is terrible and very oversaturated in DC. The tuition is very high and the investment may not be worth it, esp at 35. He may never find a legal job, it is another industry that is restructuring. Is there a related career that he could parlay his experience into instead? |
Anonymous
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Wasn't there a lawyer on a while ago who wanted to break into banking? Maybe they could have a freaky friday thing, or at least commiserate?
One possibility would be to go to night school at G'town (while keeping his job), but to be honest there is a small stigma associated with night school, and my impression is that a lot of people put blood sweat and tears into it and end up keeping their jobs (I also think you can't do a relationship, law school and a fulltime job well at the same time-- you'll have to slack off on at least one). |
Anonymous
| I would not view the law as something that is not too difficult to break into. You're talking a good 6 years of hard work (law school + three years of entry level lawyering) to get to the point where he has some control over what he is doing. That means a good 60 hours/week away from you and the kids during those 6 years. Plus big firms engage in age and family status discrimination (no one wants to hire someone nearing 40, with a wife and kids at home, to do hard labor); even if he graduated in the top tier from Georgetown, he probably will have few choices - maybe some mid-size firms that don't care as much about his age. |
Anonymous
Well he'd quit his job first. So you think he wouldn't be able to find work? What about in Baltimore or Annapolis? |
Anonymous
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Wow. Does your DH know any lawyers? It sounds like he doesnt. The legal market is horrendous right now. It costs a fortune to go to law school and law school is WAY more time and energy consuming for three years than any full time job, even banking. He'll spend about 80 hours a week in class or studying or doing work for a journal or moot court. If he doesn't plan on being on a journal or moot court, he won't get a job that will pay well enough to make it worth it.
I think your DH is severly naive about law school and the current legal job market. Oh, and if he wants to have any kind of job that pays well as a lawyer (which are very hard to get--must be top of class at a top school with journal, etc.) he will be working 80 hours a week for years. |
Anonymous
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15:10 again. Has your DH taken the LSATs? I personally thing going to lawschool is a horrible idea. But if he's even considering it, he needs to take the LSATs. If he has anything less than a 160, tell him to FORGET IT. He'll never get into a decent school and it will be an uphill battle from there.
Obviously, this doesn't apply to everyone. But if someone is going to make a mid-life career change, it has to be worth it. And if he's got a family already, he can't be dicking around. Sorry. |
Anonymous
All good information. What exactly is entry-level lawyering? What does it pay? I don't think he is looking for ultra-high status/high-level as his goal, and money isn't a huge concern (I know that sounds obnoxious but I don't know how else to say it). I think he is just interested in Law and would like it, and is looking for a decent (like over 100k) salary. |
Anonymous
| OP again, and yes I am extremely naive about the profession, obviously! I appreciate the information even though you sound a little snotty. |
Anonymous
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OP - I'm not a lawyer, but my thought is that it could be a good move for your DH. With Dodd-Frank, I would guess that a lawyer with hands-on experience in the financial industry would do well. Even if the market in general for lawyers may not be that great right now, someone with expertise that's applicable to financial reform should have a lot less trouble finding a good job.
Good luck. |
Anonymous
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All good information. What exactly is entry-level lawyering? What does it pay? I don't think he is looking for ultra-high status/high-level as his goal, and money isn't a huge concern (I know that sounds obnoxious but I don't know how else to say it). I think he is just interested in Law and would like it, and is looking for a decent (like over 100k) salary. That was going to be my question. Does your husband think he'd enjoy a career in law or is he just looking at joining Biglaw? PPs are right about there being lots of discrimination when it comes to hiring and unfortunately for your dh, age matters. Some questions he might want to ask himself: What is it about the law that he's attracted to? What kind of job would he ideally like to have after law school? Is this a field that he can see himself in 20 years down the road? A friend of mine considered making a similar career change and after we chatted, she realized she was only focused on getting a promotion in her current field and she thought a law degree would help. (She'd hit the glass ceiling at her company.) She decided to go to B-school instead and is now earning well into the six figures. |
Anonymous
| law sucks. don't do it. |
Anonymous
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I'm a lawyer and I wouldn't recommend it unless:
You really won't miss the money for tuition. DON'T take out loans for law school -- it isn't worth the investment right now. There aren't jobs. |
Anonymous
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When I hear people say they like "law" then I know being a lawyer is not the career for them. I know OP is not her DH so who knows what his perspective is. OP, the reality of "law" is that lawyers have extremely low job satisfaction compared to just about any other field. There are many reasons for this. I say this as a laywer who's happy as one and my DH likewise is a lawyer who's satisfied with his choice. Most of my friends are lawyers. Of all the people I know who are really happy enough as lawyers, none fell into it to get away from something else. I know plenty, plenty, plenty of folks who did the latter (or who started with law just to do something, or because it was expected). Lots of misery there.
If your DH is seriously considering law school, have him take some practice LSATs and see how he does. I'm sorry but I agree with the PP about LSATs. At this point, unless he does really well on them, he shouldn't even consider going. And if he doesn't go to a really good law school, it is likewise not worth it at this stage. You clearly have no idea what it would mean for your family for him to go to law school and become a lawyer (I say that kindly, really, not trying to insult you). If you don't have successful lawyer friends, have your DH find some contacts to speak with (through his alumnae network, for instance). You need to understand that the legal market is VERY bad right now, for a lot of reasons. Even as "the economy" gets better, the legal field is going to suck for many people. It's oversaturated and more lawyers are being pumped out of law school. |
Anonymous
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For anyone considering law school:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMvARy0lBLE |