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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most lawyers I know are miserable and disillusioned, with tremendous student loan debt for years.

Can you work on the causes you care about in a different capacity? Using the time and money you would have "spent" on law school directly on the cause you care about?

In the end it is your life, but at least shadow someone first to be sure your fantasy is not just that.

THIS. There are few jobs, soon to be fewer, and the debt is crushing.

Working as a SSDI advocate or immigration law paralegal is a way to make a difference while also being employed.

Look at Above the Law for an idea of what is going on with law firms at the moment.

[Anonymous]

I'd love to know what OP decided. How many of us let two years go by obsessing over our dreams than acting on them.

For the people who say an older student is wasting a spot...eff that! I'm mid-40s in a grad program and I'd say the majority of 22 year-olds are taking up valuable space. They are not mature enough to actualize the content because they have no real-world experience. What a waste of money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to know what OP decided. How many of us let two years go by obsessing over our dreams than acting on them.

For the people who say an older student is wasting a spot...eff that! I'm mid-40s in a grad program and I'd say the majority of 22 year-olds are taking up valuable space. They are not mature enough to actualize the content because they have no real-world experience. What a waste of money.

Was mid 50s in a grad program. Can appreciate school so much more as a non-traditional student. You realize how special every class can be and expanding your mind following years of work. Hope you are enjoying it.

[Anonymous]

I'm curious what Wants to Be Law Mom did, too!
I think if someone wants to finish law school at 60 and has to go out and get a job cold turkey, so to speak, that would be a challenge. But if she knows lawyers in her town, and is inexpensive, plenty of law firms in small cities need help. I can think of a small city that has trouble getting good lawyers because all the young ones want to be in bigger, exciting cities. Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are independently wealthy and literally have a pile of money to burn and are bored all day long, sure.

If not, you would absolutely be crazy to do so.

This. And I will add that if it’s always been your passion to do pro bono work or work in social services, etc. then sure. Follow your dream. If this a career move, then absolutely no. If you think age discrimination is alive and well, I’m not sure why you think any other profession would be different

In the Op's situation, I would say a maybe.

I would definitely recommend the most cost effective path such as in-state public.

Are there court appointed opportunities where you live? I live in a different NE city. There is usually a demand for lawyers to take child welfare cases. Pay is around $65/hour, I believe.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious what Wants to Be Law Mom did, too!
I think if someone wants to finish law school at 60 and has to go out and get a job cold turkey, so to speak, that would be a challenge. But if she knows lawyers in her town, and is inexpensive, plenty of law firms in small cities need help. I can think of a small city that has trouble getting good lawyers because all the young ones want to be in bigger, exciting cities. Just a thought.

She could probably carve out a nice, profitable niche once her reputation is known

[Anonymous]

I would love to hear from anyone who did go to law school in their fifties. Would you do it again? What type of law are you practicing? Would you encourage/discourage someone else in a similar situation?

I am looking at UDC for law school and am interested in public service law.

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

OP I haven't read every page of this but I'm going to make a different suggestion for you. If you're interested in politics, get involved and try to turn that into a job. I fell into working in politics by volunteering on a gritty little campaign - I knocked on doors, helped with events, and recruited new volunteers in my free time. Then we won and the candidate offered me a job, which turned into a more senior job with one of their colleagues, and progressively more senior positions after that. It wasn't the career for me in the end so I went back to school (in my late 20s), but it might be a good fit for you.

Reach out to a candidate, elected official, or local party that you believe in and ask to volunteer (you can ask if they are hiring but in my experience they tend to hire past volunteers or people they know). Show up to help with the mindset that no task is too big or too small. Be a can-do person who underpromises and overdelivers, and shows up consistently and you will likely be able to turn it into a job relatively quickly. Know that the first few jobs will be entry level, likely, like administrative work. In my experience, a smart person who works hard absolutely has opportunities to advance and gain experience in different areas (operations/logistics, communications, legislative work, policy, etc.).

My DH went to law school as a "mature" student in his early 30s and even that was pretty tough - I would not recommend it at your age. You'll end up with a mortgage of debt and face a workforce that expects brutal hours, and there will be a lot of age discrimination.

[Anonymous]

^ It’s been nearly three years. Hopefully op has already made a decision!

[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.

I have a law degree from a top 15 law school, obtained at age 34, and several years of solid practice experience with many strong references. I took time off from the practice of law to care for a terminally ill elder. At 50 I’m trying to get back in and hitting age discrimination everywhere I turn. And I’m only looking to get back into the public sector, I’m not trying to get into corporate law.

Your mileage may vary. If you can afford the degree and just want the experience of law school no matter how things turn out afterward, do it. If you think you’ll be up to the rigors of studying for the Bar exam at almost 60, go for it. (Or maybe you’ll use the JD in other ways - many do.)

But just know that you are likely to hit the age discrimination wall hard breaking into a new career field at 60, law degree or not.

[Anonymous]

When I see these threads I always have a different take. If you can afford it, why not? It's investing in yourself emotionally if not financially. The alternative is usually a job you're not thrilled to be doing and how is that better? Some people want to climb MT Everest or run a marathon before they die so why can't an educational dream be on someone's bucket list?

Continuous learning and an active mind wards off depression and can help with keeping dementia away. If it's not the dream you thought, you can quit and what's the downside? A years tuition at a public school and lost earnings from the job you didn't like (take a leave if possible just in case) ? Still less than living with always wondering.

[Anonymous]

Stay realistic with the career prospects and you should be ok. Unfortunately there's age discrimination everywhere so don't let that stop you but know it's out there.

[Anonymous]

Tying 2 threads together but in the pregnant in the mid 40s thread there are posters who gave birth at 47, 49, etc and how is that different financially than losing income and paying tuition to go to school?

Children cost money so at age 47 and 49 you are committing to spending thousands of dollars on your offspring which translates into losing thousands of dollars from what you could save. Money lost either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would recommend volunteering with CASA. It is interesting and legal-related but you do not need to be a lawyer. And these people are incredibly important.


Or become a paralegal.

Thanks. I just looked at the CASA website, and it does sound important, especially right now.

Do older paralegals get hired? Just wondering if that would be a waste of money too? And I wonder if I'd be frustrated as a paralegal.

You're much more likely to be frustrated as a lawyer than as a paralegal.

[Anonymous]

Wow, this is the OP. I started this thread in 2018! It's closing on four years ago! I read through it because there was an encouraging post on it I liked and remembered.

For anyone curious, I had a family crisis, which derailed me for a while, but things are better now, and I'm going to school to become a paralegal. The classes are easy, and it seems interesting enough. I hope being a paralegal is more challenging. It's far too late for me to go to law school now, sadly, and I don't have the $300K it would cost to attend Georgetown or a similar school I would likely have attended in my 20s.

Re-reading this thread, it's surprising to see all the lawyers blithely accepting age discrimination as the way it is, while at the same time it's illegal discrimination, yes?

Doesn't your law license require you to uphold the law? You're all saying it's OK to break the law, and isn't that technically a violation of your license?

I don't know, just asking, as it seemed surprising from this perspective.