Law school as an adult??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t do it OP. Waste of time and money.
I’m a Fed at an agency where many of my colleagues are attorneys. I make just over 100k. Many of my colleagues are saddled with law school debt. I just have a bachelors and no debt. We are doing the same job. I’m sure a lot of my colleagues thought they’d be making a lot more money. There is a serious glut of lawyers out there and many of them to not make the $$$ to justify law school.
Add online law school and your age to that glut and it does NOT look good.

Well, if OP just wants to experience law school and then lounge around the federal government her loans would be forgiven in 10 years. Not a terrible outcome in that case.

The likelihood of an online, unaccredited law school graduate getting a federal government job is zero.

Why is that? I thought the fed didn't care where you went to school, all that matters is the actual degree? Is it different for lawyer fed jobs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I echo the common sentiments in the responses. If you want to be a practicing lawyer, you will have an extremely low chance of employment as a 50+ year old woman with an online degree. It is called the practice of law for a reason, graduation is not the end of the education, it’s the beginning and you will need a decent job as a new lawyer where you can go and develop into a “real practicing lawyer”. That job will be very very very hard to find.

Law school is an expensive education and time consuming. I am a practicing lawyer, your age with 23+ years experience. I enjoyed the education but hated the test taking. I went to a top 20 school and still had difficulty finding a job. I was able to pay off my loans in less than 10 years but it took living a meager lifestyle and mercifully the scholarships were high and 20+ years ago the costs were lower. The big law big checks come with big sacrifices, but those will not be available to a grad from an online school. If you have a burning passion to be a practicing lawyer go for it, but not the online, unaccredited law school. If you have not done so already, try shadowing a lawyer who practices in the area you are interested in for a few days.

Most lawyers are not making $200,000 so if it’s riches you seek, don’t. I try not to be a dream killer, but in your case I don’t get the sense that you have a burning desire to be a practicing lawyer so I am joining the choir encouraging you to spend much more time thinking this through.

Is this really true? How much do you make? Why do so many lawyers on here make $500k-$1m if it's so rare (the few who do just happen to post here all the time)?

[Anonymous]

Lawyer incomes over $200K are few, and typically are associated with very large law firms which hire from a limited number of top law schools, or with corporate attorneys in large companies, which also are very selective in their hiring. Most attorneys are not in such roles. Many law schools place few or no graduates in such positions. Government, solo or small firm practices employ most attorneys and those roles are generally not $200K/yr+ positions.

This link indicates that the median attorney income in 2021 was $128K.

https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/lawyer/salary#:~:text=Lawyers%20made%20a%20median%20salary,%2Dpaid%2025%25%20made%20%2481%2C620.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I echo the common sentiments in the responses. If you want to be a practicing lawyer, you will have an extremely low chance of employment as a 50+ year old woman with an online degree. It is called the practice of law for a reason, graduation is not the end of the education, it’s the beginning and you will need a decent job as a new lawyer where you can go and develop into a “real practicing lawyer”. That job will be very very very hard to find.

Law school is an expensive education and time consuming. I am a practicing lawyer, your age with 23+ years experience. I enjoyed the education but hated the test taking. I went to a top 20 school and still had difficulty finding a job. I was able to pay off my loans in less than 10 years but it took living a meager lifestyle and mercifully the scholarships were high and 20+ years ago the costs were lower. The big law big checks come with big sacrifices, but those will not be available to a grad from an online school. If you have a burning passion to be a practicing lawyer go for it, but not the online, unaccredited law school. If you have not done so already, try shadowing a lawyer who practices in the area you are interested in for a few days.

Most lawyers are not making $200,000 so if it’s riches you seek, don’t. I try not to be a dream killer, but in your case I don’t get the sense that you have a burning desire to be a practicing lawyer so I am joining the choir encouraging you to spend much more time thinking this through.

Is this really true? How much do you make? Why do so many lawyers on here make $500k-$1m if it's so rare (the few who do just happen to post here all the time)?

Lol yes biglaw partners. They are a teeny percentage of lawyers.

And anyone can claim to have any salary they want on DCUM. Maybe I make $1m too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t do it OP. Waste of time and money.
I’m a Fed at an agency where many of my colleagues are attorneys. I make just over 100k. Many of my colleagues are saddled with law school debt. I just have a bachelors and no debt. We are doing the same job. I’m sure a lot of my colleagues thought they’d be making a lot more money. There is a serious glut of lawyers out there and many of them to not make the $$$ to justify law school.
Add online law school and your age to that glut and it does NOT look good.

Well, if OP just wants to experience law school and then lounge around the federal government her loans would be forgiven in 10 years. Not a terrible outcome in that case.

The likelihood of an online, unaccredited law school graduate getting a federal government job is zero.

Why is that? I thought the fed didn't care where you went to school, all that matters is the actual degree? Is it different for lawyer fed jobs?

Any desirable Federal government legal job will be very competitive to get. Also, virtually every legal position is excepted service, not civil service, so there's very few preferences that skew the applicant pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I echo the common sentiments in the responses. If you want to be a practicing lawyer, you will have an extremely low chance of employment as a 50+ year old woman with an online degree. It is called the practice of law for a reason, graduation is not the end of the education, it’s the beginning and you will need a decent job as a new lawyer where you can go and develop into a “real practicing lawyer”. That job will be very very very hard to find.

Law school is an expensive education and time consuming. I am a practicing lawyer, your age with 23+ years experience. I enjoyed the education but hated the test taking. I went to a top 20 school and still had difficulty finding a job. I was able to pay off my loans in less than 10 years but it took living a meager lifestyle and mercifully the scholarships were high and 20+ years ago the costs were lower. The big law big checks come with big sacrifices, but those will not be available to a grad from an online school. If you have a burning passion to be a practicing lawyer go for it, but not the online, unaccredited law school. If you have not done so already, try shadowing a lawyer who practices in the area you are interested in for a few days.

Most lawyers are not making $200,000 so if it’s riches you seek, don’t. I try not to be a dream killer, but in your case I don’t get the sense that you have a burning desire to be a practicing lawyer so I am joining the choir encouraging you to spend much more time thinking this through.

Is this really true? How much do you make? Why do so many lawyers on here make $500k-$1m if it's so rare (the few who do just happen to post here all the time)?

Self selection and lying. It doesn't take much time to Google median lawyer salary.

I can't figure out if OP lives in a fantasy land or is a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I echo the common sentiments in the responses. If you want to be a practicing lawyer, you will have an extremely low chance of employment as a 50+ year old woman with an online degree. It is called the practice of law for a reason, graduation is not the end of the education, it’s the beginning and you will need a decent job as a new lawyer where you can go and develop into a “real practicing lawyer”. That job will be very very very hard to find.

Law school is an expensive education and time consuming. I am a practicing lawyer, your age with 23+ years experience. I enjoyed the education but hated the test taking. I went to a top 20 school and still had difficulty finding a job. I was able to pay off my loans in less than 10 years but it took living a meager lifestyle and mercifully the scholarships were high and 20+ years ago the costs were lower. The big law big checks come with big sacrifices, but those will not be available to a grad from an online school. If you have a burning passion to be a practicing lawyer go for it, but not the online, unaccredited law school. If you have not done so already, try shadowing a lawyer who practices in the area you are interested in for a few days.

Most lawyers are not making $200,000 so if it’s riches you seek, don’t. I try not to be a dream killer, but in your case I don’t get the sense that you have a burning desire to be a practicing lawyer so I am joining the choir encouraging you to spend much more time thinking this through.

Is this really true? How much do you make? Why do so many lawyers on here make $500k-$1m if it's so rare (the few who do just happen to post here all the time)?

Self selection and lying. It doesn't take much time to Google median lawyer salary.

I can't figure out if OP lives in a fantasy land or is a troll.

I was the PP who asked this - not the OP. I was just surprised because I have a useless degree (master's in public policy) and work for the government, and I've always been told lawyers make so much more and I should have gone to law school. I'm a GS-15 now, so I guess that's not too far off the $200k that I might have made in a different life as a lawyer, but it's taken me 20 years to get here...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I echo the common sentiments in the responses. If you want to be a practicing lawyer, you will have an extremely low chance of employment as a 50+ year old woman with an online degree. It is called the practice of law for a reason, graduation is not the end of the education, it’s the beginning and you will need a decent job as a new lawyer where you can go and develop into a “real practicing lawyer”. That job will be very very very hard to find.

Law school is an expensive education and time consuming. I am a practicing lawyer, your age with 23+ years experience. I enjoyed the education but hated the test taking. I went to a top 20 school and still had difficulty finding a job. I was able to pay off my loans in less than 10 years but it took living a meager lifestyle and mercifully the scholarships were high and 20+ years ago the costs were lower. The big law big checks come with big sacrifices, but those will not be available to a grad from an online school. If you have a burning passion to be a practicing lawyer go for it, but not the online, unaccredited law school. If you have not done so already, try shadowing a lawyer who practices in the area you are interested in for a few days.

Most lawyers are not making $200,000 so if it’s riches you seek, don’t. I try not to be a dream killer, but in your case I don’t get the sense that you have a burning desire to be a practicing lawyer so I am joining the choir encouraging you to spend much more time thinking this through.

Is this really true? How much do you make? Why do so many lawyers on here make $500k-$1m if it's so rare (the few who do just happen to post here all the time)?

I was the PP who asked this - not the OP. I was just surprised because I have a useless degree (master's in public policy) and work for the government, and I've always been told lawyers make so much more and I should have gone to law school. I'm a GS-15 now, so I guess that's not too far off the $200k that I might have made in a different life as a lawyer, but it's taken me 20 years to get here...

lol. many fed gov attorneys top out at 14. At some agencies there are more 15s available, but most "line" attorneys who are not specialists in some financial area start at 11 and top out at 14.

sure, some people make a lot more out in the private sector, but a lot of people in the private make either the same or less than their federal counterparts, and work hard to get that money. I practiced for 12 years before moving to fed. For a lot of those 12 years I made less than my fed friends. By the time I left private practice my salary was about the same as where I would have been had I started as a fed. although not quite as much, and I had to work a lot harder to get that salary than the people I knew in fed land.

[Anonymous]

I'm convinced OP is a troll. The post and the follow up questions tell me you cannot possibly be serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all, this is a sobering thread. I'm an NP who has been considering this since a relative started a part time law program at a regional school for only $13k a year (they place into a lot of public service work that relative wants to do). I'm a fed with a PhD stuck around $100k, looking around at my attorney friends all just making way more money, both in fed and private, and feeling like I wasted my brains. But if the odds of substantially increasing incomes are THAT bad...oh well.

I do have a route to a part time, free or low cost MBA through my spouse's job, but am not sure that would actually be helpful for advancement from a lesser known school. Feel free to chime in on that one!

Does that PhD happen to be in STEM? If so, you can probably find a patent agent job and maybe even get part time law school paid for.

Nope. Social science, unfortunately. I work in environmental review currently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone who goes to law school is an adult.

Anyone who thinks "I'm a Libra" is a good indication of why they ought to go to law school is not thinking clearly.

You're a dick and obviously an arrogant lawyer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t do it OP. Waste of time and money.
I’m a Fed at an agency where many of my colleagues are attorneys. I make just over 100k. Many of my colleagues are saddled with law school debt. I just have a bachelors and no debt. We are doing the same job. I’m sure a lot of my colleagues thought they’d be making a lot more money. There is a serious glut of lawyers out there and many of them to not make the $$$ to justify law school.
Add online law school and your age to that glut and it does NOT look good.

Well, if OP just wants to experience law school and then lounge around the federal government her loans would be forgiven in 10 years. Not a terrible outcome in that case.

The likelihood of an online, unaccredited law school graduate getting a federal government job is zero.

There are plenty of accredited online law schools.

No, there are not. There are no ABA accredited online law schools. There are a handful of shitty hybrid programs. Please don't claim that cash-grab masters in legal studies counts as a law school.

Here's one

https://www.stmarytx.edu/2021/online-jd-launch/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t do it OP. Waste of time and money.
I’m a Fed at an agency where many of my colleagues are attorneys. I make just over 100k. Many of my colleagues are saddled with law school debt. I just have a bachelors and no debt. We are doing the same job. I’m sure a lot of my colleagues thought they’d be making a lot more money. There is a serious glut of lawyers out there and many of them to not make the $$$ to justify law school.
Add online law school and your age to that glut and it does NOT look good.

Well, if OP just wants to experience law school and then lounge around the federal government her loans would be forgiven in 10 years. Not a terrible outcome in that case.

The likelihood of an online, unaccredited law school graduate getting a federal government job is zero.

There are plenty of accredited online law schools.

No, there are not. There are no ABA accredited online law schools. There are a handful of shitty hybrid programs. Please don't claim that cash-grab masters in legal studies counts as a law school.

Here's one

https://www.stmarytx.edu/2021/online-jd-launch/

Glad you found the one shit school that has one. https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/schools/stmarys/jobs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone who goes to law school is an adult.

Anyone who thinks "I'm a Libra" is a good indication of why they ought to go to law school is not thinking clearly.

You're a dick and obviously an arrogant lawyer.

PP might be a dick and might be an arrogant lawyer, but they're certainly right about the "I'm a Libra."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all, this is a sobering thread. I'm an NP who has been considering this since a relative started a part time law program at a regional school for only $13k a year (they place into a lot of public service work that relative wants to do). I'm a fed with a PhD stuck around $100k, looking around at my attorney friends all just making way more money, both in fed and private, and feeling like I wasted my brains. But if the odds of substantially increasing incomes are THAT bad...oh well.

I do have a route to a part time, free or low cost MBA through my spouse's job, but am not sure that would actually be helpful for advancement from a lesser known school. Feel free to chime in on that one!

Does that PhD happen to be in STEM? If so, you can probably find a patent agent job and maybe even get part time law school paid for.

Nope. Social science, unfortunately. I work in environmental review currently.

. Look for jobs at DOI- lots of environmental scientist / geologist positions at GS 13 and 14.