Can I salvage my career after SAHM 22 years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not in a position to hire anyone right now but if I were, I would hire someone like you for a junior lawyer position. And I would do it gladly. You have the same prerequisites any junior lawyer would have (law school isn’t helpful anyway), and I would expect personal maturity and organizational skills.

Same. I work at a small law firm of former BigLaw lawyers. We have high standards but can't compete in hiring with BigLaw. The associates we've hired the past 5 years have all been terrible despite having good grades from respectable law schools -- can't write, no ability to figure things out on their own or problem solve, can't analyze a case correctly, complain about 2 in-person days in the office. I can only conclude that there has been a brain drain from law to STEM fields. I've been thinking lately that what we really need is a SAHM former lawyer with good credentials heading back to work. I can train someone within reason to write or read a case but I can't figure out how to get someone to problem solve or take ownership of a project who does not seem to have that chip. I've been practicing for almost 30 years and the decline the last few years has been notable.

OP I think the suggestion to be CASA volunteer is a good one -- just to get you back in the mindset of advocacy and being around lawyers. If you have some money to throw at the problem, it might be worth checking out some LLM programs. I'm normally not an advocate of these, but in your case if you can go and do a year of law school and get good grades it might get your confidence up, and you will at least have something on your resume to show you are serious.

Don't do document review -- it's the worst and it won't get you where you want to go. Tell everyone you know you are looking -- maybe a solo or small firm will pick you up to do some temp overflow work or something. Get your foot in the door. Even if you are in your 50s you could still have a 10-20 year work life ahead of you. Law is one field where ageism is less of a problem -- I work with plenty of crusty old lawyers who are at the top of their game. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

This is the premise of The Good Wife...

[Anonymous]

I would find a job in the legal field that is not a lawyer to start out. Maybe a paralegal? Then transition to a lawyer position later on.

[Anonymous]

Since you are over 22 years out of law school, many of your law school classmates and friends are likely to be established lawyers who may hire you as a paralegal, legal assistant, volunteer or intern to help you out. I do think it will be tough road and it will take a while to really prove you are serious about working, especially in the legal field. Have you considered if you really want to work, or do you just feel bad about not working for so long?

You don’t have to work in the legal field just because you got a law degree at a different point in your life. I think other fields will be a lot easier to break into after such a long time, and I say this as someone who has been a practicing lawyer for 18 years.

[Anonymous]

I know an Orange Man moving to DC next year who will be hiring a lot of lawyers. No questions asked on prior experience.

[Anonymous]

You fulfilled your parental obligation very honorably. You have my respect.

I would find organizations or lawyers who do the type of work you care about. Try to meet with them. Be honest. Explain that you feel you have more to give. Let them decide where to plug you in.

It may take a few attempts, but one should click.

Good luck (I know a lot of parents with disabled kids need advocates to obtain the quality of education their children are supposed to receive? Or a women’s shelter? Law school pro bono clinic? The needs are great.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not in a position to hire anyone right now but if I were, I would hire someone like you for a junior lawyer position. And I would do it gladly. You have the same prerequisites any junior lawyer would have (law school isn’t helpful anyway), and I would expect personal maturity and organizational skills.

Same. I work at a small law firm of former BigLaw lawyers. We have high standards but can't compete in hiring with BigLaw. The associates we've hired the past 5 years have all been terrible despite having good grades from respectable law schools -- can't write, no ability to figure things out on their own or problem solve, can't analyze a case correctly, complain about 2 in-person days in the office. I can only conclude that there has been a brain drain from law to STEM fields. I've been thinking lately that what we really need is a SAHM former lawyer with good credentials heading back to work. I can train someone within reason to write or read a case but I can't figure out how to get someone to problem solve or take ownership of a project who does not seem to have that chip. I've been practicing for almost 30 years and the decline the last few years has been notable.

OP I think the suggestion to be CASA volunteer is a good one -- just to get you back in the mindset of advocacy and being around lawyers. If you have some money to throw at the problem, it might be worth checking out some LLM programs. I'm normally not an advocate of these, but in your case if you can go and do a year of law school and get good grades it might get your confidence up, and you will at least have something on your resume to show you are serious.

Don't do document review -- it's the worst and it won't get you where you want to go. Tell everyone you know you are looking -- maybe a solo or small firm will pick you up to do some temp overflow work or something. Get your foot in the door. Even if you are in your 50s you could still have a 10-20 year work life ahead of you. Law is one field where ageism is less of a problem -- I work with plenty of crusty old lawyers who are at the top of their game. Good luck!

How do we get in touch with you if you decide to move in this direction?

Signed, not OP. Rather, a PP in a somewhat similar position.

[Anonymous]

OMG, only volunteer with CASA if you are good at boundaries. My mother is NOT and it was a mess. She doesn't get "arms length"

[Anonymous]

You can definitely get something that will use your license. I recommend applying to VA, HHS, and SSA. These agencies have tons of attorneys and a lot of turnover. So they are always hiring! As to professional history, I think you can emphasize any volunteer work or research interests in your background. If you have an interest in a particular area, highlight that in your email communications or cover letter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, I’m a lawyer who took 7 years off for kids and then dipped my toe back in with 2 months of doc review. Then I got a job directly with a firm doing doc review, then they later hired me on direct with benefits as a staff attorney, all of that took about 12-18 months. I think I applied for the doc review job through Hire Counsel.

There are definitely better jobs and this isn’t the solution if you ultimately want a 20 year satisfying legal career arc, probably. Doc review is a bit of a dead end unless you can turn it into being some electronic discovery expert work or similar. But it’s a job wi tbh a salary that can be done remotely.

You took off 7 years. She took 22!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people start with be kind… grow up

It was a blunt comment but the truth. Op is trying to salvage a career she never had. She never used her law degree. It's a big difference between someone who worked for X years vs someone with no experience.

Experience or no experience, she IS a lawyer.

but she never worked as one. If she had and then left, it MIGHT be a different story, but even then it is VERY difficult to segue back in. But having not worked at all out of law school will prove very difficult

[Anonymous]

I’m just going to throw out another idea.

If you have a license to practice law, you can practice law regardless of whether anyone hires you as an employee.

It’s actually one of the most entrepreneurial fields imaginable once you get past the student debt issue. All you need to open your firm is a license, a laptop and some bad malpractice insurance.

As for clients? If you’re moderately competent, pick an area that’s unsexy but in demand and charge cheap enough rates, you’ll have a client.

Someone will pay you $100 to represent them in DUI court tomorrow if you have a license. But you need to be scrappy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You fulfilled your parental obligation very honorably. You have my respect.

I would find organizations or lawyers who do the type of work you care about. Try to meet with them. Be honest. Explain that you feel you have more to give. Let them decide where to plug you in.

It may take a few attempts, but one should click.

Good luck (I know a lot of parents with disabled kids need advocates to obtain the quality of education their children are supposed to receive? Or a women’s shelter? Law school pro bono clinic? The needs are great.)

This is what I was thinking. If OP managed to navigate the special education system, and launch her child into something of a stable young adulthood, she's well positioned to advise families on the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know there are lots of lawyers here. Be kind, I've been though a lot. After graduation from law school /passing the bar, I got married right away and had a child who had lots of challenges. I stayed home to care for him. Then (of course) I got sick and was chronically ill for many years. I'm healing now. I don't regret staying at home to help my son. He's doing well now and I couldn't be more proud. But now that he's more independent, I feel like life has passed me by and I've lost any opportunity for a career. I still want to use my degree, even if it's to do pro bono work. I would love to help children or do human rights work. Sadly, I don't remember much from school and I don't know how useful I can be to anyone. How can I get back in? How can I find a mentor? Who would take me even as a volunteer with my non job history?

I think you can do it. My friend volunteered st the Smithsonian and got a job there. She was also a sahm.

What kind of lawyer are you? I am sure there are lots on non profits where you could volunteer first

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People here are so mean. OP, I do think that unfortunately it will be difficult for you to get a legal job at your current level of experience. Your best bet might be something in the legal field but not as a lawyer, and you will probably have better luck with small/solo law firms or nonprofits. Try applying as a paralegal or a legal assistant at a nonprofit or for a city agency (state and federal government can be harder to get into).

People are mean, and unnecessarily so. OP, I suspect you faced a few more obstacles in your life than the heartless PPs. Pay them no attention. (But they may be correct about it being hard to get back into law.)

But what about teaching? I work with a former lawyer who now teaches law electives to high schoolers. You won’t face age discrimination heading into education; in fact, life experience is often seen as valuable. You won’t need a teaching degree, either. Because of the shortage, most districts offer alternative programs to help you get certified.

Now, that shortage exists for a reason. Teaching is HARD WORK and undervalued by our society. Still, I go to bed feeling fulfilled because of the work I do. It gives me a sense of purpose and pride. I get more done in a day than some people do in a month.

If you’re looking for purpose and challenge, it’s worth a thought.

Gen X MBA mom here. I would like to comment that this is a great idea but it's true that it is really hard.

I work at a Fortune 500 corp. My younger son's high school English teacher this year bailed on her corp law career at my company during the late pandemic to try teaching English as a passion career. From talking to my son, it's apparent that this teacher is still a bit of a rookie. Her expectations are high, but her classroom management and assignment-giving skills are still developing. She is easily frustrated and the kids see that "blood in the water". This is an average non-DMV suburban school where, in Honors sections, there are still kids who don't stay on task. I don't want to get into specifics but I feel she had an unproductive relationship with my kid who becomes demotivated when teachers have poor classroom control.

Teaching is such a worthwhile profession, and quality help is so needed by society, but it takes really good people management skills. And probably humility when entered as a second career. Plus extreme willingness to be around kids of the target age level.

You could easily get sub jobs to take a peek inside some schools near you. Obviously try for the better ones so you don't get turned off right away.

I like the idea of you looking for paralegal work. Are you able to tap into your law school network? Try the current career center. They might have advice on current conditions for grads of your school or know of a sympathetic alum.

Regarding your past health issues and how other people can be unkind, please make sure you are healthy enough to avoid lots of random sick days during any first year of paid work. People can be really judgy about chronic illness flare ups causing random absences. If you have concerns about this, maybe stay on the volunteer side longer to ensure good relations/recommendations.