Law school as a 37 yo mother of 3

[Anonymous]

Do you want to try and be a paralegal? Not sure how much you make but some of our seasoned lifetime paras make 180k+ with the overtime. A lot of their tasks are pretty menial but depends on the group.

[Anonymous]

I was a law student at night and went on to make a decent (not great) living as a federal court appointed criminal defense lawyer. It's doable, but with 3 little children, your ds would have to really, really support this venture.

[Anonymous]

AI is going to have a huge impact of legal jobs, too, OP. Consider getting a marketing job for a firm to get a better sense of the realities of the profession.

Could you have PPD or anxiety? Your decision making seems a bit off in all kindness.

[Anonymous]

OP with kids that young…nope. Unless you can hire lots of childcare.

Are you OK with missing out on things at your kids’ school because you’re the newest attorney and can’t just take leave whenever.


What about the summer associate piece of the puzzle?

You’re in a career funk with young kids. I get it, but law school won’t be the fix you hope it will be.

[Anonymous]

This is doable BUT: Go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. Not for a better career or if you're just bored. You need to truly want to be a lawyer, and to know what that means, and to have a career plan.

I did the part-time program at Georgetown; in this area, there are also part-time programs at GW and Catholic, I think. I had a baby when I started, as did several other classmates. Some had 2-3 kids. Some had babies while in law school with meticulous planning. Our career outcomes were generally excellent (federal agencies, big law, etc) but everyone worked very hard. Having an extremely supportive spouse is crucial.

I had a great experience BUT again, I wanted to be a lawyer, and I had a specific career goal in mind. I worry when people say they want to go to law school because they're stuck or think they'll make more money (lol) or need to be fulfilled in some way. That's a huge red flag. We did have people burn out in the program because it's intense and law just wasn't for them. It's better to know that before you sink thousands of dollars into it.

[Anonymous]

I am in the EXACT same boat as you OP. 36, three kids (6,3,6 months). Bored in my career in marketing and always regretted not going into law. At a fork in the road with my current job and am also debating what comes next.

[Anonymous]

FWIW I'm a lawyer and 37 and plenty of my colleagues are feeling burned out too. I know lots of new people my age going through the "is this really what I want to do with my life" thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:90% of lawyers hate their job.

You are romanticizing what you think the jobs really are.

Talk to someone/multiple people who do it and really understand what it entails.

Meh, only lawyers who weren’t cut out to be lawyers, or who insisted on chasing money/prestige. with the exception of a few dull years in the wrong agency, I have always enjoyed my job.

So, you are in the 10%.

I know probably 10 BigLaw partners and not one is encouraging their kid to follow in their footsteps.

My dad (former biglaw partner) also discouraged us from being lawyers. In my experience any well paying field is going to be grueling and law is not a bad option for the intellectual, introverted who aren’t cut out to be doctors or in finance - as far as the high paying fields go.

Some people in biglaw I know who like their jobs are in tax and real estate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:90% of lawyers hate their job.

You are romanticizing what you think the jobs really are.

Talk to someone/multiple people who do it and really understand what it entails.

+100

[Anonymous]

+1 to finding a niche practice area if you do enter law. I'm in RE biglaw, have 2 kids + a working spouse, and I'm very thankful for my job. A family friendly office helps too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:90% of lawyers hate their job.

You are romanticizing what you think the jobs really are.

Talk to someone/multiple people who do it and really understand what it entails.

Meh, only lawyers who weren’t cut out to be lawyers, or who insisted on chasing money/prestige. with the exception of a few dull years in the wrong agency, I have always enjoyed my job.

So, you are in the 10%.

I know probably 10 BigLaw partners and not one is encouraging their kid to follow in their footsteps.

My dad (former biglaw partner) also discouraged us from being lawyers. In my experience any well paying field is going to be grueling and law is not a bad option for the intellectual, introverted who aren’t cut out to be doctors or in finance - as far as the high paying fields go.

Some people in biglaw I know who like their jobs are in tax and real estate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids?

6, 4 and 7 months. I can’t stand to be away from them, but I’m also extremely unfulfilled professionally. An age old conundrum, I realize.

You chose to be a mother of at least 3 children and now you want to abandon them so that you can feel fulfilled. No "mother of the year"award for you ! As written by another poster: It's not about you anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't do it.

Source: went to law school, graduated without debt, have 1 kid under age 6, spouse is handling all pickup/drop off, have family nearby, am in non-litigation unicorn role.

It's such an adjustment with 1 kid. A lot to handle.

With 3? No. Just--no. I've seen marriages crumble. You'd need a spouse who teleworks and an au pair.

That sounds like a you issue.