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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: I'll give you the other point of view. If this is something you've wanted to do your whole life, AND you have clear and realistic goals for what you want to do with a law degree, AND you won't be going into debt - then go for it.

What's the alternative - you spend the next 20 years still wishing you'd done this when you were young?

But I would only do this if it won't hurt you financially, and you know what you are going to do with the degree. Otherwise you will be just like the miserable 25 year old law grads except also facing age discrimination.

Don't become a paralegal unless it's what you actually want to do, or unless you really do need the $$.

I'm going to guess that this poster is not an attorney, and that many if not most of the posts above saying no to law school are from attorneys.

The thing is, you are not actually ready to practice law when you graduate from law school and pass the bar. It takes years of practice to develop the skills, knowledge, and experience in your area of practice to get good at what you do in the law. And it requires a lot of luck to get the crucial internships and externships, not to mention a lot of luck getting that first critical job out of law school.

To the OP: look into being a paralegal. Don't put off working for another 3.5 years -- years when you are taking on debt, not earning a salary, and getting older in a very tight field where age discrimination is real. And don't think it's easier to get a legal job in the non-profit sector, because it isn't. I have been a lawyer in the non-profit sector for 20+ years and believe me, we are always swamped with applicants for the very few open positions we have, and we can afford to be very choosy (and we have to be, because we need new hires to be able to hit the ground running and don't have a lot of resources to train them.)

It might be worthwhile to hire a career coach to help you come up with other options and a strategy for finding for interesting, rewarding careers that don't require law school.

[Anonymous]

Why do you want to go to law school? Meaning, what in particular do you want to do with your law degree? Unless the answer is "go to court," which the majority of lawyers rarely do anyway, it may make more sense to try to move into an entry level advocacy or public policy job someplace and work your way up.

[Anonymous]

I am not the OP, but also looking for a change. I worry that if I were in the position of being a good paralegal, I wouldn't have an "inferiority complex", but might be resentful if I felt I were doing the lion's share of the attorney's work, while he got the lion's share of the money.

Well, for litigation paralegals (at least the ones I have worked with), I can ask a good paralegal to gather documents responsive to discovery requests, review them for responsiveness, prepare them for production, and conduct a very basic privilege review which I will then recheck. I can ask them to prepare deposition and trial exhibits and binders, and to cite check briefs and pleadings. That is a lot of work, and it is important to have it done well, but it isn't the "lion's share" of the legal work on the case.

[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 say, go for it, OP, but think of it as a hobby--I mean, you took the practice LSAT--clearly, you are really into it. I would not go for it in the hopes of finding an awesome job etc--maybe a part time job.

I'm a graduate of Harvard Law School (25 yrs. ago, I'm in my early 50s) and have left the field of law, fwiw. But honestly, law wasn't my passion. Sounds like it's yours. Let's say it takes you five years. Well you'll be five years older in five years, anyways. Might as well have a J.D.--and law school is really interesting (more so than when you finally get on-the-job, but I was at a big firm)

[Anonymous]

^^I also want to say this (this is a take on what I say to myself often about many things; I'm just inserting "You are" for "I am")

You are among the luckiest person who has ever lived. You are a woman born in a rarified time and place--an exclusive time and place where you are not conscripted by race, gender, status of birth or social class. You are allowed to be whatever you want to be, where you can learn whatever you want to learn--all doors can be open to you. Your ancestors would kill for one-tenth of the opportunities that are laid before your feet, daily. Your only job is to to take those opportunities that have been given you and not limit yourself because of some artificial cage you have created for yourself..."it's too late; I'm too old," for example. Someone has to be the oldest new lawyer in America; it might as well be you. Go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start working towards being a paralegal. Get a job in a small firm as a receptionist. Psy attention. Learn everything you can. Volunteer to take on extra projects. Study. And then let the supervising attorney know you are interested in paralegal work. A trained paralegal can do everything an attorney do except give legal advice, set fees, and represent clients in court. And you can represent clients at certain administrative hearings. You'll meet with clients, work on investigation and discovery, research, draft pleadings, communicate with opposing counsel, assist the attorney in court ..... If you are a litigation paralegal, you'll work long hours but the pay is usually very good.

Something to think about.

Thanks for this post. It's a good thing to think about. It sounds like it might be a way for me to pretend to be a lawyer without actually getting a degree! I will start researching it.

[Anonymous]

Isn't the annual tuition at a school like American or GWU $56ish so the full program is about $160K, not $100K?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: I'll give you the other point of view. If this is something you've wanted to do your whole life, AND you have clear and realistic goals for what you want to do with a law degree, AND you won't be going into debt - then go for it.

What's the alternative - you spend the next 20 years still wishing you'd done this when you were young?

But I would only do this if it won't hurt you financially, and you know what you are going to do with the degree. Otherwise you will be just like the miserable 25 year old law grads except also facing age discrimination.

Don't become a paralegal unless it's what you actually want to do, or unless you really do need the $$.

Interesting point of view. I am going to look into paralegal work. Law school at my local in-state school would be affordable, and no, I would not go into debt, but I'd likely never make the money back either. I have at least 15-20 more years of working though, so I'd like to do something interesting to me.

I have no experience as a paralegal, so not sure I'd get a job! But perhaps I can take classes at my local CC? My fear is that it might not be challenging enough? I have a master's degree in another field and about 15 years of experience working in that field.

I'd always thought I'd be a litigator, but maybe I've watched too much TV! Just gave up my dreams young. My best friend went to law school and hated it, so I thought I would too, even though we're not at all alike intellectually. Another friend loved (and still loves) practicing law, but I didn't meet him until I was well into my career, and it was too late by then to change fields. Wish I had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Law school - crazy. Expensive, long, and very difficult to recover your costs.
paralegal - great idea. Money is pretty good, work can be interesting, and there are jobs.

Thanks for this encouragement. I really hadn't considered paralegal work as an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do it. You will be working into your 70's regardless. Yes, it will cost a considerable sum. My advice- attend the best law school that admits you.

That's good advice, but I still have kids in high school, so can't move to Cambridge or Stanford or New Haven! The one near me I can afford is so-so, not highly ranked at all. I could probably get into a better school, but that's not possible logistically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^I also want to say this (this is a take on what I say to myself often about many things; I'm just inserting "You are" for "I am")

You are among the luckiest person who has ever lived. You are a woman born in a rarified time and place--an exclusive time and place where you are not conscripted by race, gender, status of birth or social class. You are allowed to be whatever you want to be, where you can learn whatever you want to learn--all doors can be open to you. Your ancestors would kill for one-tenth of the opportunities that are laid before your feet, daily. Your only job is to to take those opportunities that have been given you and not limit yourself because of some artificial cage you have created for yourself..."it's too late; I'm too old," for example. Someone has to be the oldest new lawyer in America; it might as well be you. Go for it.

NP here: I love this. Thank you for posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're wasting a spot. You won't actually do anything with the degree; this is not a whimsical degree or just a brag point for a cocktail party. Don't take a spot away from someone who actually needs it.

Gross presumption here. And a person who actually “needs” a spot should earn it and if nothing else should want to have earned it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^I also want to say this (this is a take on what I say to myself often about many things; I'm just inserting "You are" for "I am")

You are among the luckiest person who has ever lived. You are a woman born in a rarified time and place--an exclusive time and place where you are not conscripted by race, gender, status of birth or social class. You are allowed to be whatever you want to be, where you can learn whatever you want to learn--all doors can be open to you. Your ancestors would kill for one-tenth of the opportunities that are laid before your feet, daily. Your only job is to to take those opportunities that have been given you and not limit yourself because of some artificial cage you have created for yourself..."it's too late; I'm too old," for example. Someone has to be the oldest new lawyer in America; it might as well be you. Go for it.

Thank you for saying this. I have tended to give up on things too soon (see my original post), so I don't want to give up on a potential last gasp chance at going to law school just because everyone tells me it's a crazy idea! It sounds crazy to me too, yet at the same time, not impossible. I could not go to Harvard Law School, even if I were accepted, so there are limitations on me, but those are self-imposed.

I get your point about being lucky. I will try to keep that in mind and not settle for doing what I "should" do instead of what I want to do. I've done that too many times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the annual tuition at a school like American or GWU $56ish so the full program is about $160K, not $100K?

I would go to my local in-state school, so tuition is very cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're wasting a spot. You won't actually do anything with the degree; this is not a whimsical degree or just a brag point for a cocktail party. Don't take a spot away from someone who actually needs it.

Gross presumption here. And a person who actually “needs” a spot should earn it and if nothing else should want to have earned it.

OP here. I think that's extremely presumptuous . I would never go to law school with the intention of playing at being a lawyer. It costs a lot of money, even in-state, and I'd plan on getting work afterwards, even if the work wasn't all that well paid. I would DO something with that education, and I would not waste it. OTOH, many people who go to law school end up quitting after a few years. A PP who went to Harvard Law School left the field -- did she "waste" her spot? Going to school so late in life when I know who I am and I know what I like seems to be a much better bet. What I'm trying to figure out is whether or not it would be worth it to me, and I'm still on the fence about that. Spending three years in school when I may not even get work afterwards would definitely not be worth it.