Law School at 40?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Considering law school at 40. I’ve done the math and financially would be better off than staying in my current job, even with the 3-year earning gap.

Kids are in elementary school, and my partner is a partner at a medium size boutique. He seems to think I would be able to find a similar firm where I could WFH a few days a week, work 1-2 nights a week and a weekend a month…which is what he does. Does he just have a really good set up or is this for real?

My partner is a partner?

Any reason you can't call him your DH?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You want an initial salary of $150K. What is your goal of income 10 years out of law school?

$200-$225K

[Anonymous]

law school is 3 years of lost income, 3 years of taking on debt and all this is without a guarantee of a high income job after graduation. I would pass. I also think practicing law is not "super fun" and will be as stressful as your current gig. An initial salary is 150k is high unless you get big law or gig law-adjacent boutique firms. Big law from DC law schools is really hard aside from graduating from Georgetown in the top 40% or the top 20% of kids from GW/American or 10% from GMU. Are your scores good enough for Georgetown? During OCI you arent going to present as the typical candidate for big law, while I would much rather hire a 40yo with work experience, I also want someone who will put in 12-18 hr days when needed, and if you have kids that is going to unfairly count against you.

150k is lower midlevel in-house, does your prior work experience qualify you for this type of work? If you've done pharma compliance work for 20 years, yes go for it, you'll get hired by a big law firm or pharma company in-house and make 200k+ right off the bat... otherwise, really think about the time/effort/exhaustion you'll put into the next four years and the disappointment you'll experience after if you don't get that brass ring job.

Also, I can't imagine doing law school while balancing real family life and responsibility. You have kids coming out of undergrad or a few years of work who have no responsibility, more recent study skill experience, and can go to class, have a fancy lunch, then study for 10 hrs.

[Anonymous]

Do you currently have a full time job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s got to be a way to leverage your current experience into something better with less intensive retraining or pivoting. I don’t know anything about compliance, but what about cybersecurity? I would come up with several other ideas besides law and run an analysis.

This. 40 is when lawyers pivot to in-house and legal adjacent roles. Your DH is unrealistic and I’m 100% certain there’s a pathway to a career transition that leverages your expertise and doesn’t mean three years of law school followed by life as a first year associate. If you were talking about going into a very specific field like patent law, then maybe. But definitely not because you’re afraid of layoffs and are hoping corporate law would be more fulfilling (lol).

[Anonymous]

I graduated in 2010, so I was interviewing for summer associate positions in Fall 2008 when positions were cut. I was able to get an unpaid summer law clerk position at a Federal agency instead, and then after law school worked my way up from GS9 to capped GS15 nonsupervisory Senior Counsel. You can pull the OPM pay scale for this or your locality area to see what to expect if you take a similar path.

I love my career and I usually work only 40hrs/week, but I am super focused and hard at work for those 40 hours. I do have flexibility to go to my kids' school events and make up the time later.

While I never had law firm experience, my understanding is that it's a tough place for older women, especially larger firms that run on an "up or out" system. Many women private sector attorneys apply for legal or policy jobs in the government after they have kids for work-life balance and job security.

If I were you, I'd only go back to law school at 40 if you have: (a) a strong connection to a small law firm that you know will give offer you the kind of job with the pay and flexibility you want, or (b) willingness to work full time for a public sector salary.

Also, who knows what's coming under Trump 2.0. There could be many former public servants applying to law school soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s got to be a way to leverage your current experience into something better with less intensive retraining or pivoting. I don’t know anything about compliance, but what about cybersecurity? I would come up with several other ideas besides law and run an analysis.

This. 40 is when lawyers pivot to in-house and legal adjacent roles. Your DH is unrealistic and I’m 100% certain there’s a pathway to a career transition that leverages your expertise and doesn’t mean three years of law school followed by life as a first year associate. If you were talking about going into a very specific field like patent law, then maybe. But definitely not because you’re afraid of layoffs and are hoping corporate law would be more fulfilling (lol).

Absolutely this. I am confident that I am a rare 40-year-old lawyer as I genuintely love my job and the work-life balance it provides. However, achieving this balance took over a decade of hard work and countless hours, which I’m grateful to have experienced before starting my family. Law school itself isn’t particularly demanding, especially for those who are accustomed to putting in concentrated effort over a period of time. Your real focus should be on the post-school work experience. Your husband is viewing the legal profession through the rose-colored glasses of someone who, like me, is quite satisfied with where they landed. While these jobs exist, they're not the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Considering law school at 40. I’ve done the math and financially would be better off than staying in my current job, even with the 3-year earning gap.

Kids are in elementary school, and my partner is a partner at a medium size boutique. He seems to think I would be able to find a similar firm where I could WFH a few days a week, work 1-2 nights a week and a weekend a month…which is what he does. Does he just have a really good set up or is this for real?

Did he have that work/life balance right out of law school, or did it take several years to attain it?

I had fantastic work/life balance as an entry level government attorney, but I am only now- 15 years in- making $150K (your desired starting salary).

I am also a mom in my early 40s and I have been losing steam for the past few years. You mentioned the child bearing years tax, but perimenopause is bad too. As others mentioned, ageism is very real and it’s especially bad for women.

I think it’s unlikely that any firm paying $150K for entry level will hire a 43 year old without a niche background or connection to the firm. Have you heard of the expression up or out? They are trying to develop a talent pipeline for potential partners, and those who aren’t partner material are pushed out.

[Anonymous]

If OP's partner is a partner at a medium size boutique, maybe OP can work for him/her?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You want an initial salary of $150K. What is your goal of income 10 years out of law school?

$200-$225K

Starting at 45? lol!

[Anonymous]

Wait. Are you just dating this guy? He’s playing you.