Am I crazy to consider law school in my mid-50s?
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Anonymous
Well, you asked a yes or no question. |
Anonymous
Lawyers, particularly those from lower tier schools, don't earn what they did. |
Anonymous
PP from Harvard Law here. There are other ways to think about who is "worthy" of a spot, or who has a more "valid right to a spot" than someone else. I don't see it as only those who stay in the field are worthy of spots. But for argument's sake, let's go with that assumption. Say there are 60% of a graduating class who stay in the field, long-term, and thus, deemed by top PP as "worthy" of the spot. First, others use the knowledge and go into different fields, say, journalism, politics, etc, and that would probably still make the "worthy" cut per PP. But, again for argument's sake, let's assume the other 40% just disappear upon graduation. PP is ignoring the impact that those 40% had on the 60% that are still practicing. Those three years were shaped by the whole class, not just the 60%. And since that 40% didn't just disappear, some of those alliances and influences continue on. Here is an extreme example: Right now I'm a SAHM, so in PP's world, I am now a total waste of a spot. I am married to a former classmate who is successful enough that I needed to quit and SAH in order to not outsource our childcare. Our marriage is pretty intellectually equal, and my DH is influential in his field. I assert that I have contributed, at times significantly, with my DH's fleshing out and thinking about many issues in his area of law, and that has impacted some case law. If my DH had been a doctor, I don't think my contribution would be less, because the skill learned is a way of thinking that is applicable to many situations. There is no waste; there is only contribution that is manifest in both traditional and non-traditional ways. OP has an intellectual hunger, and she should go for it. Even as a hobby. She will impact all those around her. There is a distinct possibility that her kids, when teenagers, will have picked up what she's learned and be on the road to becoming sharp thinkers, and also become the worst kids to parent as they spar with the OP. Try to hold it together OP when your kid out-argues you, it's terrible and humbling and thrilling all at the same time. Good luck to you! |
Anonymous
Unless she is in a l financial situation where she doesn't need to worry about money, I don't agree that she should go unless she thinks there is a decent chance of getting a good job (one that she will be interested and pays enough to support her family and repay her loans) with her degree. Most people can't spend $80-90K for three years of an in state law school assuming that they will use the degree as a hobby or to help them be better at a field that they could have gone into without it. |
Anonymous
The first thing I would do is talk to a larger group of litigators and find out what they actually do day to day and whether you would like it. I'm at DOJ (Civil) and am definitely a litigator,, but I only actually appear in court four or so times per year. The rest is discovery, writing motions, taking and defending depositions. I like my job, but if there were a TV show about it, it would be an incredibly boring show. |
Anonymous
And just to add, although it isn't TV-worthy, a lot of the opposing counsel that I have to deal with on a regular basis are just hatefully obnoxious and underhanded. I've gotten ok at letting that roll off me, but in the beginning, it was a real negative of the job. |
Anonymous
Yup. The low-paying but interesting jobs are still very competitive, and no one is going to hire a nearly 60-year-old baby lawyer. |
Anonymous
Another litigator here, and I agree that it is NOTHING like what you see on TV. Do you like sitting alone in an office on a computer? Because you'll be spending a lot of time doing that. |
Anonymous
This doesn't include the opportunity cost of not earning substantial money for those three years. I'm the pp who went back to school for a degree that allowed me to do more in my field. I went part time over eight semesters instead of two years full time because I would have given up a couple of hundred thousand in salary. |
Anonymous
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I am a lawyer (class of 1996 from a top school), and my DH is a lawyer too. So I feel qualified to speak on this topic. We are both fortunate to have good jobs, but many of our law school peers do not.
Do NOT go to law school in your 50's. I would not even recommend it in your 40's. Although OP knows of an older man who is going to med school in his 50's, that is completely different. Doctors are in high demand, whereas the field of law is totally over-populated. The good news is that unemployment is very low (is it down to 4%), and companies are hiring! You can build a career starting now! You already have a bachelor's degree. And you sound smart (if not super confident). As long as you dress in a stylish way, don't joke about your age, and do the job well and with confidence, you can succeed and advance! It is a myth that SAHM's cannot reenter the workforce.Now is a great time. Just do it!(How about even working as a bank teller and then advancing in a bank? I know a SAHM who started out that way and really advanced at the bank.) (Also, our good friend went to law school at 52, just graduated a few weeks ago, and cannot find anyone willing to hire him.  ) Not work the time or money.
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Anonymous
| Paralegal or Legal secretary might solve your cravings. |
Anonymous
I agree with this only so long as it is OP's passion and he is doing it for himself and has the money to do it. My own DS is talking about law school and I've told him to do it only if he truly loves reading and studying the law and debating. I'm insisting he sits in on some boring classes before the application process to make sure. I. too, graduated from HLS, made money and retired. The workplace situation was very different then. I got job offers everywhere I applied. That is no longer the case. So unless OP goes to a top school, he should expect to be unemployed after. Also, the economics of attending law school are different than when we went. I believe it was $6K a year for me. I paid only $45 a month in student loans until mid-30s. Today HLS is $96,500 a year. The real tragedies are the students who wake up after a year and a half in a second tier law school, decide they hate what they are doing and realize they are almost $150 in the hole. |
Anonymous
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As a lawyer, I agree your job search is going to be really, really hard. My advice comes down to your financial resources. If you're going to need to take out loans and need a job to pay them back, don't do it! On the other hand, if you're financially comfortable and don't need a high paying job to repay loans, I don't think it's as gloom and doom as others predict. There are plenty of opportunities for lawyers to serve a lower income population, either through volunteer work, organizations like Catholic Charities, landlord-tenant offices, etc. It's an area where you could make a difference, but you won't be financially compensated for it.
How about looking for a job as a paralegal in a smaller litigation firm? Maybe one that does personal injury or insurance defense. They often have their paralegals doing substantive work. You could try to audit some law school classes at night, to satisfy that intellectual hunger without incurring the crazy debt. |
Anonymous
| I know many young lawyers who can't find jobs who went to decent law schools. They have massive debt. I don't' think you will be able to find a job OP. I would do as others have said and go the paralegal route. Maybe get a certificate so that you can network with whichever school's alums you get the certificate from |
Anonymous
| No. Do what you want to do! |