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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As discussed upthread, this is an unrealistic ambition for a variety of reasons - UMD doesn't have the necessary prestige to place many new graduates into highly competitive roles, a mid-career career-changer will face skepticism in the job market and will be competing with younger and less expensive applicants with the same level of experience and education, the desired salary is out of reach for most new law school graduates and even for many experienced attorneys apart from those in roles which are hard to obtain, the financial opportunity cost is hugely significant if the plan is to stop working for three years while paying for law school, etc.

While it's evident that a career change is desired, it seems obvious that this plan has a low probability of success.  More creative and pragmatic thinking is called for - how can you reduce expenses so the desired income is not necessary?  What other new careers might be sufficiently fulfilling, not very demanding of time, and pay enough for the family to manage on - law is probably not the answer.

[b]To not want to work more than 40 hrs/week implies a lack of commitment and ambition to any employer; their more highly compensated roles will not meet that criterion.  [/b]

Maybe study accounting part-time, sit for the CPA exam eventually, and seek a role as a staff accountant in an accounting firm or in a company accounting/finance department.  Or, if sales appeals, consider acquiring financial planning credentials and going into investment sales and "Wealth management".    [/quote]

This.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to limit work hours to 40 hours a week to focus on family. Work/life balance is important. But looking to make 200k as a lawyer while not wanting to go over 40 hrs a week -- good %$#ing luck with that attitude. I'm a lawyer who has done their fair share of hiring, and would avoid hiring someone like this like the plague.

I'm not saying there is no lawyer out there who makes this and works 40 hours a week -- but it is rare and generally only doable with many years of practice, specialized know-how, and the right kind of job. Straight out of law school? No way. Straight out of law school you get hired at a Biglaw firm (if you can) and make 200k and work your ass off. Or you make less at a less well-paying job and work your ass off. Or you make less at a less well-paying job and don't work your ass off and get let go or put on a PIP.

There are in-house jobs like you seem to be dreaming of, but they don't tend to hire new law grads. There are gov jobs kinda like this, but you will start as a GS-11 as an HP hire in DC which is about 80k and as mentioned before here it takes years to get to GS-15, if you get the 15 at all, and right now even a GS-15 at the highest step level in the DC area is just under 200k. And there is a lot of competition for HP positions (ask me how I know ... going through that many applications to figure out who to interview is a nightmare).

If reducing work hours down to 40 hours a week is the priority, law is not the best idea. And with the way you are prioritizing high pay, you will need to factor in lost opportunity costs while in school, and the cost of tuition. So, yeah, probably a really bad idea unless DH just really wants to be a lawyer (which might also be dumb, but I digress).

(I'm a lawyer)[/quote]

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