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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OK, thank you. I wanted to be an attorney -- in particular, a public defender. I don't need to make money. But if the thinking here is no, I'd accept that. Thank you.

-- OP[/quote]

Don’t write off your dream so quickly. [/quote]

While I applaud having dreams, particularly academic ones,[b] I agree with those who have said that someone facing criminal charges needs more than an elderly novice attorney probably has to throw at their case.  [/b]Having said that, I think you should see if you can take a few courses. Many universities  allow seniors to audit for free or for a nominal fee — although I don’t know if this extends to law school courses.  See how you feel about what’s required, including pulling a few all nighters and rote memorization. Take the LSATs or whatever you need to do.  Then assess yourself every step of the way, and get feedback.  If someone you loved desperately needed a lawyer, would you, as an elderly novice be a good choice?

I think you should only do this if the process of attending law school is one that you would find valuable. If the true value for you would only come after you have been accepted, slogged through 3+ years of law school, AND passed the bar exam, I’d probably suggest leaning into another — possibly legally adjacent— dream.  [/quote]

Novice PD aren't given high-stakes cases. And every attorney is a novice when they come out of law school, "elderly" or not. [/quote]

Yes, every attorney is initially a novice. But a lawyer in their twenties or thirties potentially has several decades to reach proficiency and expert level — and to enjoy it. I’m not clear how the OP is envisioning their law career, but the slog of law school, the pressures of passing the bar, and several years of being a beginner, then turning 80 is a challenging trajectory.

[b]As to the “high stakes” cases, I’d guess that almost everything feels “high stakes” to the defendants.[/b]  And, while it might differ by state and jurisdiction, many people served by public defenders are not well served — given extremely high case loads, among other things.  My question to you is the same one that I’ve posed to the OP: Your freedom, your future, your well-being and the well-being of your family are in the hands of your attorney.  How happy would you be with a novice in their 70’s? “Novice PD” isn’t quite the same as “novice PD in their 70s”.  And I say that assuming that the OP will be both dedicated and diligent.   [/quote]

This "it feels high stakes to the defendants" stuff does not make it complex legal work.

There is a lot of work that is not complex and not high profile that needs to get done, and you need lawyers to do it. Newer lawyers are valuable in this regard. Not every criminal case has "freedom" at stake. Lots of public intoxication and vandalism and shoplifting out there. As far as your comment about "'Novice PD' isn't quite the same as "novice PD in their 70s'" ... well that's just ugly ageism. [/quote]

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