Lately I’ve been socializing with an attorney and it got me to reminiscing about how, when I first went to school, I toyed with the idea of studying the law. Being a typical dumb kid student I didn’t really have an idea of what practicing law actually meant and I had visions of something along the lines of Perry Mason or maybe Spenser Tracy as Clarence Darrow. I was fairly shy at the time, something I’ve since outgrown, so thought that I’d never be able to get in front of a court and so that was that. Now I find myself quite interested in discussion about legal points and how the law effects us in our daily life. Okay so far.
This morning I was chatting with Mrs. Shibb’s employer, who is an attorney. He mentioned that he came to study law later in life, entering law school at age 38, and how it really wasn’t that difficult, with his practical nature and life experience, to do well in school. Now I am in the first stages of considering this as a possible career change, or at least a flanker to my current career (I own a small business and am working with a couple of other people to develop new businesses). The knowledge of some ascpects of the law would be helpful, although it might be impractical in the near term to take time off to devote full time to law school. There are a couple of law schools nearby, and I know at least one of them offers night study.
Anyway, I am looking for input and advice from any current or former law students, practicing attorneys, or anyone else who has gone back to school while in their 30s/40s (or beyond). Advice on how to balance life/family/school, and whether this is just plain crazy to consider is especially appreciated. Also advice on how this works out afterwards (I’m thinking storys of insane work schedule for young, new lawyers fresh out of school).
I know nothing about any of these things – but think it’s way cool that you’re having such a productive midlife crisis.
And the insane hours for new attorneys are for sharks who are looking to make partner at a cut-throat firm – there are other types of lawyer-type jobs out there. Esp. if you’re thinking of combining it with your current interests.
Can’t help with the midlife legal crisis thing- but if you do decide to go, let me know. I’ll be starting law school at a more… uh… “conventional” age around the fall.
I’m interested in any answers to the OP’s questions, too. My husband, who is thirty, has decided to go to law school in 2006. He’s studying (practicing?) for the LSATs as that’s a big deal, from what we gather.
He’s decided to go to school full-time and he has my blessing, so to speak. I make a decent salary, but I’ll pretty much be the sole provider for a few years. It’s a little scary but he’ll be happy and it will pay off in a few years.
Of course, he’ll probably leave me for some bimbo, but we’ll cross that bridge later.
It’s always a good thing to learn a little about law. There are a few people at my school who are your age, and it’s certainly possible for you to do it. However, my school limits the amount of time you can work during your first year. You might want to check that out before enrolling.
I really think it’s best if you continue what you are doing and add the law school to it. You would be surprised at how many applications the law has. It really touches every part of our lives in some way. Learning about it lets you know more about how things work.
I especially think an owner of a small business should know about law. There are a lot of things you can do to protect your business and make it better that I don’t think an MBA teaches that lay in statutes and codes. I am interested in the corporate side of law, and I don’t know how anyone manages to do well owning their own business WITHOUT a good solid understanding on how the law treats businesses.
From my understanding, an MBA teaches you how to get along with people (my parents are both MBAs and they talk about the “team building” exercises) and how to manages profits and such. A law degree teaches you options, teaches you how to stay out of trouble, and gives you ideas on how to grow. Really cool. I’d recommend it.
I am not back in school now but seriously considering it. I have thought about law. My current job interfaces with the state legal department making an RN, JD very useful and several attorneys have advised me to do that. I would see it as just an extension of what I already do and would never want to get into the rat-race of billable hours, partnering, etc. I’m realistic and know that would be foolish at this stage of my life. There is no way I want an advanced nursing degree (which would be the natural thing to do) since I want something different if I go back to school. I always thought at my age (56) my career would be winding down, but I just cannot see not working. It’s just not me.
Sorry to wander, back to the OP. My point to make was that the balancing act gets a little easier as you move into beyond . I have a lot more me-time than I did in my 30s or even 40s. Of course the clock is ticking a little louder too. Guess that’s the trade-off.
If I were in my 30s and having the thoughts you are? I would go for it. It’s not crazy at all.
I graduated law school when I was 30, so there’s a little overlap with what you’re looking for. I went to school at night while working full time. My classmates were generally doing the same. Some were younger, some older.
There was a pretty big difference in outlook between day and night students and more than one professor commented that they always got better class discussions out of the night students because they applied the law to what it’s really like in the work world.
Night law school sucks. So be prepared for it to suck. It’s not fun working full time then going to class then having to study when you get home. It’s tough on you and your family (I have a wife and two kids).
I had some classmates who were in school just to get the degree/knowledge or as a flanker, as you say. In my opinion, you should go if you want to become a lawyer. The flanker position might not work as well because it’s not very easy for a person to graduate, own a business for 5 years then decide to practice law. I think employers assume your skills have gotten rusty and they can just as easily find people who just graduated. Of course, if you have unique skills that works in your favor and may offset the disadvantage of not practicing law after graduation.
Just my thoughts. It’s a cost/benefit analysis which is different for each person. Let me know if you have any more questions.
I’m not going to get around to sweating the LSATs yet. I did very well* on the GREs when I took them many moons ago; I figure the LSAT can’t be much tougher.
If you have some left over to send my way, I’ll be setting up a scholarship fund.
A former boss of Mrs. Shibb is an MD/PhD with a lab named after him. He was married to a lawyer. When they got divorced he was apparently raked over the coals, at least according to him. I know for a guy who was one of the (if not the) highest paid employees in the UM system, he was living pretty average. Not to make you nervous or anything.
*I think it was top 1/2% of all students in all three areas of the general GRE. I test well.
I posed much the same question back in February, and got some good answers. I’ll be watching this thread as well.
For the record, I’ve written the LSAT now, and am starting the paperwork of applications, references, transcripts, and so on that are required by the schools that I’m interested in.
I went to school at night and many of my classmates were in their later '30’s or their '40’s (and there were some considerably older). Plenty of people do it and, if you want to practice at a big firm, we don’t hold second-career people in lower esteem – indeed, if you did something interesting or obviously challenging before law school, it’s an indicator of how effective you’ll be as an attorney.
I think law school was fun, especially at night, because of the wide range of experience Zoff mentioned. However, you will only be successful if you go to class basically every damn day and, at least first year, do all the reading. That means a lot of time, and it means that it would be very difficult to have a job where you were on call to deal with crises. A friend and classmate of mine had a job that kept him out of class with some frequency and it really impacted his success in school – which is why when you see him on FOX News every week, his legal analyses are largely crappy.
I’ll be studying in Canada. I plan to practice here, so a good grounding in Canadian law, especially with regard to Canadian constitutional law, would seem to be important.
(Hmmm…the above paragraph sounds awfully definite; almost as if I’ve already been accepted. Well, nothing wrong with thinking positively and keeping my fingers crossed besides! )
Interestingly, I’m starting to get materials from American law schools, telling me about themselves, and inviting me to apply. I guess they got my name and address from the LSAT people. I won’t be applying to them, of course, but it’s kind of fun to look at their materials.
My father was a high school dropout who married at 18. I came along a year later. He worked for 13 years in a job he hated, the last five of those years as a single father after he split with mom and retained custody of me. Then he met a woman and got married. He passed the equivalency test and got a BA degree over the next four years, still working full time and going to night school. He was accepted to UC Davis law school at the age of 36. He quit his job and finished law school in 3 years. He passed the California Bar exam on his first try, just 3 months shy of his 40th birthday. 16 years later, he’s still a succesful legal professional and is very happy with the choice he made.
What he did was very very difficult, but it was made easier by the efforts his second wife made to help him finish raising me (I moved out at age 17) and take care of two new children(born when my dad was 35 and 38), all while she was finishing her Doctorate and starting a private Psychotherapy practice. My hat is off to them both.
Rufus Great story. What an inspiration!
I have no idea what I will be doing with my time once my daughter is in school full time in two years.915a - 400pm.
I definately do not want to be a lawyer. I have my standards.
[QUOTE=ShibbOlethCliffy, that was a subtle lead. Wonder how that gig pays?[/QUOTE]
Pretty good, I’d wager. But he was a reporter before law school (breaking stuff and the convenince of his sources is what kept him out of class), so it might be a tough job to get from a standing start.
Well, you are going to be 41 anyway some day. The only thing you have to decide is if you want to be 41 with or without a law degree.
At 32, I have been thinking about going to law school myself (I’m signed up for the LSATS). I’m already working crazy hours anyway and I figure I’m about as mature as a 26 year old law student.
My mom continues to go to school and shes in her late 50s (most recently graduating from some doctorate program or something at Yale a few years back). She’s been going to school while raising a family as long as I can remember and I’m barely even messed up.
