So a 30 year old dropout wants to go to law school...

obviousalt

Title pretty much says it all...

After years of not knowing what I want to do with my life, I believe I have finally discovered something career-wise that I actually have passion for. Unfortunately, I may be too late in my life to do anything about it. I would like to be a lawyer, but the highest level of education I have is a G.E.D. I don't mind if I have to go to school for the next ten years of my life or so, but I wonder if this is even feasible at my age. After finally reconciling with my parents after years of not speaking to them, I believe I may have the funds to actually do it, but I still am not sure if I should even bother at this point...

Is this even a possibility? If so, how would I even go about getting started?

flowerhoney

One of my close friends's dad just started going to law school, and he's in his late 40's!

You could start at a community college or a state university, that would allow you to get your degree. If its something you want to do and you have the funds/time to do it then there's nothing stopping you (in my extremely uninformed opinion)

Its for sure a possibility, there's a student at my university who's much, much older than the rest of the student body. I think he's in his late 20s, early 30s.

TychoCelchuuu

30 isn't too bad. Plenty of people go to law school later in life and even with the added time to get a degree before heading to law school I don't see why your age would be an issue.

The bigger question is, are you sure?

It isn't actually an issue because you'll have lots of time to think it over while you get a degree in whatever the fuck you want, probably starting off at community college like @flowerhoney suggests because that will save you a lot of money (make sure you're taking classes that will transfer to whatever college/university you end up going to). While you do that, though, think about whether you actually want to be a lawyer. Maybe start reading something like Above the Law to get a bit of a feel about lawyering, think about things like how lawyers are the occupation with the highest portion of depressed people and there is lots of substance abuse and so on. It's kind of maybe not the greatest job. You sound like you might be saying that money isn't an issue, but if it at all is, law school may not be a great choice - lots of debt hanging over your head the rest of your life isn't going to be lots of fun.

Why do you want to be a lawyer? There might be ways to live a fulfilling life without a JD. It kind of all depends on what you want out of the career.

In summary:

Avraham

I Am Not A Lawyer, but I've heard the legal profession right now is not doing so hot, and getting a law job after graduating is not at all a guaranteed thing anymore. Do your research before committing to this decision.

Skeith

This is anecdotal, but I've been hearing more and more that there's a huge glut of lawyers right now, as a result of a lot of people close to my age being told that it was a golden ticket. I don't want to dissuade you from following your dream, but if that dream puts a six figure student loan over your head it would be prudent to do some serious thinking.

ANTVGM64

I was once told to be a lawyer by a community college Communications professor - here's the thing about a yearning. Right *now* it is an incredible drive and feeling that this is what you're meant to be. I left for TV writing and producing school at the age of 23, and while I had the time of life, I did end up mortgaging my future to pay for it, now in an ungodly amount of debt, and I *have* to work this full time tech support job I have to support myself, making any sort job in my industry needing to be an incredible deal to justify leaving said Tech job. But that's cool.

So, to you, I say this: I don't know how long you've wanted to be a lawyer, but take a look at some free study materials that Harvard Offers, and make sure you really, really, really like this stuff, then be prepared that if you don't work at a big fancy corporate defense firm, you may have money issues.

That said, if it's your dream, you need to find out about it. Ask yourself this: in 40 years I would be WHOLLY Satisfied if I did XYZ.

At least try to do X and Y, ya know?

Thundyrkatz

First of all, your age is not super important even that said, 30 is pretty young.

Secondly, like everyone has said, going from where you are to a JD is going to be expensive. On a very basic level, do you reasonably expect that this investment will be profitable for you? If your parents will foot the bill and you can graduate with a JD without debt that's a good deal. This is where your age is going to come into play though, you will need a lot of great internships and work experience along the way to pad your resume, as hiring a 40 year old lawyer for entry level lawyering work is going to be a tough sell to future law firms.

Lastly, JD as your end goal is fine, but experience has shown that going to college and being exposed to lots of stuff there may change your mind, and you may decide to pursue a degree in something else. Which is also fine, i encourage you to pursue your dream but also go with the flow.

But again, and i cant stress this enough, whatever you do while your in college... Internships and work experience. A college degree w/o experience is only marginally better then no degree.

Mulletude

@Munkus Beaver may be able to add some insight as well

Enc

Being a nontraditional student isn't a problem for going to law school. You will need to get your BA, and probably an MA in a related field depending on the quality of school you want to go too, so you will have minimum 3-5 years before you will actually be applying. This gives you lots of time to think about where you are at and what you want to do, and fortunately most BA and MA degrees that are relevant to legal studies open a lot of doors.

That said, when the recession hit Law School was targeted as a "safe investment" by a massive number of people and right now the job market in most areas, aside from middle of nowhere towns, are so flooded that it is difficult to even get a job as a public defender (a position that has a ridiculously high attrition rate).

I do not say this to discourage you, only to prepare you for what is to come. If you are serious about this, and want to give 150% through all of your studies towards this goal, you will make it. Likely with over a 100k worth of debt to pay off unless you extremely push yourself to ace everything you take and publish, present, and internship every possible step along the way to ensure future scholarships.

It is certainly doable. But it will take a lot of work, effort, and patience.

Before you start, call up a law school and try to speak with an admissions counselor about what you will need to ensure the best possible support package (in general). This can give you an idea as to what field to focus on as you get your BA/MA, and what you can honestly expect from someone at the actual institution.

zagdrob

IANAL, but from what I've read this isn't quite impossible, but you need to think very long and hard and make sure you have accurate expectations. I've known a few people who changed careers and went to law school in their 30's, but in most cases they already had a bachelor's degree, and they had special skills that applied to their area of law.

I've read quite a bit that the law field is tough to get into, and unless you are top of your class from a good school, you are never going to be the big shot / hot shot lawyer making all the monies. Which may be fine for you - that's the DUI / writing up lease agreements and wills / other uninteresting minutia in East Bumfuck Tycho's chart notes...if that's what you want from life, that can be great and happy.

But anyway...do you want to be a lawyer because of any particular reason? You say 'a passion'...explain a bit more. Do you have a special love of the law, feel incredibly driven to be a lawyer, have special skills and unique experience you can leverage that makes you unique? Are you good at time management and multitasking, while still being able to get things done on time? Or is this just 'sounds like something I can do and make money at?'

So...right now you are at least four years away from going to law school. You have a lot of time to decide what you want to do or go, and what career path is best for you. If you start enrolling in classes at your local community college, you can spend at least one or two years working on general education (MAKE SURE IT WILL TRANSFER) credits in while you figure out where you are really going to go - taking a few general business / business law type classes during that time probably won't hurt either. Do internships and get work experience, and make sure - if you aren't 100% committed - that you are getting experience in fields that will still be useful even if you don't get a law degree. I'd highly recommend some form of HIPAA and / or IT law / compliance, possibly some auditing type stuff...

Also, I don't know you or anything about you beyond what you posted here. Make sure whatever choice / path you make, you are making it for the right reasons. There is nothing wrong with going back to school without a certain end-goal, but at 30 you probably can't afford to spend four or five years bouncing around and trying all kinds of different stuff. Re-evaluate frequently, sometimes when a goal like this is chosen it's so far off and unobtainable that people will just...quit. Make sure that if this happens, you have achieved something you can use, not just grinding classes that are meaningless outside of checking boxes.

There is nothing wrong with getting a associates / bachelors in a peripheral field / interest, joining the workforce to get some experience, and going back to law school later (even better if it's on your employer's dime).

Dissociater

So one consideration is this: In England, an LLB is actually an undergraduate degree. Some Universities, such as the University of Leicester advertise heavily to north American students. They offer 3 year LLB programs to those who don't have BAs, and 2 year 'senior status' programs for those who do. The expectation here is that most places you'll go home to will require you to write accreditation exams anyways (which is effectively your 3rd year).

In Canada these are called the NCAs

I got my degree in England (although I already had an undergraduate degree here in Canada), and have returned home. I was required to write 7 NCA challenge exams and am now considered accredited to license in Canada. What that means is I get a certificate from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada that says I have the same level of experience and education as a Canadian law school student. The next step is to find an articling job, which is something that I understand not every state in the US does. It is effectively a paid co-op position. Some states (like New York, I believe) allow you to write the bar without any other level of training. Of course the challenge then becomes getting hired when you're competing with locally trained students. If you're in a state or province that requires that you article, that becomes your only major hurdle. Once you get an articling position, many firms afterwards won't really care where you got your degree, they'll just look at where you articled.

Those telling you there are a glut of lawyers are only half right. There are too many lawyers right now but it's mostly a big city program. In Ontario, there are too many lawyers in Toronto and Ottawa, but rural locations and small towns are suffering from a lack of representation, and a population of aging lawyers. If you're willing to move outside of big cities, finding articles or a firm to take you on will be much much easier, but don't expect to practice too much corporate or administrative law out there. It will be mostly real estate, and estate law, if you'd prefer to avoid litigation work, and personal injury, and family with some criminal (mostly domestic, assault, and theft based) if you want to get into litigation.

Darkewolfe

Are you excited to enter a difficult field that doesn't have enough jobs right now, and enter debt, possibly for the rest of your life, to do it?

I'm not saying you shouldn't. Just, be aware that if you drop out partway through this one you could be in some SERIOUS debt, or even worse if you graduate and realize you don't want to do this you'll be paying for it the rest of your life.

Telex

I'm not disagreeing with what anyone has said, and the most important thing is to take a rational look at this. I would focus on getting a college degree first. The absolute most important things that law school admissions look at are undergraduate GPA and LSAT score. And there is no particular major required for law school, so just do what you like. I was a double major in History and English and felt much more prepared than a lot of folks who were poli sci majors. If you like science, an undergrad degree in chemistry or something can really set you apart from other applicants and may help you get into a specialized field where the market will not be as tough. And make sure you graduate college knowing how to write well.

But be careful about what you read about law school on the internet. I'm not saying it is wrong, but it tends to be skewed with a certain legal career path in mind (the t14/law review/Big Law path) and this is a very difficult path to achieve at the best of times. It is also not necessarily the "best" unless you prize a high salary above all else (which is fair, because debt is huge). Also, law school information on the internet, just like most stuff on the internet, is disproportionately bitter. Try to get information from current law professors, students you can meet face to face, or practicing lawyers instead.

zagdrob

@spacekungfuman was just talking about this in the D&D Higher Education thread. He's a real lawyer and definitely is knowledgeable on the subject.

forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/26732654/#Comment_26732654

spacekungfuman wrote: »

I think that US law school epitomizes the problems with higher education in America.

There are literally hundreds of accredited law schools (and some unaccredited, but don't get me started on those) and because of the number of schools and the huge number of students at many of them, we greatly overproduce lawyers. The schools literally do not teach you the skills you need to pass the bar (almost every law student caps off their $150k+ 3 year education with a several thousand dollar bar "review" class where they teach you what you need to know for the test. Most of this is not taught in law school at all).

They also don't teach you anything you need to know to practice law, so a newly minted lawyer really has no qualification other than his diploma. All of the learning happens on the job, but here's the rub: Noone wants to hire an unexperienced attorney unless they just graduated law school. In fact, the top firms hire students after the end of the first year of law school ends, based on nothing but two semesters grades, and more importantly, the school you go to. So what happens if you fall into that group of excess law graduates and can't get a job immediately? You can go off and try to practice on your own (but remember, you haven't been taught how to actually be a lawyer), take a job you are woefully unprepared for like at a cash strapped non-profit that needs a lawyer on staff (you'll probably commit malpractice every single day for years), or take contract attorney work and be pigeonholed as a "temp lawyer" who is only suitable for document review forever.

To make matters worse, the schools in the US News third tier (which aren't even ranked) charge roughly the same tuition as the prestigous top 14 schools which have historically all but guaranteed a big law, six figure starting salary job (although that isn't the case since the downturn started, and now you need to be in the top 50% of so at even these schools to have the big law job be a lock).

Even if you do make it, most people stay in big firms for 2-4 years then leave because they don't like the life style, and the result is a sharp drop in earnings potential (in most cases) so most people go to law school, rack up a lot of debt, work long enough to learn how to be a lawyer and pay it off (these are the two things big firms excel at), and then take a more modest job which you will remain in long term. That's 5-7 years to basically break even and be ready for the job you actually want, IF you get the big law job, or a lifetime of debt you can never repay and a degree that depreciates in value sharply every day you are out of school but unemployed if you don't get to work in big law.

Telex

Oh yeah, that is absolutely good advice that I forgot to mention: Do not go to third or fourth tier law school. This is why you really want to worry about your undergrad performance before worrying about anything else.

spacekungfuman

Dissociater wrote: »

So one consideration is this: In England, an LLB is actually an undergraduate degree. Some Universities, such as the University of Leicester advertise heavily to north American students. They offer 3 year LLB programs to those who don't have BAs, and 2 year 'senior status' programs for those who do. The expectation here is that most places you'll go home to will require you to write accreditation exams anyways (which is effectively your 3rd year).

In Canada these are called the NCAs

I got my degree in England (although I already had an undergraduate degree here in Canada), and have returned home. I was required to write 7 NCA challenge exams and am now considered accredited to license in Canada. What that means is I get a certificate from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada that says I have the same level of experience and education as a Canadian law school student. The next step is to find an articling job, which is something that I understand not every state in the US does. It is effectively a paid co-op position. Some states (like New York, I believe) allow you to write the bar without any other level of training. Of course the challenge then becomes getting hired when you're competing with locally trained students. If you're in a state or province that requires that you article, that becomes your only major hurdle. Once you get an articling position, many firms afterwards won't really care where you got your degree, they'll just look at where you articled.

Those telling you there are a glut of lawyers are only half right. There are too many lawyers right now but it's mostly a big city program. In Ontario, there are too many lawyers in Toronto and Ottawa, but rural locations and small towns are suffering from a lack of representation, and a population of aging lawyers. If you're willing to move outside of big cities, finding articles or a firm to take you on will be much much easier, but don't expect to practice too much corporate or administrative law out there. It will be mostly real estate, and estate law, if you'd prefer to avoid litigation work, and personal injury, and family with some criminal (mostly domestic, assault, and theft based) if you want to get into litigation.

The canadian and US legal markets really aren't comparable, because there are so many fewer law schools in Canada.

spacekungfuman

Telex wrote: »

I'm not disagreeing with what anyone has said, and the most important thing is to take a rational look at this. I would focus on getting a college degree first. The absolute most important things that law school admissions look at are undergraduate GPA and LSAT score. And there is no particular major required for law school, so just do what you like. I was a double major in History and English and felt much more prepared than a lot of folks who were poli sci majors. If you like science, an undergrad degree in chemistry or something can really set you apart from other applicants and may help you get into a specialized field where the market will not be as tough. And make sure you graduate college knowing how to write well.

But be careful about what you read about law school on the internet. I'm not saying it is wrong, but it tends to be skewed with a certain legal career path in mind (the t14/law review/Big Law path) and this is a very difficult path to achieve at the best of times. It is also not necessarily the "best" unless you prize a high salary above all else (which is fair, because debt is huge). Also, law school information on the internet, just like most stuff on the internet, is disproportionately bitter. Try to get information from current law professors, students you can meet face to face, or practicing lawyers instead.

I like being a lawyer. I went to a top 5 school and work at a Vault 25 firm, and am one of the few people that actually is ok with the biglaw lifestyle (but I'm a specialist, not a straight up deal or trial lawyer). My advice is definitely that you should only go to law school if one of the following is true: (1) you can go to a top 14 school and expect to do well enough there (and remember, everyone at a top 14 school is really smart and motivated) and want to work a big law job for at least enough time to learn how to actually be a lawyer and to pay off your loans or (2) you can go to law school for free (or almost for free) and are passionate about being a lawyer. A lot of people choose law school but don't really want to be lawyers. This is almost always a mistake. A lot of people go because they want to make a lot of money, but you will have a hard time doing that unless you go to a school where most students can get a big law job and you actually want to work that job at least long enough to move to a good in house job (3-4 years, but the work won't be that "lawyerly" in most cases). The $160k starting salary is appealing, of course, but know that in this economy, those jobs are increasingly hard to come by. My firm used to hire 150ish people a year, and while most were top 14 schools, we would hire one or two people from pretty much any school that an influential partner went to (but only if they were in the top 5 or so people in their class). Now, we hire under 100 a year and almost everyone is top 20% at a top 14 school. Its a very different world from the mid 2000's where a good school plus a pulse meant 20 offers from vault 50 firms.

SammyF

spacekungfuman wrote: »

Telex wrote: »

I'm not disagreeing with what anyone has said, and the most important thing is to take a rational look at this. I would focus on getting a college degree first. The absolute most important things that law school admissions look at are undergraduate GPA and LSAT score. And there is no particular major required for law school, so just do what you like. I was a double major in History and English and felt much more prepared than a lot of folks who were poli sci majors. If you like science, an undergrad degree in chemistry or something can really set you apart from other applicants and may help you get into a specialized field where the market will not be as tough. And make sure you graduate college knowing how to write well.

But be careful about what you read about law school on the internet. I'm not saying it is wrong, but it tends to be skewed with a certain legal career path in mind (the t14/law review/Big Law path) and this is a very difficult path to achieve at the best of times. It is also not necessarily the "best" unless you prize a high salary above all else (which is fair, because debt is huge). Also, law school information on the internet, just like most stuff on the internet, is disproportionately bitter. Try to get information from current law professors, students you can meet face to face, or practicing lawyers instead.

I like being a lawyer. I went to a top 5 school and work at a Vault 25 firm, and am one of the few people that actually is ok with the biglaw lifestyle (but I'm a specialist, not a straight up deal or trial lawyer). My advice is definitely that you should only go to law school if one of the following is true: (1) you can go to a top 14 school and expect to do well enough there (and remember, everyone at a top 14 school is really smart and motivated) and want to work a big law job for at least enough time to learn how to actually be a lawyer and to pay off your loans or (2) you can go to law school for free (or almost for free) and are passionate about being a lawyer. A lot of people choose law school but don't really want to be lawyers. This is almost always a mistake. A lot of people go because they want to make a lot of money, but you will have a hard time doing that unless you go to a school where most students can get a big law job and you actually want to work that job at least long enough to move to a good in house job (3-4 years, but the work won't be that "lawyerly" in most cases). The $160k starting salary is appealing, of course, but know that in this economy, those jobs are increasingly hard to come by. My firm used to hire 150ish people a year, and while most were top 14 schools, we would hire one or two people from pretty much any school that an influential partner went to (but only if they were in the top 5 or so people in their class). Now, we hire under 100 a year and almost everyone is top 20% at a top 14 school. Its a very different world from the mid 2000's where a good school plus a pulse meant 20 offers from vault 50 firms.

He's generally right. I'd add the following, though:

1. Going to a Top 14 law school is necessary if you want to work for a big law firm. If you live in Minnesota (just for instance), and you like Minnesota, and you want to work in St Paul when you finish law school, you don't necessarily need to go to the best law school in the country; you just absolutely need to go to the best law school in Minnesota. I know Space didn't find his law school to particularly prepare him to take the bar based on the classes he took; however, law schools do actually have classes that prepare you for the bar, they're just always called something that sounds utterly terrible like "Virginia Civil Procedure." And regional schools do have good career networks.

2. Going to a Top 14 law school isn't necessarily as important if you like public interest or want to do government work, I don't think. I know plenty of people at lower ranked law schools who have jobs working for various state AGs, for instance. I know a bunch of Assistant United States Attorneys who went to lower ranked schools.

3. In the case of either caveat 1 or 2, "lower ranked law schools" still means, like, top 40. Except for the assholes hired during the Bush administration for their conservative credentials, you won't find anyone at the DOJ who graduated from Regent.

4. Also in the case of either caveat 1 or 2, you must must must graduate in the top 20% of your class at least. Top 10% would really be preferable.

azith28

Look at it this way.
If you can talk yourself into the idea, and talk your way into law school without a degree, then being a lawyer might be for you after all.

EggyToast

Here's a different tack -- have you considered fields that are similar to law but without the educational requirements?

You mention in the OP that you want to be a lawyer, but you haven't posted a follow-up and you don't explain what it is about the legal profession that attracts you. Do you want to prosecute people? Defend people? File patents? Research law? Write legal opinions? What is it that you see yourself enjoying about the field?

I know a couple people who have liked the idea of law from a theoretical perspective, in the sense that they like research, finding new things, helping people, and so on, and realized that they could get all of that satisfaction by becoming an accountant. Becoming a CPA costs significantly less than going to law school, with better job prospects, yet still requires a deep knowledge of a subject and getting into the nitty gritty of detail that law also entails.

Similarly, what about becoming a paralegal? You wouldn't practice law, but you'd be doing a lot of similar work and assisting lawyers.

Artereis

The type of law you want to practice is definitely important. If you have an interest in IP law, for example, there's a good chance the lack of technical undergrad degree could hamper your chances for employment. My wife did HR and recruiting for an IP law firm, and they always had a preference for people with mechanical or chemical undergrad degrees.

obviousalt

Thanks for the responses, and sorry for delay in my own response.

I would not say being a lawyer is a "dream" or anything, but rather just something I feel I could do in the legal system to help. There are things going on in my personal life that are spurring this line of thinking, but I don't think the details are relevant to the original post.

At any rate, everything I have read here has been helpful and I will definitely try to keep a realistic expectation with all of this. Right now, I have the opportunity to go back to school, and it looks like this would be a good starting point, even if I decide later on that this just isn't for me. At least it IS a starting point, which is something I have been having trouble with since being given the chance for school...

Again, thanks to everyone who replied.

obviousalt

Hey that wasn't supposed to post twice!

elkatas

Your age isn't issue at all, but I would seriously think more about. The thing is that from point you are standing on now, you can easily imagine how wonderful it might be a lawyer. That mental image can easily push you forward, and that kind of one-track mind is necessary to get through that level of training. However, because you don't yet know how the real thing feels, your imagination is playing tricks on you. I have done lot of private sessions with medical doctors, lawyers, etc, and vast majority of them were regretting their career choice, because how time consuming it was. And all of these people were extremely well paid, smart, and educated people, but they just felt it was impossible to quit because of everything they had invested into their career.

kaliyama

Law school is a good investment if you want to be a lawyer and if you get into the t14 with a scholarship - the condensed version of the flowchart above.

Paul Campos is a law prof with a great blog on why law school is a terrible investment: http://insidethelawschoolscam.blogspot.com.

Brian Tamanaha is another legal academic who writes on the topic. I'd check out: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2256725&download=yes

ratzofftoya

Go if you can:

a.)go for free and are interested in the education

b.)go to a Top 10 (not T14) school

Otherwise, you'll really have to think about it. You're still a way off, but it's definitely not too late. You should go to college regardless.

SilverEternity

obviousalt wrote: »

Thanks for the responses, and sorry for delay in my own response.

I would not say being a lawyer is a "dream" or anything, but rather just something I feel I could do in the legal system to help. There are things going on in my personal life that are spurring this line of thinking, but I don't think the details are relevant to the original post.

At any rate, everything I have read here has been helpful and I will definitely try to keep a realistic expectation with all of this. Right now, I have the opportunity to go back to school, and it looks like this would be a good starting point, even if I decide later on that this just isn't for me. At least it IS a starting point, which is something I have been having trouble with since being given the chance for school...

Again, thanks to everyone who replied.

It seems redundant at this point as this is a re-statement of what many have said...My dad is a attorney who specializes in one area owns/is president of his own firm, makes very good money in his practice, teaches at a lower-tier law school, does seminars / workshops at a top 100 school, has been president of the state bar association for his specialty area, and loves his job. That being said, even though being a lawyer has been great for him, I have heard him say many times in the past 10 years that he would not recommend that anyone go into practicing law right now. He has also said that he wouldn't hire attorneys from the school he teaches at (even though he did eventually hire one) because there are better students from better school available.

All that being said, it seems like right now you're just getting your feet wet in the higher-education game. So you'll probably start at community college, transfer, graduate, then decide where you want to go from there. As happens with most traditional-age college students, you'll probably change your mind along the way. Just make sure you use your tuition dollars well and maintain a high gpa so that doors/options stay open.

spacekungfuman

elkatas wrote: »

Your age isn't issue at all, but I would seriously think more about. The thing is that from point you are standing on now, you can easily imagine how wonderful it might be a lawyer. That mental image can easily push you forward, and that kind of one-track mind is necessary to get through that level of training. However, because you don't yet know how the real thing feels, your imagination is playing tricks on you. I have done lot of private sessions with medical doctors, lawyers, etc, and vast majority of them were regretting their career choice, because how time consuming it was. And all of these people were extremely well paid, smart, and educated people, but they just felt it was impossible to quit because of everything they had invested into their career.

ratzofftoya wrote: »

Go if you can:

a.)go for free and are interested in the education

b.)go to a Top 10 (not T14) school

Otherwise, you'll really have to think about it. You're still a way off, but it's definitely not too late. You should go to college regardless.

You really think UVa is a better bet than George Town?

ratzofftoya

spacekungfuman wrote: »

elkatas wrote: »

Your age isn't issue at all, but I would seriously think more about. The thing is that from point you are standing on now, you can easily imagine how wonderful it might be a lawyer. That mental image can easily push you forward, and that kind of one-track mind is necessary to get through that level of training. However, because you don't yet know how the real thing feels, your imagination is playing tricks on you. I have done lot of private sessions with medical doctors, lawyers, etc, and vast majority of them were regretting their career choice, because how time consuming it was. And all of these people were extremely well paid, smart, and educated people, but they just felt it was impossible to quit because of everything they had invested into their career.

ratzofftoya wrote: »

Go if you can:

a.)go for free and are interested in the education

b.)go to a Top 10 (not T14) school

Otherwise, you'll really have to think about it. You're still a way off, but it's definitely not too late. You should go to college regardless.

You really think UVa is a better bet than George Town?

Definitely. Employment statistics bear this out. Plus, Georgetown has about 4-5x the students of UVA.

NotYou

My Dad went to an extremely crappy law school in his mid thirties just doing night classes. Passed the bar. Became a successful lawyer. I promise you're not too old. You might be too stupid though, I hear that happens.

However, it sounds like you need to just get a college degree first, so hit up a community college and get started. That'll help you regardless of whether you continue on to law school or not.

Munkus Beaver

This would be the absolute worst time to go to law school. It is a much different environment than it was even 10 years ago.

Unless you are the top 25% of a highly ranked college you won't be getting job offers. Which means you're looking at building an entire law office from scratch. Which is not something they teach you at law school.

You won't be able to work while at law school. It is extremely stressful and highly competitive.

I would advise against it, but if you want to see what it's like then go shadow around a real attorney for a month. Most of lawyer work is paperwork, lots of paperwork. Very few attorneys ever see the inside of a courtroom.

November Fifth

Honestly, you sound like a good candidate to become a paralegal. You would probably looking at completing an associate's program. Make sure it is an ABA approved school.

If you like the work, then you could continue your legal education through night school.

I think its a good idea to continue your education, however, I would not recommend quitting a job or going into debt in pursuit of this goal.

MentalExercise

I'd like to second the idea of looking into becoming a CPA. It may seem like that's mathy rather than wordsy, but in reality law and accounting have a great deal in common, work wise.

Few things in life are nicer than being nicely compensated for working reasonable hours. Really.

fightinfilipino

the weirdest thing i've seen being a lawyer is that there are tons of paralegal jobs all over the place now with better earnings potential than most attorney positions i've seen that are open.

i join in on the recommendations against trying to go to law school, but age definitely isn't a limiting factor. it's the extreme glut of attorneys out there plus the exorbitant cost of law school that doesn't make it worth it, unless you really REALLY know you want to practice law.

Telex

I really think the takeaway from all this is that being a lawyer is a fine goal, but go to undergrad first and take the LSAT, and then re-evaluate based on what schools you can feasibly attend and the condition of the legal market, If you decide that it's not the right choice, there are other careers that may satisfy you and your undergrad education will not be wasted. But there's no need to abandon your goal to be a lawyer at this point.

NotYou

MentalExercise wrote: »

I'd like to second the idea of looking into becoming a CPA. It may seem like that's mathy rather than wordsy, but in reality law and accounting have a great deal in common, work wise.

Few things in life are nicer than being nicely compensated for working reasonable hours. Really.

CPAs do NOT work reasonable hours. My roommate is one. 3-4 months out of the year he works 7 days a week, from 8 or 9AM to 11PM.

MentalExercise

NotYou wrote: »

MentalExercise wrote: »

I'd like to second the idea of looking into becoming a CPA. It may seem like that's mathy rather than wordsy, but in reality law and accounting have a great deal in common, work wise.

Few things in life are nicer than being nicely compensated for working reasonable hours. Really.

CPAs do NOT work reasonable hours. My roommate is one. 3-4 months out of the year he works 7 days a week, from 8 or 9AM to 11PM.

There's another 8-9 months in that story, as well as all the many corporate and government accounting jobs, but I digress.

spacekungfuman

MentalExercise wrote: »

NotYou wrote: »

MentalExercise wrote: »

I'd like to second the idea of looking into becoming a CPA. It may seem like that's mathy rather than wordsy, but in reality law and accounting have a great deal in common, work wise.

Few things in life are nicer than being nicely compensated for working reasonable hours. Really.

CPAs do NOT work reasonable hours. My roommate is one. 3-4 months out of the year he works 7 days a week, from 8 or 9AM to 11PM.

There's another 8-9 months in that story, as well as all the many corporate and government accounting jobs, but I digress.

If you want good pay and good hours, being an actuary is a great choice.

schuss

spacekungfuman wrote: »

MentalExercise wrote: »

NotYou wrote: »

MentalExercise wrote: »

I'd like to second the idea of looking into becoming a CPA. It may seem like that's mathy rather than wordsy, but in reality law and accounting have a great deal in common, work wise.

Few things in life are nicer than being nicely compensated for working reasonable hours. Really.

CPAs do NOT work reasonable hours. My roommate is one. 3-4 months out of the year he works 7 days a week, from 8 or 9AM to 11PM.

There's another 8-9 months in that story, as well as all the many corporate and government accounting jobs, but I digress.

If you want good pay and good hours, being an actuary is a great choice.

Yes, but these 3 things are somewhat different in terms of the people who find success in them.
Most successful Lawyers I've met are social experts who love details.
Most successful CPA's I've met are anal neat freaks who enjoy things in their places.
Most successful actuaries FUCKING LOVE MATH

tapeslinger

another possibility in that "reasons you want to be a lawyer" thing that I didn't see mentioned, you might want to look at social work. You didn't mention why you think you could be a lawyer to help people, but it's possible to take it in the human interest direction. The pay and hours are mixed, but it's also considerably less time and debt to get involved in social work, and might provide more satisfaction if "helping others" is a career goal.