Thinking about pursuing a JD down the road, any recommendations?

stefan73 · Friday at 10:08 AM

I've been kicking around the idea of taking the LSAT and going back to school for my JD in a few years.
I already have a BA (Crim) and Masters (Int Relations), but I am thinking about law (still thinking about what direction, criminal, corporate, international are the three that most interest me). I'm a little bit older and more focused but age is still a consideration.
For those that have done it, any recommendations? Anything you wish you would have known before taking this journey?

and yes, I know this is the Bear Pit, so 'er it rip Tater Chip

BScore · Friday at 10:29 AM

Do it, it’s only 3 years. That said, when I got done, I was cheering for the asteroid so we could retart this whole deal.

BCP · Friday at 10:39 AM

stefan73 said:
I've been kicking around the idea of taking the LSAT and going back to school for my JD in a few years.
I already have a BA (Crim) and Masters (Int Relations), but I am thinking about law (still thinking about what direction, criminal, corporate, international are the three that most interest me). I'm a little bit older and more focused but age is still a consideration.
For those that have done it, any recommendations? Anything you wish you would have known before taking this journey?

and yes, I know this is the Bear Pit, so 'er it rip Tater Chip

Might as well since you already have 5+ years in educational background. Another 3-4 years isn't a big deal all things considered.

We should go back to the days of Ancient Greece when all you had to do to be a lawyer was stand up and start arguing. If you were really good at arguing people might pay you to write arguments for them but there was no schooling involved.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot · Friday at 10:45 AM

Thought this was going to be about tractors...

Pbgt · Friday at 11:10 AM

3/10 me too, would not recommend

Nik H · Friday at 11:20 AM

stefan73 said:
I've been kicking around the idea of taking the LSAT and going back to school for my JD in a few years.
I already have a BA (Crim) and Masters (Int Relations), but I am thinking about law (still thinking about what direction, criminal, corporate, international are the three that most interest me). I'm a little bit older and more focused but age is still a consideration.
For those that have done it, any recommendations? Anything you wish you would have known before taking this journey?

and yes, I know this is the Bear Pit, so 'er it rip Tater Chip

I wouldn't fixate on what you want to do when you receive your JD. The point of law school is to expose you to the various facets of law. You not only will learn how to be a lawyer but will also learn about what you prefer for a career in law. Law School is unique in that respect as compared to other graduate degrees. Go in like a sponge and soak up the experience.

Secondly, it is quite challenging. It requires a total commitment for the 3 years that you are there. Everything that you hear about grades is true. Your grades and the school determine your future. Try as best you can to do well on the LSAT. I studied for 6 months. You do have an advantage being older and experienced. Law Schools love that. However, the LSAT is a large differentiator.

Good luck

Short-bus · Friday at 11:29 AM

Can't wait to hear your story about how you're older than most of your professors. lol.

Do it, and then get you that GT4RS you want.

c1steve · Friday at 11:35 AM

I went back to school later in life. Was worried the women in school would look at me like an old guy, but the opposite happened! Otherwise I would check out a few schools in person, and speak to those getting close to graduating.

What the school projects to potential students can be very different from what actually happens to the students. Some schools are just in it for the money, and do not give a xxxx about the students.

sirhrmechanic · Friday at 2:26 PM

Become a 2A lawyer!!!! We need more avid gun folks who make their careers defending the Second Amendment!

Cheers,

Sirhr

MCHOG · Friday at 3:02 PM

They will give you more work than can reasonably be done. The key is knowing when to stop and take time for yourself, your health, your relationships, etc.

Don't take your first job unless it is something you actually want to do. I'd estimate that 90% of lawyers end up making a career out of the practice area of their first job. And if you decide you don't like the first area you go into, make the switch quickly. I had a lot of classmates who wanted to do X, but took a job doing Y with the idea that it would be temporary. Just to get a loan paid off. Just to get cash in the door while they look for something else. Just to get into a particular firm or a particular town. Almost all of them are doing that same type of work half way through their career.

jmp1 · Friday at 3:20 PM

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot said:
Thought this was going to be about tractors...

Yup....very misleading tittle. I was ready to hear how his John Deer went to work without him.

mrdrar · Friday at 3:24 PM

1) Don't pay for it.
2) Unless you go to a top law school and graduate 1st or 2nd in your class, plan on not working in law in a job with any future.

MCHOG · Friday at 3:28 PM

mrdrar said:
1) Don't pay for it.
2) Unless you go to a top law school and graduate 1st or 2nd in your class, plan on not working in law in a job with any future.

1) Huh? Good luck with that.
2) Completely 100% false

37L1 · Friday at 3:55 PM

Like, we don't have enough lawyers.

SRW · Friday at 4:05 PM

I'm not a lawyer (don't play one on TV either) but I work with them often as a commercial real estate broker. You couldn't pay me enough to do what the lawyers I work with do and I know they have short cuts for it. It's a ton of reading, which I don't like.

I have a friend that got a JD from UT Austin, worked for a firm for a couple years then went to a private company as in house counsel and has worked his way up both in title and in pay. He doesn't hate his job and gets paid handsomely. Pick a focus that you enjoy, not just the first one that picks you.

Gemsbok · Friday at 5:13 PM

The administrative code, law, and what's right and wrong are supposed to be aligned, but they are not the same things. Never forget that.

sirhrmechanic · Friday at 7:44 PM

BTW patent attorneys are always in high demand and make shit tonnes of money…
While defending innovation.

Can’t get much better than that!

Sirhr

Nik H · Friday at 7:52 PM

sirhrmechanic said:
BTW patent attorneys are always in high demand and make shit tonnes of money…
While defending innovation.

Can’t get much better than that!

Sirhr

You need an engineering degree and a JD to be successful in the intellectual property domain.

You're right about the benefits and financials.

Seymour Fish · Friday at 9:49 PM

stefan73 said:
I've been kicking around the idea of taking the LSAT and going back to school for my JD in a few years.
I already have a BA (Crim) and Masters (Int Relations), but I am thinking about law (still thinking about what direction, criminal, corporate, international are the three that most interest me). I'm a little bit older and more focused but age is still a consideration.
For those that have done it, any recommendations? Anything you wish you would have known before taking this journey?

and yes, I know this is the Bear Pit, so 'er it rip Tater Chip

Prominent lawyer, at the podium after his retirement banquet speech, was asked what he intended to do next. He replied that he intended to go down to the Greyhound bus station, and hang around in the back stall in the men’s room, and suck dicks until he got his self-esteem back

Bullfrog08 · Friday at 9:51 PM

Id rather become a portajohn cleaner than a lawyer! Fuck that!!!

LuckyDuck · Friday at 11:09 PM

I'm not a lawyer myself but if that's where your heart is pulling you- there's certainly little harm in setting your sights on the LSAT and going from there.

While not being in the legal profession, I know quite a few and for at least one was very involved in motivating them through the LSATs & law school and career growth shortly following so that's where I'll base my response off of.

Law school is generally expensive- if you decide to pursue that path, I'd strongly recommend that you have a plan in place from the get-go on how to finance it (and not a plan that's perpetuated on the idea that as a lawyer you're going to graduate and immediately enter what you may consider a "high" income career).

I'm not saying it wouldn't happen mind you (I'm not a dream killer) but would offer a comparative career field (not as a recommendation but merely to illustrate my point), there are many newly minted IT degrees that find their way to Meta, Google, Microsoft, etc and make a stupid amazing salary immediately and we often hear about them. But consider how many other colleges graduate folks in the same degree field each and every semester (not year) that aren't hired by these companies and where they go & what they make. I mention IT because that's my particular industry but I'd argue there's a lot of similarities on career growth/opportunities/specialities/what have you as with the legal profession.

Some recent law grads (often helped with the right internships and maybe keep that in mind when applying to law schools) make dumb money as 1st year lawyers but many/most do not and are absolutely raw dogged as employees as newly minted lawyers (after you pass the bar exam that is rather than getting the degree).

Again- by all means chase that dream but I would highly recommend having any potential loans accounted for through means that aren't predicated on the sudden 'wealth' achieved on what you have in mind as a lawyer's salary after graduation is all.

Best of luck to you in what you decide and please keep us updated!

-LD

Franko · Friday at 11:56 PM

Some of this might be out of date but here are a few thoughts to help bring things into focus for you:

Three years of law school is probably going to run you anywhere from 150K to 250K and three years of giving up whatever income you are bringing in now. The time to earn that money back is going to be substantial.
Your undergrad and previous life experience is going to have a big impact upon what kinds of law you can do. So it looks like your probably currently equipped to work in criminal defense/prosecution or perhaps in the government (e.g., State Department). You could try for a different area of the law but it's going to be much harder because of your lack of knowledge about the underlying subject matter.
Law can pay big money but you are going to have to work for it. Big law firm jobs are very hard to get and if you do land them your probably looking at working 60-70 hours a week to bring in the 2000 or so billable hours a year your firm will require. Also, most associates at big firms never make partner no matter how hard they work; and if you don't make partner they throw you into the streets after 7 or 8 years and you have to start over somewhere else or hang your own shingle.
If you want to make a lot of money and advance your career your going to have to sacrifice most of your life outside work. The absolutely worst words you can say in a law firm interview are "quality of life"...
You might have to move depending on what you want to do and if your current home city can support your practice. Some states (CA and NY) have very tough Bar Exams and only about 1/3 who take them pass. So, this could add another layer of complication if you have thoughts about working in those states.
You are coming into this later in life which means you haven't hit the right legal career milestones and won't have the necessary connections so your upwards career progression is likely going to be difficult.

Being a lawyer can be very fulfilling and the work is never boring but make sure you go into this knowing what you are signing up for.

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