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Hot Dog Day #91 posted:Anyone thinking about going to law school? I got some good advice for you if so. I'm going in the fall at the ripe age of 37 after dropping out of corporate law as a paralegal. All advice welcome.
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Apr 14, 2024 21:58
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 13:35 |
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I've been providing (alongside an attorney) full representation to indigent asylum seekers for the last 6-7 years (my Legal department cares very much about pro bono stuff). I decided I'd rather become a licensed attorney and do that in the second half of my career, since I derive satisfaction from helping people in a material way (which is not what my regular job amounts to). I've saved up a significant amount of cash and have tuition support from my FIL, so I'm just taking a swing and trying it out. I can go back to corporate if I lose a defensive case and fall to pieces.
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Apr 15, 2024 16:21
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Too late, I already have a sweet 2013 Prius
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Apr 15, 2024 17:39
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I got into a state school that offered me a basically free tuition but it was 90 mins away by car in the middle of nowhere. I chose a better school in the middle of my city that is not one of the top law schools in the country (not even close), partly on the assumption that going to school in the city I want to work in will likely mean getting a job out of school a bit faster. I spent about 18 months prior to applying to schools trying to get a job at a local public interest firm and couldn't get my foot in the door, so I didn't really have any reasonable backup plan. I hate my day job and it sucks the life out of me.
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Apr 15, 2024 19:33
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Yeah I'm in Boston. I'm not competing with students at the more reputable schools who are competing for spots at the big firms- just want to get a degree and get back to work.
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Apr 15, 2024 19:39
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Jean-Paul Shartre posted:I mean, as someone who left a corporate gig for public interest work, good for you. If you have a job in immigrant defence waiting for you once you get that JD you’re in a good place. If not, as suggested by you talking about networking/alumni network below, you need to realize that your job search is starting approximately now. Legal aid and other full time public defence jobs in big markets like Boston are actually quite difficult to get, despite the poo poo pay. So seek out internships, volunteer opportunities, clinics, etc. so that if it’s your resume versus someone from Harvard’s, even though you’ll probably be better prepared to practice than someone just out of Harvard, you can win that comparison. Thanks, I am keeping my expectations somewhat in check. I'm laser-focused on the immigration clinic that my school offers, and I have enough established connections that I think internships won't be too hard to identify. My hope is that having spent 7 years doing this work as a paralegal and having a few asylum grants under my belt will give me a bit of an edge. Tokelau All Star posted:Jewmanji, it sounds like the job you have right now is pretty good. Just keep doing that unless you'd make 3x as much if you have a law license. The added stress of being the attorney on the case with your professional license on the line with every action you take isnt worth a small pay bump and three years of school. I hear that. That was the logic I was operating under for the last 7+ years. The truth is that my job is deadening and I have moral qualms about making money in this business (biotech/pharma). I totally understand that for lots of people simply collecting a good paycheck to support themselves and their family is the most important thing. I should stress that I am in a very privileged financial position and will not be taking out any loans and so I'd like to take a bit of my extra financial privilege and put myself in a position to actually help other people for a change. I might come to regret getting my JD, but I at least want to feel proud when people ask me how I'm spending my time. If it turns out to be horrible, I can always return to in-house corporate stuff and make 2-3x what I'm making now. homullus posted:I went to an extremely low-ranked school* with a full ride (I applied when law schools were so starved for students they were shutting down, even mid-semester). Knowing that I was spending time rather than $$$$$$ made the whole experience even more enjoyable and less stressful. If it didn't work out, I would graduate debt-free and satisfied. But my law clerk work for a solo attorney during school improbably turned into a job. Even more improbably, I am regularly helping the little against the big, which is what I told people I was hoping to do, way back when I was applying. Thanks. I'm certain that the alumnae network at my chosen school is going to be stronger than the state school which has a much newer law program and is an hour outside of the city. The bar passage rate is notably worse. I don't know how to account for that, but there it is. I wonder if COVID had some lingering effect, because over the last three years the passage rate dipped 7%, the jumped back up. Also that average factors in people attempting the bar in other states which seems to have a noticeably worse passage rate. Within the state, the passage rate seems reasonably high (around 80%) Jewmanji fucked around with this message at 16:02 on Apr 16, 2024 |
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Apr 16, 2024 15:52
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double post
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Apr 16, 2024 15:59
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 13:35 |
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Trump said that he'd actually prosecute these immigration 501(c)(3)s so yeah I think the PSLF is probably out the window at that point lol.
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Apr 16, 2024 16:14
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