[Cromartie84]

Any lawyers on here? Is it worth the debt?

Child on the way, would need to sell the car to begin funding the education. 27yrs old. Getting tired of my current career.

[Blayne]

Like anything in life, you get back what you put into it.

[Letsrunem8]

Originally Posted by Cromartie84

Any lawyers on here? Is it worth the debt?

Child on the way, would need to sell the car to begin funding the education. 27yrs old. Getting tired of my current career.

If that's what you really want to do then do it. You only live once.

[John 070]

Just my .02, 27 is more suited for a MBA because any decent program wants real work experience. If you go to law school, you are 5 years older than the avg. student. It's not a lot when you're 40, but it's huge when you are competing for a job once you've passed the Bar.

[Cromartie84]

Originally Posted by John 070

Just my .02, 27 is more suited for a MBA because any decent program wants real work experience. If you go to law school, you are 5 years older than the avg. student. It's not a lot when you're 40, but it's huge when you are competing for a job once you've passed the Bar.

That was my concern.

[carogers86]

One of my friends just finished law school and passed the BAR at 31. He was in law school for 4 or 5 years.

Other friends would joke about him being old or ask why he was "still" in law school. It took him 6 months to find a job. Now he makes or "bills" at $125/hr & bought a e46 M3.

Never too old, just need determination.

[Cromartie84]

Originally Posted by carogers86

One of my friends just finished law school and passed the BAR at 31. He was in law school for 4 or 5 years.

Other friends would joke about him being old or ask why he was "still" in law school. It took him 6 months to find a job. Now he makes or "bills" at $125/hr & bought a e46 M3.

Never too old, just need determination.

So there is hope

[carogers86]

During the 6 months it took him to find a job, he would hardly hang out. He was looking 24/7. He was really stressed out because of his student loans. After he got this job, he broke down where every dollar earned each hour goes e.g.($30/hr fun money, $60/hr student loan, $35/hr towards house down payment). Something like that.

[shazzy04]

^ smart man

[Oregano123]

let me save your life right now.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=803586

[newdadkel]

If you really want to do it, then you can make it work. I have had several friends go through law school in the past 5 years, but the thing to consider is how poor the job market is for lawyers right now. But by the time you took the LSAT and finished school, things might be better.

[Q4P]

As long as you are not in Florida because it's a disaster here for lawyers, don't mind 3 years of pain and a mountain of debt... it's a good choice. Then consider that once you do find a job you may not make this $125 an hour.

[GetSomeE92]

Originally Posted by Q4P

As long as you are not in Florida because it's a disaster here for lawyers, don't mind 3 years of pain and a mountain of debt... it's a good choice. Then consider that once you do find a job you may not make this $125 an hour.

This. Not sure how it is in other states, but things are tough in Florida. I have a friend that went to Georgetown for law school and he has a very large student loan debt. To make it worse, he has been unable to find a job outside of doing document review. He is a smart guy and personable, but the market it just that rough right now. It may be different by the time you graduate, but there are no guarantees.

Furthermore, most attorneys don't start out in the $80k-$100k range. Most probably start in the $40k-$50k range. So, if you're only doing it for the income, think again.

[gary88]

Law school is pretty much one of the worst investments you could make right now. The market is so phenomenally oversaturated. Just because law school used to be worth it in the past doesn't mean it is now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/bu...pagewanted=all

[carogers86]

Its likely that the type of law practiced increases chances of having a job or not. One of my clients is a private criminal defense attorney. She handles cases such as DUI, battery, marijuana production, etc.

She is contracted through the federal government. Remember the line, "if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you"? Public defenders are overwhelmed (at least in CA) with case load. The government solicits private criminal defense attorneys and pays them a court appointed rate of $175/hr to handle over flow. Everyone is entitled to a speedy trial, right? My client tells me how she has about 8 revolving cases and there are just so many people who need a free lawyer, that she has plenty of contracted work. Each case takes between 2-5 years to end. That's several hours at $175/hr for just one case.

Some lawyers might think $175 is pennies per hour. Of course top lawyers make more. My personal injury lawyer takes a third of his clients pay out. He made about $6000 in 2 months off of me, and I am just one client of his. My Dad's divorce attorney billed at $600 an hour. That explains his gray hairs...

[xtac]

What's your background? What are your interests.

[nycbr]

Originally Posted by gary88

Law school is pretty much one of the worst investments you could make right now. The market is so phenomenally oversaturated. Just because law school used to be worth it in the past doesn't mean it is now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/bu...pagewanted=all

+1. I am a lawyer in NYC and do OK but if I factor in the number of hours I work its not so great. Unless you ace the LSAT and get into a top tier law school, you will have a hard time finding a job and if you do find a job it will likely not pay enough to cover your loans. I advise against it.

[Cromartie84]

Background is all hospitality/restaurant management. Just want to make a change.

[Oregano123]

http://thirdtierreality.blogspot.com/

[just4kickz]

heard on recent show that a lot of new grads cannot find jobs after getting their JDs and end up working in non-legal places. there are many law schools, many graduates, and just not enough jobs out there for them all. plus apparently it is also very regional, so where you go to school may be a big factor of where you end up getting a job. i wouldn't do it unless you are deeply interested in it and have some kind of network to get a legal job post grad.... the job prospects just aren't there.

[Hershey]

Same issue with me last year. I thought about taking the LSAT but in the end I decided I am quite happy in my career and life to warrant such a schange with law school, etc. etc. I also thought about the prospects of work after getting my JD.

good luck on your decision. BUt with a child enroute, a baby would be extremely stressful times while in Law school....not to mention if you've got to work part time for money- all this will just add in stress with being a first yr law student

[xtac]

These topics come up here and there, and in short, it depends on you.

In any profession your hustling ability comes into play. Some doctors make 100k some make 5m, same with lawyers.

Unless you have connections, incredible intelligence, or come from a affluent family, its all upto you and how much you put in.

These prestigious degrees are not the same anymore, they are turning out law graduates like clock work. Heck md is the same just the actual industry makes it possible for you to worry less about getting a job, not to mention many years more of schooling vs law.

you can make money in any field. noone is going to tell you don't get a JD, only you can decide for yourself.

There will be always be a need for lawyers. All industries given recent tech advances are being disrupted, so just keep adapting, and most of all do what you can atleast like everyday. If you have an interest in it, chances are you will do much better, passion is important, its not the only thing however.

Whose to say you can stay in your field, and make a killing? maybe your goal is just to have stablity and well frankly not many fields have it anymore

tl;dr - only you can decide if it is right for you, do your due diligence.