Question for lawyers: law vs family life

[absolut_blonde]

I''m just wondering how practicing lawyers manage to balance having a family (or planning to have a family) with their careers. It seems so daunting to me.

I have always wanted to go to law school. And, not in a romanticized way-- it''s something I''ve thought about for years, even spoken to practicing lawyers about, etc. I wanted to get a few years work experience under my belt because one of the schools I was considering weighs holistic factors very heavily and prefers a slightly more ''mature'' student.

So now, if I were to attend law school in the fall of 2009, I would be 25 and turn 26 in December. This would put me at 28 when I graduate and 29 when I complete articling. Which I realize is not old, but fertility issues run in the family and I''d prefer not to wait ''too long'' before having at least one child. Is this even possible or realistic? I can''t really see any way to squeeze a first baby in before 32 or so and that''s really older than my (personal) ideal.

I''m not happy in my current position so I definitely do want to make a change of some sort; if not this, then something else. But I don''t know which direction to go in. I would probably regret it on some level if I don''t eventually attend law school, but having a family is also a huge priority of mine.

Help...?

 

[Lauren8211]

I''m not a lawyer, but I do work at a pretty well known presitigous law firm in the midwest. From what I''ve seen, being an associate here is nasty. I don''t know how smaller firms work, but this firm is pretty big, and associates sometimes work 80 hours a week. It''s frowned upon for you to say "I can''t handle any more work."

I have a good friend here, and he and his wife had a baby last year. He''s struggling to keep his marriage afloat and spend time with his baby. He''s seriously contemplating leaving here to keep a better work-life balance.

We do have one female attorney who is part time to be with her two children, but the likelihood of her ever making partner is pretty slim, obviously.

Hopefully other lawyers on here find that being an associate isn''t quite so bad...

 

[FrekeChild]

Well...speaking as a daughter of a practicing attorney, I hardly saw my dad when I was young. It was so bad to the point in which I was scared of him because I only really saw him on the weekends. In a lot of ways he was more like an occasional visitor than a dad. This is because he had a firm, but he was trying to build up it's reputation and get more attorneys and get the name out there.

To this day, I'm 26-he's 71, and he still meets clients on Saturday/Sunday, and he never leaves work until 5 at the earliest. He still goes to conferences (although a lot less than he did when he was younger) and gives presentations, the only difference is that he doesn't go to court anymore unless it's an emergency and no one else can make it. I think he'll probably retire in about 3 years-which is when I think he will have been practicing law for a total of 50 years.

It's been hard for me, I remember my mom strapping me into his car and then I'd start sobbing and screaming because I didn't want to hang out with "Daddy". Luckily, our relationship improved once I got older, but it was still very rough.

 

[absolut_blonde]

Date: 7/28/2008 4:50:21 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Well...speaking as a daughter of a practicing attorney, I hardly saw my dad when I was young. It was so bad to the point in which I was scared of him because I only really saw him on the weekends. In a lot of ways he was more like an occasional visitor than a dad. This is because he had a firm, but he was trying to build up it''s reputation and get more attorneys and get the name out there.

To this day, I''m 26-he''s 71, and he still meets clients on Saturday/Sunday, and he never leaves work until 5 at the earliest. He still goes to conferences (although a lot less than he did when he was younger) and gives presentations, the only difference is that he doesn''t go to court anymore unless it''s an emergency and no one else can make it. I think he''ll probably retire in about 3 years-which is when I think he will have been practicing law for a total of 50 years.

It''s been hard for me, I remember my mom strapping me into his car and then I''d start sobbing and screaming because I didn''t want to hang out with ''Daddy''. Luckily, our relationship improved once I got older, but it was still very rough.

I heard a similar story from a male partner that I spoke to when I was considering law school a few years ago. He remarked how he hadn''t seen his son much as he was growing up and that he wished he''d been around a bit more (although he didn''t say he ''regretted'' anything, and I do know he''s one of those that loves what he does). Stories like that really worry me. I know work/life balance can be better in fields like government jobs, but as it stands, the opportunity cost of 3 years worth of schooling would outweigh the benefits (I probably could advance that much salary-wise in the government sector without attending law school at all, remaining in my current field).

 

[FrekeChild]

What kind of law are you wanting to practice?

 

[absolut_blonde]

Date: 7/28/2008 4:57:20 PM
Author: FrekeChild
What kind of law are you wanting to practice?

I''m leaning towards real estate law. My current field is sort of a blend of real estate and legislation (quasi-judicial hearings). It''s almost aggravating because the job right now, although interesting, is like "law lite" and not challenging enough by any means.

 

[FrekeChild]

I really think you should go. If you''ve wanted it that long...that says something. And I think you should start as soon as you possibly can. Of course, this is only my opinion. I guess you just have to weight the positives and the negatives and consider what having children later in life will entail.

Besides! You''re already ahead of me! I''m going to graduate in December 2009 with just my BA, at the ripe old age of 27! Now granted, I don''t want kids, but still, life gets kind of put on hold when school is involved.

Good luck, no matter what you decide to do!

 

[NovemberBride]

Absolut_blonde,

Achieving a work-life balance while practicing in a large firm is impossible in my opinion. I have worked for two huge international law firms (one in NY, one in Philly). While the pay is really great, the lifestyle is not. Your life is quite simply not your own. The firm owns you. I cannot even count the number of times I had plans to do something with DH or our friends on a weekend, but received a call at 5pm on Friday informing me I had to work all weekend. Even though I had a very understanding DH, it put a huge strain on our marriage that he basically was responsible for all cooking, cleaning, running errands around the house (he also had a full-time job!) I honestly cannot imagine having a child while working at one of those jobs. All the women I knew with children had full-time nannies or stay at home husbands. It is a major reason I decided to leave the firm, as I am approaching 30 and am wanting to have a child and be a meaningful part of their life. I left the firm earlier this year for an in-house position and I couldn''t be happier. I get home at a reasonable hour and while I sometimes do work on the weekends, it is almost always from home on my time.

I caveat my experience with the fact that I worked at very large law firms doing corporate work, so my experience was at the extreme end of the spectrum. I will also say that I also loved my job - working on M&A transactions that made the NYTimes was a dream come true for me. In no way am I discouraging you from law school - I love being a lawyer and can''t imagine doing anything else. However, along the way, I realized that I loved my DH and our future family more than my job. I knew I could never be the wife and mother I wanted to be and still work at a large firm. I do know several friends from law school that went to smaller firms and do manage a decent work life balance, but I will also tell you that they started making $60-70k a year vs. $140-160k in the big firms. As I tell everyone I know going into a large firm - they aren''t giving away 6 figure salaries to 25 year-olds for free. You will earn every penny.

 

[Kayakqueen83]

Wow, that is a hard place to be in. It seems like you really want to be a lawyer and that is wonderful! I can understand you wanting to see if you can find a balance before starting on the law school path.

I am not a lawyer but I have to echo Freke in the fact that I am a lawyers daughter. My father is a very prestigious governmental lawyer (or was, he just retired) and I have to say, I didn't see him very much at all growing up. I actually thought he had another family when I was about 7 or so... we laugh about it now, but it's really not that funny.

It was difficult. I admire him so much for the career he has for himself... but I have to say, I don't want my children to have to deal with that if I can help it. (I almost broke up with my boyfriend when we first started dating and he told me he was going to go into law school) BUT, saying that, just because my father was a lawyer doesn't mean that is the way it is for ALL lawyers. You have to but some responsibility on the person and not just necessarily the job.

I think you can form a balance. There are a couple of lawyers on PS that seem to really have it down, but I have to say that I think it is really hard. A lot of the time something has to give. Maybe LitigatorChick can chime in on her experiences with being a lawyer and a mom?

Good luck to you. I think if you are considering all of these factors now, you are going to be in a much better position in whatever path you choose.

 

[purrfectpear]

If you want to practice law in a small setting you might manage some sort of home life.

If you practice law with a larger firm (not even an option unless you are top 10% of your class, right school, order of coif, etc.) then you can kiss your personal life good bye for at least 6 to 8 years as an associate. The whole point of working at a large firm is to be made partner. There are quite a few that wash out in the first two years as junior associates.

I managed AV rated firms in Century City and Bev Hills and we worked all associates like slaves on a galley ship.

 

[ChinaCat]

Hi- I generally lurk but thought I would chime in since I am a real estate lawyer.

Generallly, what the other posters have said is true. But it isn''t always that black and white so I thought I would offer my experience.

I started out at a big firm and honestly didn''t work that much. Real estate is a much more manageable practice than either litigation or transactional. My friends in those sections did work quite a bit more than me. However, I will say that it was not a consistent work all the time. They had a few late nights or all nighters, but maybe once every month or so. I never did. Real estate practice is generally more predictable with your time simply because your clients are more laid back; or your clients are banks who work bank hours. You usually know when your closings will be and usually have more than enough time to get everything done ahead of time so that you aren''t working all night the night before a closing. It does happen, but it''s rare for me. And when it does happen you know in advance it''s going to be a late night. I have never had someone call me at 5 pm on a Friday and tell me I have to work all weekend.

I now work at a smaller firm but I still make the same big firm money and I LOVE it. My time is very flexible- I can work from home, I can leave early and work at home or on the weekends, as long as I get my work done. The latest I have stayed is 8 pm. And that was one week when we had a HUGE closing that had been 3 years in the making. Now, I was beyond busy while I was at work, but it was manageable. And fun.

I am in my 30''s and planning on having kids. I see absolutely no reason or problem with doing so. Now you may have to make a choice as to whether you want to be a partner or not; that definitely may not be possible if you have kids unless your hubby stays home. But we do have women partners here that have kids. I think I could do it in my section, if I want to. Not sure about that yet, as it comes with all sorts of required administrative BS that I would rather do without!

Also, lots of firms these days are trying to accomodate women and are considering flexible time and part-time options. Women coming out of law school make up a little more than 50% of the incoming first year classes, but that drops dramatically by the 8th year. And firms know that they are losing a ton of money, and also a ton of talent by not accomodating working moms.

If you have always wanted to be a lawyer, don''t let this put you off. There are so many options in the legal field. Now if your heart is set on being not only a partner, but an important partner in the litigation or transactional section in a big name firm, then yes, I would worry about it. But it''s do-able. Real estate is the best kept secret- it''s fun and the hours aren''t brutal.

Oh, and I didn''t go to law school until I was 27 or so.

Good luck!

 

[ursulawrite]

My husband is an M&A partner in a major NYC law firm. From what I've seen, the overwhelming majority of partners are men. I only know of one woman who balances being a mother with being a partner (though there are several associates--with the help of nannies--that juggle motherhood with a career). The other female partners are childless.

We plan on having children next year, and I'm adamant about remaining in the city--either in Brooklyn or in Manhattan--so that the kids will get to see their father of an evening during the week. I realise that this won't always be possiible, but partners do have more clout than associates, and some firms are more humane than others, even amongst the upper tiers; my husband now works at one such firm, thank goodness.

Speaking personally--as a creative type, admittedly--I would choose the smaller firm every time, being that I value my sanity and have no desire to be subject to "all-nighters" at the whim of some tyrant.

 

[CalBearsFan]

I''m not a lawyer yet (still in law school) but I am also eager to hear people''s experiences since I some day will have to try to strike a balance myself. Although I must say that from what I have read so far, it has only confirmed my previous beliefs/other second hand experiences. I don''t plan to work for a big firm. I know myself. I would hate it. I plan to work for a smaller firm or for the government because I value quality of life and do want to have a family.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Both my parents are lawyers and I grew up around countless others and here is my input, it mainly depends on the law firm and why you are a lawyer, imo.

Both my parents were partners in fairly small, local law firms.

My dad is a litagator. His firm is "laid back" for lack of another word. They take fewer cases and with the exception of two of the partners who are all about prestige and money, do all the work on the cases themselves which works because it is not a high pressure (but is very sucessful) law firm. My father is also in law because he loves law. He could be making twice as much an hour and be the head litigator for some major companies, but that''s not what he wanted. He sees a case from begining to end rather than passing it off on lower associates because he likes the process. Most of the firm is like that and they all get lots of time with their kids. Except for the two worried about prestige, they all seem to be the happiest, most down to earth lawyers I have ever known as well. My dad was ALWAYS the one to take us to the museum, the zoo, have dinner with us, etc.

My mom was a real estate lawyer in a high pressure firm. When I was ten, she tried to go part time, but it didn''t fly in the firm and she eventually quit. That firm was all about growing, prestige and money and she simply didn''t fit when she wanted to prioritze her family. She was also a lawyer for the security of the paycheck and the prestige of being one of the only woman in town (my mom isn''t really like that, but had a LOT of family issues that lead to this). I never saw her; she was either working or immobalized by stress. She was very unhappy and at one point had 11 bad migraines in 12 weeks. She is MUCH happier since she quit.

However, she knows she did good things. There is an AMAZING old audatorium I recently discovered, that she saved. It was going to be torn down but she worked pro bono and it is now a sucessful venue for rentals recently featured on a bridal show and makes our world a prettier place.

I think you should go, you love the law and that truely makes the happiest lawyers. Find a good niche so you are always needed (enviromental real estate law is going to grow a lot in the future and that might be a good one) and find a low key law firm and you can do both, my dad and his whole firm did and it is working for them

 

[moremoremore]

My only advice is to think long and hard...associate life is hard...unless you work at a huge firm, you won't make a lot of money...and huge firms (unless you're at the tippy top of the class and can write your own ticket ..but even then...) mean long long hours....Think about if you'll have loans and how that will affect you (if you will have any at all)....Mine affect me greatly as I wouldn't have to work now if I didn't have them...If no loans, then it's a little easier to take the chance...real estate is probably the best bet...a specialty which I'd continue if I was continuing practicing....we moved to another state and I never ever want to set foot in another court room as long as I live!

 

[littlelysser]

Like Novemberbride, I have worked for two large international firms right out of law school.

In my opinion, it is darn near impossible to achieve a work/family life balance at a place like that. I have had to cancel vacations to the Bahamas and New Orleans because of "emergency" projects that came up. I don''t know how many nights I worked past midnight. And how many weekends I had to give up. Ugh. And really, they are paying 125K out of laws school...and with the advent of the blackberry, well, you are almost "on call" 24 hours a day.

At my first firm, my associate class was nearly 50/50 male and female. However, the number of male vs. female partners is incredibly unbalanced. And the female partners I know that had children were married to stay at home dads or had nannies.

One of my friends had two children in her first four years at the first firm. She was miserable and exhausted. She felt like she couldn''t give her kids or her job the time required. And the idea of working part time is really kind of laughable. Some women went part time after they had children - however those women worked darn near as much as a normal associate for a percentage of the pay. And coincidence or not, none of those women have become partner and most of them have since left the firm.

I will disagree with the notion that things get easier once you are a partner. That was certainly not my impression from the partners I worked with. I think the idea that making partner means you can slow down and relax is pretty antiquated. There was much worrying about client-stealing and back-biting and getting their book of business to where it should be...not much different from being an associate, really.

Now that having been said, I went and worked for a judge after I realized that I couldn''t hack the big firm lifestyle. That was a WONDERFUL position, in terms of time, workload and stress. I worked from 9-4:30, with an hour for lunch. I did not work a single weekend. I worked until 7 pm ONE time in my three years there. It was great Now, I took a 80K pay cut to do it, but I had my life back. We took vacation! Made plans and actually kept them! A number of the career clerks that I know are women...they are still prestigious positions, with interesting work and, well, they can rock. That having been said, I know some clerkships that are nightmares...VERY judge dependent. I have some friends that have gone in-house. Some are blissfully happy and have a great schedule. Other are traveling more and working harder than they did before.

So, I guess I''d say that while it is possible, it isn''t easy. But it can be done!

 

[littlelysser]

Oh, and AB - On an unrelated note, taking time off between undergrad and law school is a GREAT idea.

I took two years off and I think it made a HUGE difference. I came in and I was ready to learn and work my butt off. I missed academia and I really relished what I was doing.

I made law review, published and was order of the coif...and I feel pretty confident in saying that a good portion of the folks that made law review at my school were people that had taken some time between undergrad and law school... so I think you are DEFINITELY doing yourself a favor in that regard!

 

[FrekeChild]

You know, I was just reading all of these other stories and I realized that there is a 30 something year old mother who is a partner at my dad's firm. His firm deal with mostly family law, and the little bits and pieces of other types that comes with family law. He had a hard time of it because he was building his firm from scratch, but one of his partners, D came in only a few years out of law school. She was probably about 27 when I first met her, and now I'm thinking she's around 35, and she's been a partner for almost that whole time. She is probably one of the coolest people I know, and I really admire and respect her. She isn't married, although she's been with her BF/SO for about 15 years now, and he has proposed, but because of her job, she's terrified of marriage. So about 5 years ago they got pregnant (intentional) and she had the baby.

One thing to know about D is that she works HARD. She's never slacking off, even if someone is in her office, she's multi-tasking like crazy. When she's at work, she's busy, and doesn't have free time-if she does have free time, it's spent getting coffee or ordering pizza so she can eat and work at the same time. Her daughter takes precedence over everything else though. If something is wrong with her (sick, hurt herself, etc) D will drop everything so that her daughter knows she's there, and D will make up the work some other time.

I can't tell you how many times I had walked into that office at 7:30am to find D already there, and whirling about from either sleeping on the couch or hopped up on caffeine. On days when her daughter is sick, she works from home. If she's staying in her office (conveniently located in the very back corner of the office) all day working on cases and only coming out for food and bathroom breaks-she'll wear sweats. She stays until she has to pick up her daughter from daycare, and then she'll come back to work when her SO gets home. She is probably one of the most inspirational people I have ever met, because she does balance her home life with her work life. Yes, there are meetings that go until ten or later, and there are out of town cases, but with her family system (her SO and mom are rockstars as well) she's got it all under control. I think the way she does it is a lot of working at home, some really late nights mixed in with days where she just takes off from it all when she can afford to.

I should call her up and ask her how she does it.

ETA: There are usually about ten attorney's at the office, with 2 women partners, and 4 men partners. So it's not a huge firm.

 

[Octavia]

I'm a rising 2L, interning for the Office of General Counsel at a federal government agency this summer, and it seems (to me) about the best legal job you can get in terms of work-life balance. The hours are flexible -- everyone has to be there during the "core" times, but there are people who get there super early in the morning and can leave in time to get their kids off the school bus. And others who stay home later in the morning to breakfast with their kids and then stay later at the office. They can build up "credit hours" by working extra on days when they have the time, and can then take off an afternoon for kindergarten graduation (or the like) without using up vacation time. Plus, everyone works from home one day a week. Everyone works hard, but it's a really laid-back atmosphere and the attorneys and support staff all seem genuinely happy there. A significant number of the attorneys have been there 20+ years, and pretty much everyone says they'll be there until they retire.

If I don't get into one of the federal Summer Honors Programs next summer, I'm hoping to work at a firm just to see what it's all about. But I'm 99.99% sure I'm aiming for a clerkship after graduation, then federal government work for my career, although I'm not yet sure what agency I want to be at. The pay is substantial--not extravagant--but having a life outside of work is so much more important to me than money, it's a trade-off I'm more than happy to make.

ETA: I started law school last year at 25; I'll be 27 when FH and I get married and 28 when I graduate. We're hoping to start a family when I'm about 30, so it's perfect timing for us.

ETAAgain: Since you have good reasons for not wanting to wait too long, would you consider having a child while in law school? It's not ideal but it can be done if you choose the right school and plan well -- I know a few people (both men and women) who have had children as 2Ls/3Ls. It would definitely be a bad idea as a 1L though. It's something you might consider asking your potential schools about when you're looking around, just to see how they'd handle it and what advice you can glean from them.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Also a rising 2L. A few considerations to keep in mind:

1) Debt. I would try to keep the amount of loans taken out low, so as to give you more options upon graduation. Most people who end up taking out a lot of loans end up going into biglaw, which has horrible hours (except for "quality of life" firms - but even those I think are "better" relatively speaking).

2) Ultimate career aspirations. The current trend seems to be general counsel at a corporation after a few years in a large firm, because the pay is still good and the hours are regular so, even though you're busy, you have a better schedule and can spend time with your family.

3) Do you want to make partner ever? Do you want to be in a large firm? If your interest in legislation/real estate, it seems that most likely you won't want to stay in a large firm for the rest of your life. I would definitely research more into what type of practice you'll want to go into.

4) Finally, are you sure law school is for you? It's just a big decision, and it shouldn't be your fallback just because you're not happy in your current position - if there's something else that will make you just as happy and fulfilled, but will cost less time and money, you should think seriously about that other option as well. Law school is a big investment, and a law degree is not an all-purpose degree - it's much better to think about it now instead of a year or two into law school, after a huge amount of money put into the venture, and realize then that it's not for you.

Sorry, this sounds rather somber, but it's just the main questions to think about when considering law school.

As for me, I'm set on going to a firm - in fact, I'm working on my OCI bid list now - and probably staying at a firm and hoping to eventually make partner some day. I know it'll be a crazy struggle to balance work and life (especially since I want to do litigation) and also because the BF will also be a lawyer. But I have faith that it CAN be done - and if you go into law school, Absolut, keep that same faith! Schedules will be crazy and there will be a lot of work, but a good chunk of life is what you make of it. Hope this helps!

P.S. my partner aspirations come from the fact that I promised myself in Kyoto last weekend that I would ONLY buy a real katana (they're SO expensive but soooo beautiful!) if I made partner. Good incentive

 

[pennquaker09]

I''m not a lawyer, but my mom is. When she had me, she was actually still in law school. For the first few years after law school, I think she did the firm thing, but eventually, she ended up in banking and corporate law and she''s been doing that for as long as I can remember.

I never really saw my mom while growing up, she was pretty much at the office all day.

 

[Delster]

Have you read this thread - lots of interesting discussion in there!

SarahLovesJS''s thread \"Attorneys with Children\"

 

[LitigatorChick]

This thread has been depressing - lots of disgruntled lawyers.

I don''t want to re-type my story, so just go to the link Delster provided. I''m in Canada, so maybe that makes all the difference. I love it, I see my little man more than most parents (including my DH), and make enough money for bling and shoes!

 

[geckodani]

My husband is in law school at the moment (he''ll be 29 by the time he takes the Bar). From the spousal side, I''ve got to say that it''s a bit rough. We both work full time, and he takes 2-3 classes a semester. So, when he''s not at work he''s pretty much at class or doing homework. But - when he does have time, we make it count, and I''m insanely proud of him.

He''s planning on doing estate or real estate law, not litigation, and I think this will make a huge difference in his time at home when we start a family. As mentioned before, some branches of law have more reasonable hours (real estate bein one of them). If you''re planning on being partner in a large firm - well, you probably won''t see your kids much. If you''re okay with a smaller firm or different area of law, you''d probably be okay.

As for having kids while in law school- Would you be working as well? I could see you managing it if you''re just going to school. Working + School + Kids - that could be rough.

Ultimately I think that if being a lawyer is something you''ve always wanted to do, you should absolutely go for it. You''ll make it work if it''s important to you.

 

[absolut_blonde]

Date: 7/29/2008 8:39:28 AM
Author: LitigatorChick
This thread has been depressing - lots of disgruntled lawyers.

I don''t want to re-type my story, so just go to the link Delster provided. I''m in Canada, so maybe that makes all the difference. I love it, I see my little man more than most parents (including my DH), and make enough money for bling and shoes!

LitigatorChick, I''m in Canada too (Alberta) and I do wonder if that plays a role. But do you think it''s disadvantageous to be freshly out of law school so close when one wants to start a family? As I take it, you had a decent amount of experience under your belt before taking mat leave?

 

[Love Street]

My 2 cents: I''m a rising 2L and a law clerk in the Real Estate practice group of a large national law firm. I work for the head of the practice group, who is a female partner. She is an incredible rainmaker, lawyer, lobbyist, and mentor, and she really seems to love her work - but she''s also the most incredible workaholic I''ve ever seen. She has never been married and has no kids, and she seems happy that way.

There are only a couple female junior partners in our practice group, one is not married and has no kids, the other I''m not sure about. Male partners outnumber female partners at our firm, and we rank pretty well in gender equality and diversity scores.

Real Estate: It really depends on where you practice and the type of firm you go to, but in my experience RE is not much "easier" in terms of the hours you''ll put in. We do a lot of development projects so things are on a large project time scale - but depending on how many irons yyou have in the fire (and we have a lot) it becomes as much of a juggling/balancing game requiring a lot of hours as the other depts at our firm. Plus, if you''re at a firm you''ll likely have a set number of billable hours to meet no matter what group your in, and lawyers at many places are expected to start developing business (or taking steps in that direction, even as associates; partners devote even more unbillable time to business development).

I will be in my early 30''s by the time I take the bar. DH and I decided a while ago that we were not having kids - it''s hard enough to find time to enjoy each other and our dog, and we never wanted to be parents. Not having to worry about the "kids" decision, I can enjoy my work and I look forward to it - we''ve got exciting projects going on so I don''t mind keeping tabs on things 7 days a week (though I still take vacations). But I have friends who are associates and worrying about how to fit things in - and many of them are looking at leaving the firm for non-law or government jobs that will still allow them to pay their student loans.

This was probably not helpful, but it''s just my teeny corner of the legal world. I waited 5 years between undergrad and law school, and I do think it''s something you have to want to do and get excited about, which it sounds like you are. But a law degree is really best if you want to practice law - so you have to not only want to go to law school for a few years, but you have to want to practice law - a very different thing - for many more years.

Good luck with your decision - I applaud you for thinking it through ahead of time - that''s huge! I''m sure that whatever you decided will ultimately be what''s best for you and what you truly want to do, and that''s a lot more than many lawyers/law students can say!

 

[LitigatorChick]

Absolut_Blonde, I''m in Calgary, so we are likely close by. I don''t know what life is like in the US, but it seems a bit rougher. I work at a national firm practising litigation, and make time for my little man. I waited until I was 4 years out of school before I had him.

Lemme know if I can help in any way!!!

 

[absolut_blonde]

Thank you all SO much for all of the fantastic and extremely helpful responses. I truly appreciate it and I've definitely got a few things to think over now. Isn't this stuff supposed to get a bit easier with age? I still feel like I'm 18 and picking a college major!

LitigatorChick: I am a Cowtown girl at heart, but I'm now in E-Town for uh, personal reasons (SO, heh). Your story does definitely give me hope. Perhaps things are more reasonable in Canada, work-life balance-wise.