Attorneys With Children

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 3/5/2008 1:23:34 AM
Author: divergrrl

Date: 2/22/2008 9:45:59 AM

Author: Independent Gal

So much for womens'' equality.

It''s so disappointing.


Sarah, you can also have a look at the balancing work and family thread on this page if you want, where some of us have been confronting similar questions. Here''s the link:


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/advice-on-family-work-balance.77917/

Awww...IG, don''t say this. Here is how I look at it.


Some jobs are more conducive to PARENTHOOD, not just motherhood.


Think of all the fathers out there who rarely see their children because of their jobs? There are a lot of professions that have shockingly demanding hours that keep a person at the office very long hours.


And, in the spirit of true equality, women have the ability to hold these positions as well.


So, if you chose a job that is very demanding in its time demands, know that is going to affect your non-work life, whether that is children, hobbies, travel, WHATEVER.


If you are the type of person who wants to have children, this is going to affect the type of career you choose, the type of partner you choose, and perhaps even the type of help you choose.


Maybe the wife is an attorney and her husband is a teacher, so he''s in charge of the kids afternoons & vacations? It can work, you just have to tweak & adjust to get to where you want to be.


At any rate, someone needs to raise the child(ren), and it doesn''t HAVE to be mom. It can be dad. It can be mom & dad and a nanny or daycare during working hours.


But a couple can''t have kids & expect them to raise themselves. The good news is, there is a whole host of ways to get it done, however it works for your particular situation is good enough.


FWIW, my DH chose not to accept a position that would fast-track him into a Vice President position. He told me we''d be require to relocate across the US, and he''d be gone ALL the time, having to golf on weekends with the other executives, and he''d barely be home. He chose quality of family life over his professional life.


So he had to make a very hard decision, very similar to the one presented here, so he could be present in his children''s lives instead. He gave up money (oh god...a lot of money....triple his salary.....think of the bling!!!) and advancement to be with us.


Sound familiar?


Its tough all over.

Thank you for adding this perspective! It''s interesting to see that men go through this also.

 

[diamondfan]

Sarah, I do not work but I have three kids and a really busy hubby. I would not survive without my nanny and sitter. I simply cannot get it all done in a day, and with a high schooler, a middle schooler and a lower school kid, my after school is even worse. All of the appts, the sitting the car waiting for sports practice or meets to end, play dates, getting to the allergy doctor for weekly shots, getting dinner on the table, etc...I could not, as one person, do it all, even though I think I am a very organized person. And forget if I have to be at school in the evening for an event or have an engagement with my hubby. Or, the times I have had to go to the ER with one child in the middle of the night and hubby is on a business trip (like Tuesday night at 12:30 am with my middle son)...And, in my opinion, you can pay someone to clean and do laundry, because why would you want to spend your free time, if you are working, doing that stuff? If I worked, and came home and had to do all that and find time for me and for my child or children and my spouse, it would tax me. No ifs ands or butts. If you want to be in a law firm, and put in the hours, I would want to spend my free time with my kid and hubby, not cleaning and doing laundry. So if it is at all an option, a housekeeper is really a great way to help assist you in being more efficient. If you cannot do that, you really must be so good at time management, and to me, at some point, something will give. And I would not think you would want to head down that path. I know a lot of women who did not feel they needed help, or did not want it, and came to find it was invaluable. I am not saying abdicate your mom job, or not parent your child. Not at all. But if you only have so many hours, you have to really prioritize what goes on. Certainly you could try it all for a while, but I do not think you would be happy in the long run.

 

[LitigatorChick]

I agree entirely with DiamondFan. I need help to do all that other "stuff", so I can devote all my non-work time to my son. When I get home, I don''t worry about dinner, dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc. I spend real quality time with my son.

 

[onedrop]

Date: 2/26/2008 9:23:40 PM
Author: Octavia
Onedrop, are you in federal, state, or local government? I''m pretty sure I want to work for a federal agency, so I was just curious!

I am SO very late in responding to this thread. My apologies, but hopefully I can still provide my take. I work for the Federal government, and have been in and out of Federal service for about 12 years, 10 of them as an attorney. The great thing about my agency is that they are on the cutting edge government-wise when it comes to teleworking. Now pretty much anyone with seniority who wants to telework has the chance to do so. And as I said before there are a lot of women in my office that have taken maternity leave and have been able to come back with negative consequences.

It''s not easy to get in, but one you do, the stability and benefits are excellent.

 

[curiousaboutdiamonds]

Hi Sarah, I''m a new attorney, and wanted to share my story. Just like everyone else has said, law school is expensive. I''m carrying approximately $60k in school loans, and that''s only because I got scholarships for my last year ($30k per year). Law school is also extremely competitive. If you want to work at a big firm after you graduate from law school, you''ll need to take part in moot court, law review, summer associate positions, etc. Because I worked as a paralegal while going to school, I didn''t take part those activities. Even with all the experience that I had and graduating in top 15%, it took me approximately a year to find a job. It didn''t help that I had to relocate to a new area (in the same state) to be with my then-fiance/now-husband.

But I do have to say that I love the firm that I''m working at now, and it was worth the wait. It is a smaller firm that places a greater emphasis on the quality of life. I work 8-5 hours doing estate planning and corporate law. I am planning pursuing an LLM and the firm is very supportive of that. I''m pretty sure they''ll be flexible when I''m ready to start a family (in a couple of years).

Bottom line: Ask yourself if you really want to be a lawyer, ready to work very hard, and ready to give up a "normal" life for 3 years while you''re in school.

If so, good luck and best wishes to you!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 3/6/2008 11:07:23 PM
Author: curiousaboutdiamonds
Hi Sarah, I''m a new attorney, and wanted to share my story. Just like everyone else has said, law school is expensive. I''m carrying approximately $60k in school loans, and that''s only because I got scholarships for my last year ($30k per year). Law school is also extremely competitive. If you want to work at a big firm after you graduate from law school, you''ll need to take part in moot court, law review, summer associate positions, etc. Because I worked as a paralegal while going to school, I didn''t take part those activities. Even with all the experience that I had and graduating in top 15%, it took me approximately a year to find a job. It didn''t help that I had to relocate to a new area (in the same state) to be with my then-fiance/now-husband.


But I do have to say that I love the firm that I''m working at now, and it was worth the wait. It is a smaller firm that places a greater emphasis on the quality of life. I work 8-5 hours doing estate planning and corporate law. I am planning pursuing an LLM and the firm is very supportive of that. I''m pretty sure they''ll be flexible when I''m ready to start a family (in a couple of years).


Bottom line: Ask yourself if you really want to be a lawyer, ready to work very hard, and ready to give up a ''normal'' life for 3 years while you''re in school.


If so, good luck and best wishes to you!

Thank you! That''s pretty encouraging. I assume you are in the US right?

 

[curiousaboutdiamonds]

Date: 3/6/2008 11:56:49 PM
Author: SarahLovesJS

Date: 3/6/2008 11:07:23 PM

Author: curiousaboutdiamonds

Hi Sarah, I''m a new attorney, and wanted to share my story. Just like everyone else has said, law school is expensive. I''m carrying approximately $60k in school loans, and that''s only because I got scholarships for my last year ($30k per year). Law school is also extremely competitive. If you want to work at a big firm after you graduate from law school, you''ll need to take part in moot court, law review, summer associate positions, etc. Because I worked as a paralegal while going to school, I didn''t take part those activities. Even with all the experience that I had and graduating in top 15%, it took me approximately a year to find a job. It didn''t help that I had to relocate to a new area (in the same state) to be with my then-fiance/now-husband.



But I do have to say that I love the firm that I''m working at now, and it was worth the wait. It is a smaller firm that places a greater emphasis on the quality of life. I work 8-5 hours doing estate planning and corporate law. I am planning pursuing an LLM and the firm is very supportive of that. I''m pretty sure they''ll be flexible when I''m ready to start a family (in a couple of years).



Bottom line: Ask yourself if you really want to be a lawyer, ready to work very hard, and ready to give up a ''normal'' life for 3 years while you''re in school.



If so, good luck and best wishes to you!

Thank you! That''s pretty encouraging. I assume you are in the US right?

Yes, I''m in California.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 3/7/2008 12:05:48 AM
Author: curiousaboutdiamonds

Date: 3/6/2008 11:56:49 PM

Author: SarahLovesJS

Date: 3/6/2008 11:07:23 PM


Author: curiousaboutdiamonds


Hi Sarah, I''m a new attorney, and wanted to share my story. Just like everyone else has said, law school is expensive. I''m carrying approximately $60k in school loans, and that''s only because I got scholarships for my last year ($30k per year). Law school is also extremely competitive. If you want to work at a big firm after you graduate from law school, you''ll need to take part in moot court, law review, summer associate positions, etc. Because I worked as a paralegal while going to school, I didn''t take part those activities. Even with all the experience that I had and graduating in top 15%, it took me approximately a year to find a job. It didn''t help that I had to relocate to a new area (in the same state) to be with my then-fiance/now-husband.




But I do have to say that I love the firm that I''m working at now, and it was worth the wait. It is a smaller firm that places a greater emphasis on the quality of life. I work 8-5 hours doing estate planning and corporate law. I am planning pursuing an LLM and the firm is very supportive of that. I''m pretty sure they''ll be flexible when I''m ready to start a family (in a couple of years).




Bottom line: Ask yourself if you really want to be a lawyer, ready to work very hard, and ready to give up a ''normal'' life for 3 years while you''re in school.




If so, good luck and best wishes to you!

Thank you! That''s pretty encouraging. I assume you are in the US right?

Yes, I''m in California.

Thank you! I love California, it''s beautiful. I''m from Virginia and I visit CA every few years.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Quite honestly, I think that the 3 years of law school were a breeze compared to private practice!!! And I was not a slacker in law school, either, being the gold medalist for my year!!!

 

[LegacyGirl]

Date: 3/6/2008 11:07:23 PM
Author: curiousaboutdiamonds
Hi Sarah, I''m a new attorney, and wanted to share my story. Just like everyone else has said, law school is expensive. I''m carrying approximately $60k in school loans, and that''s only because I got scholarships for my last year ($30k per year). Law school is also extremely competitive. If you want to work at a big firm after you graduate from law school, you''ll need to take part in moot court, law review, summer associate positions, etc. Because I worked as a paralegal while going to school, I didn''t take part those activities. Even with all the experience that I had and graduating in top 15%, it took me approximately a year to find a job. It didn''t help that I had to relocate to a new area (in the same state) to be with my then-fiance/now-husband.

But I do have to say that I love the firm that I''m working at now, and it was worth the wait. It is a smaller firm that places a greater emphasis on the quality of life. I work 8-5 hours doing estate planning and corporate law. I am planning pursuing an LLM and the firm is very supportive of that. I''m pretty sure they''ll be flexible when I''m ready to start a family (in a couple of years).

Bottom line: Ask yourself if you really want to be a lawyer, ready to work very hard, and ready to give up a ''normal'' life for 3 years while you''re in school.

If so, good luck and best wishes to you!

I want to add to this (where I am in Florida) the above really is not true. Here they prefer real world experience as opposed to law review, trial team, and moot court. Instead of doing those things I clerked in every single type of practice I could and I also interned for a few judges. I also serve as a mediator doing pretrial work. I even worked one summer in county government. I have more job offers than anyone who did those school activities because of all the experience and connections I''ve made. But they are GREAT for experience and if you can get into them and work do it. I regret not taking a Law Review position sometimes because I would have enjoyed the writing experience.

Each place is different. Build your resume as best as you can and it will pay off in the long run. It feels great to have so many choices right now.

One of the biggest bits of advice I can give you is if you follow the above route apply for clerkships even if you don''t think you meet the requirements. I have a few different judges who want to hire me on after seeing my resume and the quality of work I do, even when the job says they only hire people who have done Law Review or Moot Court and are in the top 10%.

Do keep your grades up though

and book awards are good things! You can put those on your resume and they are pretty impressive, especially if you book a class in the field you want to work.

Good luck!

 

[scarlet16]

Date: 3/7/2008 11:13:32 AM
Author: LegacyGirl

Date: 3/6/2008 11:07:23 PM

Author: curiousaboutdiamonds

Hi Sarah, I''m a new attorney, and wanted to share my story. Just like everyone else has said, law school is expensive. I''m carrying approximately $60k in school loans, and that''s only because I got scholarships for my last year ($30k per year). Law school is also extremely competitive. If you want to work at a big firm after you graduate from law school, you''ll need to take part in moot court, law review, summer associate positions, etc. Because I worked as a paralegal while going to school, I didn''t take part those activities. Even with all the experience that I had and graduating in top 15%, it took me approximately a year to find a job. It didn''t help that I had to relocate to a new area (in the same state) to be with my then-fiance/now-husband.


But I do have to say that I love the firm that I''m working at now, and it was worth the wait. It is a smaller firm that places a greater emphasis on the quality of life. I work 8-5 hours doing estate planning and corporate law. I am planning pursuing an LLM and the firm is very supportive of that. I''m pretty sure they''ll be flexible when I''m ready to start a family (in a couple of years).


Bottom line: Ask yourself if you really want to be a lawyer, ready to work very hard, and ready to give up a ''normal'' life for 3 years while you''re in school.


If so, good luck and best wishes to you!

I want to add to this (where I am in Florida) the above really is not true. Here they prefer real world experience as opposed to law review, trial team, and moot court. Instead of doing those things I clerked in every single type of practice I could and I also interned for a few judges. I also serve as a mediator doing pretrial work. I even worked one summer in county government. I have more job offers than anyone who did those school activities because of all the experience and connections I''ve made. But they are GREAT for experience and if you can get into them and work do it. I regret not taking a Law Review position sometimes because I would have enjoyed the writing experience.


Each place is different. Build your resume as best as you can and it will pay off in the long run. It feels great to have so many choices right now.


One of the biggest bits of advice I can give you is if you follow the above route apply for clerkships even if you don''t think you meet the requirements. I have a few different judges who want to hire me on after seeing my resume and the quality of work I do, even when the job says they only hire people who have done Law Review or Moot Court and are in the top 10%.


Do keep your grades up though

and book awards are good things! You can put those on your resume and they are pretty impressive, especially if you book a class in the field you want to work.


Good luck!

I have to agree with Legacy Girl. I''m in NYC and worked as a paralegal full time while going to school at night at a top 25 school. I didn''t have time for journals and moot court, etc. But when it came time to apply for summer associate positions, firms seemed much more interested in the fact that I''d worked while being in the top 25% of my class, and worked on several full-blown trials in the meantime. That is experience the firms kill to have. Like everyone else has said though, grades are still really important to the top firms and if you''re not within their criteria then they won''t even look at your resume.

I would definitely recommend being a paralegal for a year if you''re unsure about going to law school. It really gets your feet wet (especially if you''re at a good firm). That way you don''t invest a ton of money and then end up hating it!

 

[MoonWater]

Date: 3/8/2008 11:48:17 AM
Author: scarlet16

Date: 3/7/2008 11:13:32 AM

Author: LegacyGirl

I want to add to this (where I am in Florida) the above really is not true. Here they prefer real world experience as opposed to law review, trial team, and moot court. Instead of doing those things I clerked in every single type of practice I could and I also interned for a few judges. I also serve as a mediator doing pretrial work. I even worked one summer in county government. I have more job offers than anyone who did those school activities because of all the experience and connections I've made. But they are GREAT for experience and if you can get into them and work do it. I regret not taking a Law Review position sometimes because I would have enjoyed the writing experience.



Each place is different. Build your resume as best as you can and it will pay off in the long run. It feels great to have so many choices right now.



One of the biggest bits of advice I can give you is if you follow the above route apply for clerkships even if you don't think you meet the requirements. I have a few different judges who want to hire me on after seeing my resume and the quality of work I do, even when the job says they only hire people who have done Law Review or Moot Court and are in the top 10%.



Do keep your grades up though

and book awards are good things! You can put those on your resume and they are pretty impressive, especially if you book a class in the field you want to work.



Good luck!

I have to agree with Legacy Girl. I'm in NYC and worked as a paralegal full time while going to school at night at a top 25 school. I didn't have time for journals and moot court, etc. But when it came time to apply for summer associate positions, firms seemed much more interested in the fact that I'd worked while being in the top 25% of my class, and worked on several full-blown trials in the meantime. That is experience the firms kill to have. Like everyone else has said though, grades are still really important to the top firms and if you're not within their criteria then they won't even look at your resume.


I would definitely recommend being a paralegal for a year if you're unsure about going to law school. It really gets your feet wet (especially if you're at a good firm). That way you don't invest a ton of money and then end up hating it!

Ok, I have to ask. How did you ladies work and attend law school?!?! More specifically directed at scarlet, how did you work as a paralegal and attend school? Were you doing work part-time or school part-time? The reason that I ask is that soon I will be a paralegal and I was going to work 2 years before attending grad school. The reason for this is because everyone at my job seems to think it's nearly impossible to do both paralegal work there and school work. A few have tried to attend law school and had to quit. I work for a top international firm (we have a location in NY) but I'm not sure if that's a factor.

 

[Haven]

Date: 2/29/2008 11:47:12 PM
Author: Fancy605

Date: 2/29/2008 2:57:19 PM

So, what's my last option? I guess becoming a teacher? This is going to sound really bad, but I wanted to make more money than my parents not less. Not combined, but me personally. I guess it isn't all about money.

Oh, honey no. Don't ever say 'I guess I'll be a teacher.' Don't be a teacher unless it's something you really think you'd love. I am a teacher, and I love it (usually), but my WORD is it ever trying. If I had it to do over again, I would look into careers that are a lot less mentally and emotionally trying. I mean, I'd probably still end up teaching because I think it is my calling, but I cannot begin to explain how difficult it is sometimes. (Unless of course I missed something and you are referring to collegiate education, in which case, that sounds cool)

Oy vey--ditto to what Fancy said. I quit law school to become a teacher, but I did so knowing that teaching was going to be just as much work as law. I've seen a few teachers come through and leave the profession after their first year because they were naive about what it takes to be a teacher, and they just didn't have it in them to do a good job.

As for deciding whether or not to attend law school, I'll share my own experience. I spent a year working a very boring corporate job after college, and took the LSAT for the hell of it. I scored a 174, had great grades in college, and lo and behold--top schools were offering me serious scholarship money to attend law school. This was such a bad choice for me, because I knew I wouldn't love law, but I attended anyway because I hated my job and a free ride sounded like a better option. I spent only one semester in law school because it just wasn't what I was looking for. Coming from a literary background, I should have known that a professional degree was not for me, as I missed the rigors of academia very much when I was in law school.

I don't regret that semester because it didn't cost me anything but time, and I made some great friends. However, had I thrown away $20,000 to attend, I think I'd be very unhappy with that choice.

I would continue talking to lawyers who love their jobs (like the lovely ladies here on PS) and spend some time to really understand what day-to-day reality of being a lawyer in your chosen field. I honestly thought that my deep love of politics and civil rights would be enough to make law a good professional choice for me, but of course that is not enough. You have to enjoy the daily grind of the profession.

I would also buy one of those study guides for the LSAT. I did, and I scored in the high 160s on a self-test when I first purchased it, and then once I got all of the test-taking strategies down pat I ended up doing extremely well on the real exam. I hate to say it, but I think that (and my college GPA) were the primary things the scholarship committees cared about. A little bit of studying now can save you thousands in loans, I imagine.

Good luck with your choice--this is a wonderful predicament to be in, the luxury of choosing which profession to enter.

 

[scarlet16]

Date: 3/8/2008 12:14:55 PM
Author: MoonWater

Date: 3/8/2008 11:48:17 AM
Author: scarlet16

Date: 3/7/2008 11:13:32 AM

Author: LegacyGirl

I want to add to this (where I am in Florida) the above really is not true. Here they prefer real world experience as opposed to law review, trial team, and moot court. Instead of doing those things I clerked in every single type of practice I could and I also interned for a few judges. I also serve as a mediator doing pretrial work. I even worked one summer in county government. I have more job offers than anyone who did those school activities because of all the experience and connections I''ve made. But they are GREAT for experience and if you can get into them and work do it. I regret not taking a Law Review position sometimes because I would have enjoyed the writing experience.



Each place is different. Build your resume as best as you can and it will pay off in the long run. It feels great to have so many choices right now.



One of the biggest bits of advice I can give you is if you follow the above route apply for clerkships even if you don''t think you meet the requirements. I have a few different judges who want to hire me on after seeing my resume and the quality of work I do, even when the job says they only hire people who have done Law Review or Moot Court and are in the top 10%.



Do keep your grades up though

and book awards are good things! You can put those on your resume and they are pretty impressive, especially if you book a class in the field you want to work.



Good luck!

I have to agree with Legacy Girl. I''m in NYC and worked as a paralegal full time while going to school at night at a top 25 school. I didn''t have time for journals and moot court, etc. But when it came time to apply for summer associate positions, firms seemed much more interested in the fact that I''d worked while being in the top 25% of my class, and worked on several full-blown trials in the meantime. That is experience the firms kill to have. Like everyone else has said though, grades are still really important to the top firms and if you''re not within their criteria then they won''t even look at your resume.


I would definitely recommend being a paralegal for a year if you''re unsure about going to law school. It really gets your feet wet (especially if you''re at a good firm). That way you don''t invest a ton of money and then end up hating it!

Ok, I have to ask. How did you ladies work and attend law school?!?! More specifically directed at scarlet, how did you work as a paralegal and attend school? Were you doing work part-time or school part-time? The reason that I ask is that soon I will be a paralegal and I was going to work 2 years before attending grad school. The reason for this is because everyone at my job seems to think it''s nearly impossible to do both paralegal work there and school work. A few have tried to attend law school and had to quit. I work for a top international firm (we have a location in NY) but I''m not sure if that''s a factor.

Hi Moonwater-
Sorry about the delay; I sorta fogot about this thread.

I worked full-time; 40+ hours a week and more when a trial was going on. I will not lie, it was NOT easy. The firm I worked at was a mid-size boutique firm though not a top firm. I developed a reputation for being good at what I did so that they had no worries once I started school. They knew I would get in at 9:00 and HAD to leave at 5 and if I had more work I would come in early or work though lunch to get it done. Many times I worked a trial all day with a partner and had to run directly to class. I LOVED the people I worked with which made it much easier. I do think the type of firm you''re at, and the attorneys you work for make a big difference. Are you doing corporate work or litigation? I''m going to a top firm after graduation and know that none of the paralegals there go to school at the same time.

After work, I had class from 6 to about 9:30 Monday to Thursday. I took Friday night off to spend with my now FI. Weekends were shot since I had to do all my reading for the week then. It''s kinda a crock to call it part-time though since I only took 1 less class then the day students. For first year exams, I took a week off to study. After that year, I took just a few days off and the day of the exam. I would start outlining very early on (I think about 2 months before exams) and had a ridiculous regiment.

I think it is doable but you just need to be VERY VERY organized, really want to do it, and really be prepared to not have much of a social life. I decided to just go to school my last semester (this one) and plan the wedding, and it has been such a breath of fresh air...don''t know what to do with my free time!

Please let me know if you have any other questions! I''d love to help. I''d never discourage someone from trying to work and go to school. I think the experience you gain over the course of the years is fantastic. I was drafting documents first years attorneys were by my 3rd year. I can honestly say that I got my summer position because I had this experience and because I did well my first year (while working).

 

[LitigatorChick]

I was just forwarded this report concerning the retention of women in private practice, published a Law Society in Canada.

http://www.lsuc.on.ca/about/b/equity/retentionofwomen/

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 3/12/2008 1:19:29 PM
Author: LitigatorChick
I was just forwarded this report concerning the retention of women in private practice, published a Law Society in Canada.


http://www.lsuc.on.ca/about/b/equity/retentionofwomen/

Thanks for posting this!

 

[MoonWater]

Date: 3/10/2008 11:14:33 PM
Author: scarlet16
Hi Moonwater-
Sorry about the delay; I sorta fogot about this thread.

I worked full-time; 40+ hours a week and more when a trial was going on. I will not lie, it was NOT easy. The firm I worked at was a mid-size boutique firm though not a top firm. I developed a reputation for being good at what I did so that they had no worries once I started school. They knew I would get in at 9:00 and HAD to leave at 5 and if I had more work I would come in early or work though lunch to get it done. Many times I worked a trial all day with a partner and had to run directly to class. I LOVED the people I worked with which made it much easier. I do think the type of firm you''re at, and the attorneys you work for make a big difference. Are you doing corporate work or litigation? I''m going to a top firm after graduation and know that none of the paralegals there go to school at the same time.

After work, I had class from 6 to about 9:30 Monday to Thursday. I took Friday night off to spend with my now FI. Weekends were shot since I had to do all my reading for the week then. It''s kinda a crock to call it part-time though since I only took 1 less class then the day students. For first year exams, I took a week off to study. After that year, I took just a few days off and the day of the exam. I would start outlining very early on (I think about 2 months before exams) and had a ridiculous regiment.

I think it is doable but you just need to be VERY VERY organized, really want to do it, and really be prepared to not have much of a social life. I decided to just go to school my last semester (this one) and plan the wedding, and it has been such a breath of fresh air...don''t know what to do with my free time!

Please let me know if you have any other questions! I''d love to help. I''d never discourage someone from trying to work and go to school. I think the experience you gain over the course of the years is fantastic. I was drafting documents first years attorneys were by my 3rd year. I can honestly say that I got my summer position because I had this experience and because I did well my first year (while working).

Thanks for the info scarlet!! You seriously worked your butt off!! Currenty I''m a receptionist/assistant while I''m earning my BS in Legal Studies. I''ve been working full time and going to school full time (even during the summers) for the last two years. It is very hard work (esp since I''m OCD and have issues when I don''t earn As), but it''s working out fine. But god, I can not imagine going through it again. I gave up my social life in order to graduate as soon as possible. I felt I wasted a lot of years in my younger days and I''m making up for loss time.

I think I''m going to try to stick to my original plan. Work for 2 years and have a kid (keeps fingers cross) and be a stay at home mom for 2 years while I work on a Masters. Lord knows a kid is a full time job!!

 

[Kay]

LitigatorChick, you are my inspiration. I am 9 weeks pregnant and wondering how I am going to balance motherhood and my practice. I agree with you that the 3 years of law school are a breeze compared to practice.

Law school in the U.S. is very expensive, so I would not go unless you are sure. When I was applying to law schools in the mid 90''s, I saw that some of my friends who graduated a few years before me were having a lot of trouble finding jobs unless they were at a top school or at the top of their class. I decided I would not go to law school unless I got into a top-10 school so I would be guaranteed employment. Even with scholarships, I had $60,000 in debt by the end of law school, and then another $20,000 when I went back for my LL.M. in tax.

I work at a mid-size firm and my practice includes tax, estate planning and corporate work. The hours can be crazy when a deal is close to closing, but most of the time I work 9-11 hours per day. I like being my own "boss." As long as my work gets done and my hours are good, I can work from home on occasion or make up hours on the weekend if I need a day or half day off.

As a young associate, I noticed it took the female associates longer to make partner if they had kids and worked part-time for a while. I decided I would wait to have kids after I made partner. I worked my butt off and made partner in 6 years. The trade off is that I am now having my first child at age 36. My firm offers 3 months of paid maternity leave. I hope to be able to work part-time for a while after having the baby. Even at two-thirds time, my salary would be higher than my husband''s because he works for a non-profit company. Some days I think it would be nice to stay home and cook, clean, and take care of the kids, but it is just not realistic for us. Plus, I am sure I just have a case of the "grass is always greaner" syndrome right now and would quickly go crazy if I tried to stay home full time. I guess I will be looking for a good nanny soon.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Kay - good luck!!! I think you have also paid your dues to the firm, and they should reward your committment by cutting you slack in the first year after baby. I know the US has super short maternity leave, but I would urge you to take a bit of time at home - I was home 9 months (delivered on Saturday after working on Friday!!!), and it was just right for me.

And good luck on a nanny search!!! We have had ours for 1 year now, and she is so awesome. We really are blessed to have her for our little man. He loves her so much, and she is just crazy about him. Our guy really has 3 parents!!!