<p>My mom has ALWAYS been interested in law and the whole 9 yard. She's 40 years old and wants to attend a small local law school. I really want her to do this but obviously the field of law and law schools seem to be going through some turmoil currently. Yes T14> don't go etc.</p>
<p>But do you think it's worth it for my mom to just attend while still working? I'd really like her to do this but explaining the truth about it to her will always be a better choice. Regardless I feel like just going for it would yield much less regret than "what if?"</p>
<p>Is there a CC nearby where she could take a few courses in law or paralegal training to get a better feel for whether the reality of law courses is what she thinks it is? Does her employer support continuing Ed in any way? Some do and will even pay tuition for passed courses. </p>
<p>What does she plan to do after she gets a law degree? Has she spoken with mentors who can give her honest opinion on what to expect and job prospects? How much will this cost?</p>
<p>Generally law school is 3 years of full time attendance and fairly rigorous. Often job prospects for recent law grads in their mid-40s aren’t that rosy. Many firms are most interested in hiring young 20s grads and squeezing max amt of hours out of them. </p>
<p>I’d encourage her to try a few courses if she can take them I expensively and then see what she thinks. Often images and reality do not match.</p>
<p>I am a practicing lawyer for 16 years. I take student interns all the time. The market is glutted. It is a great education if she doesn’t need to take ANY loans. If she needs loans or needs to go to a private law school (which takes less traditional students and costs more) then NO.</p>
<p>Edited to add: most good schools will not allow you to work the first year nor could you and get good grades. Most students coming out of law school with debt are having a terrible time paying their loans. Your mom could potentially be paying loans off past retirement. The big money firms are out there but it is unlikely that your mom will make big bucks. Look at what government agencies in your state are paying new lawyers —here it starts at $50k and no raises in 12 years—is that enough???</p>
<p>Coursera has some law courses–she needs to sign up. Coursera is on-line free courses taught by first rate professors at some top universities. Everything is optional–you don’t HAVE to do every homework assignment, project etc but you can earn a certificate (usually) if you do. It’s all free. Very interesting but it becomes clear fairly quickly if you’re willing to put in the time (or if you have any). It’s a really easy way to determine if you are ready to take up the grind of full time school.</p>
<p>WHY does she want to go to law school? Is it solely because she’s always been interested in law, or does she want to make a career of it? </p>
<p>If she could get an inexpensive law education, or is independently wealthy, I’d say go for it. When I went to UVa Law in the early 80s, OOS tuition was $3600 a year. Attending law school to satisfy one’s intellectual curiosity wasn’t financial suicide back then. And the job market was good. I have no regrets about attending law school BACK THEN. I greatly enjoyed most of my classes, got a great education, found a great job in Big Law and practiced for 25 years. However, most law schools today are ridiculously expensive. There are not a lot of scholarships available. The job market is terrible. And frankly, I expect the job market for an older woman to be worse than the job market in general.</p>
<p>Bottom line, I wouldn’t make a lot of financial sacrifices or go into debt for law school today.</p>
<p>You’re getting very good advice. It depends on what she wants to do with the degree and what it will cost. It could be a terrific idea or a terrible one.</p>
<p>Your mom should talk to a professional or three about this before she makes the commitment. Has she signed up for the LSAT yet?</p>