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ambivalence

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Post by ambivalence » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:48 pm

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Last edited by ambivalence on Sun Apr 02, 2017 10:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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floatie

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by floatie » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:55 pm

If the only thing keeping you from going back to the T10 is your concern about having to uproot your life, that isn't enough of a reason to be wary, IMO. Going part time at a poorly ranked school isn't going to make things much better than you have it now (depending on how poorly ranked we're talking), as your likely outcome is going to be a low-paying job that won't help you out much more.

To start, I'd contact the T10 school and see what the process would be for you to re-enroll or reapply. If you can get letters of support from the attorneys you're working with now, that might help.

ambivalence

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by ambivalence » Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:15 pm

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Last edited by ambivalence on Sun Apr 02, 2017 10:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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floatie

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by floatie » Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:41 pm

Now might be a good time to take a good, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself what contributed to the bad grades. Was it just your health, and if so, has that been properly and adequately addressed? Or if there are other factors, have you taken care of those, too? Plus, how bad of grades are we talking? My understanding of T10 schools is that, barring not taking the final or showing up for any classes ever, you should at least be passing. Unless you failed multiple classes, your GPA should be reasonably recoverable, since upper level classes aren't graded to the same strict curve that 1L classes are.

Do note that going to school part time is, in a lot of instances, much harder than going full time. You have less time to study, and you need to be extremely diligent with your time management in order to stay on top of things.

I still highly recommend talking to people at the T10 school and at least seeing what your options are and what they recommend, in your case. Depending on what your end goals are, a not-so-stellar (but passing) GPA from a T10 is likely a much better outcome than going to a Tier 2 or 3 (or 4) school.

ambivalence

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by ambivalence » Mon Mar 06, 2017 6:29 pm

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goldenbear2020

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by goldenbear2020 » Mon Mar 06, 2017 8:45 pm

First, find out if you can even go back to your T10. Many law schools have a requirement that you have to complete the JD within x number of years of enrolling. So if x = 5 years and you've already taken more than 2 years off, you have no choice but to start over and re-apply everywhere.

ambivalence

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by ambivalence » Tue Mar 07, 2017 7:34 pm

I've checked with the school and I should indeed be able to be readmitted. The question is more about whether it's a good idea to incur 2 more years of debt to finish out the degree and get myself on a higher-paying/more fulfilling career track than I am now. There are other paths that could get me there, so I want to know if I'm crazy for thinking the JD is still the best path.

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floatie

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by floatie » Tue Mar 07, 2017 7:57 pm

ambivalence wrote:I've checked with the school and I should indeed be able to be readmitted. The question is more about whether it's a good idea to incur 2 more years of debt to finish out the degree and get myself on a higher-paying/more fulfilling career track than I am now. There are other paths that could get me there, so I want to know if I'm crazy for thinking the JD is still the best path.
It's good that the school will readmit you! Regarding whether the JD is the best path for you, that largely depends on your specific career goals. What are you hoping to do with your JD, and what are the other paths you are considering?

ambivalence

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by ambivalence » Tue Mar 07, 2017 9:02 pm

floatie wrote:
ambivalence wrote:I've checked with the school and I should indeed be able to be readmitted. The question is more about whether it's a good idea to incur 2 more years of debt to finish out the degree and get myself on a higher-paying/more fulfilling career track than I am now. There are other paths that could get me there, so I want to know if I'm crazy for thinking the JD is still the best path.
It's good that the school will readmit you! Regarding whether the JD is the best path for you, that largely depends on your specific career goals. What are you hoping to do with your JD, and what are the other paths you are considering?

Practice-wise, I am interested in employment, IP, and immigration law. I would likely tailor the remaining two years to get as much experience in these three areas as possible. Ideally I would land at a small to mid-size firm (even better a "private public interest" firm), though I don't know how competitive these jobs are and it is my understanding that most boutiques require some big law and/or clerking experience.
Alternatively, I would probably pursue Project Management.

Hope this helps and doesn't come off too scattered--I tend to have the problem of too many over too few interests when it comes to career decision-making.
Last edited by ambivalence on Wed Mar 15, 2017 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Npret

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by Npret » Tue Mar 07, 2017 9:24 pm

ambivalence wrote:
floatie wrote:
ambivalence wrote:I've checked with the school and I should indeed be able to be readmitted. The question is more about whether it's a good idea to incur 2 more years of debt to finish out the degree and get myself on a higher-paying/more fulfilling career track than I am now. There are other paths that could get me there, so I want to know if I'm crazy for thinking the JD is still the best path.
It's good that the school will readmit you! Regarding whether the JD is the best path for you, that largely depends on your specific career goals. What are you hoping to do with your JD, and what are the other paths you are considering?

Practice-wise, I am interested in employment, IP, and immigration law. I would likely tailor the remaining two years to get as much experience in these three areas as possible. Ideally I would land at a small to mid-size firm (even better a "private public interest" firm), though I don't know how competitive these jobs are and it is my understanding that most boutiques require some big law and/or clerking experience. I could also see myself eventually going in-house at a tech company or getting deep into eDiscovery (I live in the Bay area and have some tech/EDRM experience).

Alternatively, I would probably pursue Project Management, get the PMP certificate and try to find an eDiscovery-type PM job that doesn't require a JD, or a PM job in an entirely different industry.

Hope this helps and doesn't come off too scattered--I tend to have the problem of too many over too few interests when it comes to career decision-making.
Why would you go to law school if you don't even want to be a lawyer. You should go into project management.

ambivalence

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by ambivalence » Tue Mar 07, 2017 9:54 pm

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Last edited by ambivalence on Sun Apr 02, 2017 10:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Npret

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by Npret » Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:35 pm

ambivalence wrote:
Npret wrote:
ambivalence wrote:
floatie wrote:
ambivalence wrote:I've checked with the school and I should indeed be able to be readmitted. The question is more about whether it's a good idea to incur 2 more years of debt to finish out the degree and get myself on a higher-paying/more fulfilling career track than I am now. There are other paths that could get me there, so I want to know if I'm crazy for thinking the JD is still the best path.
It's good that the school will readmit you! Regarding whether the JD is the best path for you, that largely depends on your specific career goals. What are you hoping to do with your JD, and what are the other paths you are considering?

Practice-wise, I am interested in employment, IP, and immigration law. I would likely tailor the remaining two years to get as much experience in these three areas as possible. Ideally I would land at a small to mid-size firm (even better a "private public interest" firm), though I don't know how competitive these jobs are and it is my understanding that most boutiques require some big law and/or clerking experience. I could also see myself eventually going in-house at a tech company or getting deep into eDiscovery (I live in the Bay area and have some tech/EDRM experience).

Alternatively, I would probably pursue Project Management, get the PMP certificate and try to find an eDiscovery-type PM job that doesn't require a JD, or a PM job in an entirely different industry.

Hope this helps and doesn't come off too scattered--I tend to have the problem of too many over too few interests when it comes to career decision-making.
Why would you go to law school if you don't even want to be a lawyer. You should go into project management.
Not sure how you came to this conclusion given I explained the areas I would want to practice in, as a lawyer. It's just not the ONLY option I see for myself.
Sorry I was too brief. If you can do something else that's rewarding, I wouldn't go back to law school, because I don't see law being worth your time and money. I was confused by the 3 very different practice areas you mentioned as well because you do seem scattered.

If law school wasn't so expensive I would be more positive about you going back OP. The cost plus other potential alternatives is enough to recommend against going back. You've identified this yourself already.

If you do go back, try to chose a focus first. Make sure it's a career path you really want and not just a vague idea. You could do research on this now.

If you go back, how would OCI work for you? Would you go this summer before you've even been back to school? That could be a tough thing to explain in interviews. I think your situation may make finding a job more difficult than others.
Congrats on having this as an option. Taking a leave was a smart decision.

ambivalence

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by ambivalence » Wed Mar 08, 2017 4:48 pm

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Last edited by ambivalence on Sun Apr 02, 2017 10:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Keilz

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by Keilz » Wed Mar 08, 2017 11:43 pm

Honestly, I think because you have all of that debt from your first year, you should continue at the T10 and pursue big law to make a dent in the debt, at least. In my perspective, that debt is just there for no reason. At least if you continue the degree, you'll have the debt towards an end goal and higher earning potential.

I'm just a 0l though lol

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floatie

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Re: Should I go BACK to law school?

Post by floatie » Thu Mar 09, 2017 10:51 am

ambivalence wrote:Thanks, that's helpful. Good point about OCI too, I'd have to check on that but I certainly don't feel prepared to participate this summer. I've clearly got some more reflecting to do, and may even talk to a career coach who specializes in the legal field to get a more objective picture of my options.
I wouldn't worry about OCI if you go back to the T10 - if you go back, just do it and see what happens. Maybe I'm too optimistic but I think your passing (even if not stellar) grades in combination with your work experience and renewed focus could net you something, especially if you can spin it the right way during an interview.

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