My dad told me to email you about law school
Dear Ms. Trunk,
My dad has been a fan of yours for a long time, and he told me I should ask you about law school. I am a college senior at [top 10 school] and I’m pretty sure I want to go to law school. My dad wants me to try working in another field first, before I go to law school. He says he’s not paying for law school “over his dead body.” So I am trying to decide what to do. I really just want to take a year off after college while I study for the LSAT and then apply to law schools.
I appreciate your time, Ms. Trunk.
Sincerely,
[Redacted]
Your dad wanted you to ask me about law school because he knows I’ll say no. Emphatically no. But you wrote such a sweet email that I’m going to give you the information you need to come to the conclusion yourself.
Law schools want to see two years of post-grad experience before they accept you. So you’re probably going to have to rethink your plan to take a year to study for the LSAT and then apply to law schools and wait. Some other data: it’s very difficult to get a job as a lawyer if you don’t go to a top law school. It’s a supply and demand issue. Especially since AI is really good at a lot of legal work since that work is heavy on research, writing, and performative paperwork. So let’s not even talk about low-end law schools. Especially since you went to a top-ten college.
There are no merit scholarships at good law schools. Only need based aid. If you are 26 or younger the school considers parental income in a similar way to undergraduate programs. This means if your parents do not pay what the school determines they are able to pay then you need to take out loans for that amount. Law school costs about $60K per year.
How to deal with the loans?
If you go into public service you will qualify for a loan forgiveness program. If you earn $50K or less per year you will have all your loan payments for that year forgiven. If you earn $80K you will have half your loans for that year forgiven. So even with the loan forgiveness program, the school keeps you earning roughly no more than $65K per year until you pay back your loans.
To give you an idea of how far that money will go, in NYC the minimum salary for food and shelter for one person in NYC is $45K. Notice in that scenario the person spends $3k PER YEAR for food. source: https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/36061
But let’s say you go ahead and do that anyway. Whenever you marry, if they earn more than $130K will disqualify you for the loan repayment program. So honestly, it looks to me like a lot of people don’t get legally married until they pay back the loan.
If you go to law school when you’re 23 and you graduate at 25, clerk after graduation (clerkship doesn’t qualify for the repayment program), and start working at 27, you will be working to repay the loan until you’re 37 because you need to work ten years in the forgiveness program to get the loan forgiven.
Moreover, at age 27 you will have no work experience outside of academia and internships. You will have at least $100K in loans, and you will only be able to pay those loans back by working in a big law firm or by earning $65K for most of your 30s which will keep you near poverty in most cities.
I know it seems really difficult and unpleasant to job hunt right after college and get a job you don’t want and feel lost in the world. No one likes that time in their life, really. But it’s much better to go through that rough time as a 23 year old with no debt than a 27 year old and $120K in debt.
There is never an easy time to transition from school to work. It’s a very hard transition. It sounds like your dad is a good support system for you and you will not be emotionally alone while you make this transition. Take the leap. Start job hunting. There are so many places in the world you could leap that you would love, but not if you’re studying for the LSAT.
Best wishes,
Penelope