UMKC vs Washburn (target is solo or small law) Forum

[LawMomma]

I'm a second career aspiring attorney who is limited in school options to the Kansas City area (family and spouse's career are here). I've got a 157 LSAT (first attempt but I've decided to run with it) and 3.72 undergrad GPA plus a lot of good work experience from my prior decade in management and communications/writing. I want to work small/solo in family or estate law and do not have current plans to relocate. My numbers look good for acceptance and I'm hoping to get scholarships (applying to some outside of schools, too) but we could make tuition work without them if we have to. Ultimately my goal is a school that is a good match for an older student with an understanding for family commitments (I have 4 kids under 10). I want to be a good lawyer and get there quickly but I don't need a fancy name behind me. I know how to run and market a business thanks to my prior career.

I'm planning to apply to UMKC and Washburn, as Kansas doesn't really come off as friendly to students like me (feel free to correct me if my research is wrong). I have seen a lot of comments about people trying to get into big law but as that isn't really my target, what advice or tips would you have for me when I'm comparing these two schools? Washburn has a "third year anywhere" program that appeals to me so that I could get into the workforce early to network while still getting credits and cutting on my longer commute but I also like UMKC's summer start options to break the course load up into smaller chunks. Thanks for any thoughts or feedback.

[crazywafflez]

If you want to stay in KC, UMKC is a great choice. Just a word of caution, all these schools have median salaries starting in the 50-65k range. After a decade or so, you'll be comfortable, and the median attorney salary is 120-130k, but it takes a bit to get there. Most schools outside the T14 don't offer jobs, nor markets, that pay astromical sums, so just make sure to keep your total costs as low as possible.

https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/s ... c/salaries

https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/s ... s/salaries

https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/s ... n/salaries

https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/schools/missouri