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This is probably slightly better suited for the Forum for Law Students, but since this post requires some anonymity and is still employment related, I've put it here. Mods, feel free to correct me.

I just finished up orientation and was reminded of the prohibition against any employment during 1L. As I understand it, the restriction exists to ensure that students focus almost exclusively on their studies minus any relief/recreation time. This is totally understandable. But I have a freelance job that I've been able to scale back to about 20 minutes of work per day for about $10. After a month I've earned $300, and this is money I could really use to help offset some of school's costs.

I'm wondering if, barring someone ratting me out, there is any way the administration could find out about this, would even care to do so, or would even care if they discovered it.

Thanks for any help.

Is this a school prohibition? I was allowed to work during 1L.

The ABA only requires that you don't work more than 20 hrs. Your school might have their own restriction, so you should talk to them about it. There's no reason you couldn't do that amount of work and still be able to study

OP here. Beach, yes, it is a school prohibition. Kilpatrick, my concern is that if I bring it up with them, they will tell me that I cannot do it, and then if I'm caught doing it I'd be in more serious trouble rather than being able to say that the rule didn't seem to properly apply in this case. You're right, though; I don't see it as an impediment of any sort to my studies.

Just tell the Dean or someone in the school's administration (basically, someone with some semblance of authority) in the same way you described the job to us. 20 minutes a day to earn some extra cash is nothing. You shouldn't be studying so much that you have no free time -- you should have plenty of free time.

There's no reason the school won't let you do that.

Is it something you are going to get a 1099 or W2 for at the end of the year?

^^ It is. This is kind of what I was wondering: Will schools actually look at your tax records? Can they even do that? Would they?

I can't see it being an issue but you should report it because they will see the income when you fill out your Fafsa.

shoeshine wrote:I can't see it being an issue but you should report it because they will see the income when you fill out your Fafsa.

I'll likely end up doing this for this reason, but wouldn't the W-2s just show income for 2011, not specifically September of 2011?