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CPA with about 4 years experience planning to go to William and Mary (25% schollie) to be a transactional law oriented attorney in Atlantic region. Planning to continue working part-time in accounting all the way through law school. Good idea?

sounds fine to me, if thats what you want to do, W&M is a good school.

APHill wrote:CPA with about 4 years experience planning to go to William and Mary (25% schollie) to be a transactional law oriented attorney in Atlantic region. Planning to continue working part-time in accounting all the way through law school. Good idea?

Not a good idea if you are a full time student during your 1L...from everything everyone says, INCLUDING, the law schools themselves, working a job during your 1L is shooting yourself in the foot considerably...

Do people agree that even with a solid job it's still a terrible idea to work during your 1L?

I am planning to work just 15-20 hours a week, and it is flexible... Just trying to keep experience coming in case law school does not work out and I will need to take JD off my resume not to appear overqualified for an accounting job. I am still planning to attend all classes and efficiently study about 30 hours a week. I will end up with a 70 hour work week but am ok with that.

APHill wrote:I am planning to work just 15-20 hours a week, and it is flexible... Just trying to keep experience coming in case law school does not work out and I will need to take JD off my resume not to appear overqualified for an accounting job. I am still planning to attend all classes and efficiently study about 30 hours a week. I will end up with a 70 hour work week but am ok with that.

I think law school has a drastically increased chance of "not working out" if you don't commit yourself 100% to your 1L curriculum...just my .02

Why would law school not work out? Are you giving yourself a certain class rank that you would define as "working" or "not working out"? Because if this is the case, then you really shouldn't be working at all your first year (I'm a 0L so take this for what it's worth, but I have heard from everyone, including admins and profs at law schools, as well as 1L's, that working your first year is just a terrible idea, especially 15-20 hours/wk at a job where you can't spend that time studying for law school)

so studying 30 hours a week is a total fail in comparison with studying 50 hours a week? Hmm not sure because I have read a few anecdotes of top 10% at W&M and some of themclaim to have studied 10 hours a week.... I am just planning to use time efficiently and use Arrow's approach.

APHill wrote:so studying 30 hours a week is a total fail in comparison with studying 50 hours a week? Hmm not sure because I have read a few anecdotes of top 10% at W&M and some of themclaim to have studied 10 hours a week.... I am just planning to use time efficiently and use Arrow's approach.

There is a limit on how long you can work (I think it's 10 hours) for a full time student. This is set up by the ABA.

I think it is 20 hours (as set by the ABA) and I am planning to comply, even though ABA does not recommend working as a 1L. This remains a recommendation however.

I recommend you don't go to William and Mary so I can take your spot.

The ABA limit is 20hrs a week, but it is really irrelevant to the conversation, because they don't have ABA cops with badges patrolling the streets and kicking in the doors of 1Ls who don't comply. If your focused on transactional work as a CPA and can keep your grades up then I say go for it. You don't seem to be worried about getting a BigLaw job, just adding to an already existing skill set. If your instate and getting 25% scholly then your looking at 17K year for a JD. Its not a bad deal especially if you were to focus on being a tax attorney. You just have to keep up on your accountant CE's. You bring all of this to the table and I don't think a law office hiring you will really care if your in the top40% or top25%. If you open up a full service tax law/accounting office on your own with a focus on estates and future interests your in good shape.

All in all I think you can do it. I don't know if its a good idea the first semester, but something to seriously consider doing the second semester and into the summer if you can get a gig 1L summer. Regardless, I'll see you there...

lol, thanks for the encouraging comment.

Some people work during 1L year, and it works well for them. Also, lots of people don't do any school work on Fridays or Saturdays, so that's twenty hours right there. Go forth and be merry!

APHill wrote:CPA with about 4 years experience planning to go to William and Mary (25% schollie) to be a transactional law oriented attorney in Atlantic region. Planning to continue working part-time in accounting all the way through law school. Good idea?

Get VA residency and then pay 14K a year - whatever your scholly is for. (it's 14K right? or something super low like that)

EDIT: I just read the whole thread. +1 to what mhernton said.