CPA seeking to change career path - suggestions?! Forum

[karnahomi]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for all the advice you can give me. I am a 29 year old CPA from Puerto Rico working in the private industry. I graduated college with a 3.57 and my LSAT is not the best (153). I really don't plan on taking it again, I'm at a point in my life where its now or never since I have been delaying this for some time now. I studied accounting and went on to get my CPA license but I have always wanted to study environmental law. Also maybe leaning towards international environmental law.

Here in Puerto Rico we have three law schools that are way cheaper than in the states but do not have the same reputation. After my JD I would like to get my LLM in the states so I can either move now or do it in 3-4 years. Someone had told me maybe being URM (woman, latino) might help my chances of getting offers and maybe scholarships. I do not want to end up with a gigantic debt since this is a change in career path I'm doing. I'm not looking to do big law for now to be honest. I just want to pursue my passion wherever I can, I don't see myself working in accounting my whole life.

I'm currently applying to various law schools in the states mostly in Texas, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. Some of the universities I have looked at are:

SMU Dedman - TX - applied already
Houston Law Center - TX - applied already
University of Texas School of Law - TX
Texas Tech - TX
South Texas College of Law Houston - TX
Wake Forest - NC
University of North Carolina - NC
Elon University - NC
Charleston School of Law - SC
University of South Carolina - SC
Stetson University- FL
Interamerican University - PR
University of Puerto Rico School of Law - PR
Pontificia Universidad Catolica - PR

Any help, any suggestions, anything will help.

Thanks!

[cavalier1138]

Environmental law isn't an easy field to break into, and without any relevant background, I don't see it being possible from any of the schools on your list that you can reasonably get into. But there are a few major red flags outside of that:

I graduated college with a 3.57 and my LSAT is not the best (153). I really don't plan on taking it again, I'm at a point in my life where its now or never since I have been delaying this for some time now.

There is no point in your life where law school is "now or never." You absolutely can retake the LSAT, and you should if you plan on working for any NGOs in the environmental law sector.

After my JD I would like to get my LLM in the states so I can either move now or do it in 3-4 years.

Most of the schools on your list are in the US. Why would you be getting an LLM if you already have a JD from a US school?

I just want to pursue my passion wherever I can, I don't see myself working in accounting my whole life.

But what is your passion? Did you work for environmental causes prior to getting your CPA, or are you just looking for any career change?

[karnahomi]

Hi,
I call it my passion because I have wanted to work in it for a long time but yeah.. who knows if I start working at it and later might not like it? I have worked for some environmental causes but on my free time and as something personal to me.

The reason why I say its now or never is because of health issues.

What I mean by moving to the states for an LLM is that I'm interested in pursuing an LLM in environmental law after finishing my JD. i would like to pursue that degree in the states. So if I study in Puerto Rico, I will eventually have to move to the states to pursue my LLM and continue my career there. If I study in the states from now (which is why I have been applying to universities in the states) I would have taken that step since my JD. One way or another I'm going to end up moving there.

What do you mean by "without any relevant background, I don't see it being possible from any of the schools on your list that you can reasonably get into." ?

Thanks for replying!

[cavalier1138]

The reason why I say its now or never is because of health issues.

I'm sorry to hear about the health issues. That doesn't really change my answer, though, because any health issue that impacts your ability to go to law school later is going to impact your ability to practice law. Law school isn't the end goal.

What I mean by moving to the states for an LLM is that I'm interested in pursuing an LLM in environmental law after finishing my JD.

If you get your JD in the US, there's absolutely no need for that. If you get your JD in Puerto Rico, I'm not even sure that an LLM is necessary. I'm just not familiar with the ABA status of Puerto Rican law schools. If they're ABA-accredited, then you'd be eligible to take the bar in any state and wouldn't benefit from an LLM.

What do you mean by "without any relevant background, I don't see it being possible from any of the schools on your list that you can reasonably get into." ?

I mean that environmental law is a very competitive field and that you are unlikely to secure work in it from any of the schools you can reasonably get into with your current numbers. Even with a URM boost, which you will likely receive, you're not going to have a great selection of schools, and you certainly won't have good scholarship outcomes at higher-ranked schools. The only thing that might make a difference would be a background in environmental sciences or a history of working for environmental NGOs, but even then, it wouldn't move the needle enough from a school like (for example) Stetson.

In general, it sounds like you haven't really spent a lot of time researching this career path. Have you identified organizations doing work that you're interested in? Have you spoken with lawyers in the field? Are you even sure that there's a market for environmental lawyers in your target states?

[Yugihoe]

I think it would be a huge financial mistake to go until you score a 170+ on the LSAT so you can get some scholarship $$$ and to go to a t14 school.

The law schools you listed are not well respected -- did you even check the job outcome of students who graduate from those schools? Also, you have a very specific niche in mind and that will be even harder to find a job in.

Chances are you will not make as much money as you are making now as a CPA for the next 7 years at least if you go to law school. Also, if you take on any debt to pay tuition that will only have a snow ball effect.

[karnahomi]

I think it would be a huge financial mistake to go until you score a 170+ on the LSAT so you can get some scholarship $$$ and to go to a t14 school.

The law schools you listed are not well respected -- did you even check the job outcome of students who graduate from those schools? Also, you have a very specific niche in mind and that will be even harder to find a job in.

Chances are you will not make as much money as you are making now as a CPA for the next 7 years at least if you go to law school. Also, if you take on any debt to pay tuition that will only have a snow ball effect.

Thank you so much for the advice, I'll definitely sit down and weigh my options. That is one of my biggest fears, making the wrong move and ending up in a financial hole and without a job to back that up.

What schools do you recommend anyway based on my profile?

[albanach]

What schools do you recommend anyway based on my profile?

Based on your profile, most would recommend not going to law school, assuming you are firm in your commitment not to retake the LSAT. You should make yourself very familiar with Law School Transparency so that you understand just how much each school would cost to attend and the likelihood of getting any meaningful employment at graduation.

If you really want to do international environmental law, the only sensible way to progress towards that goal is retaking the LSAT and securing admission to a much higher ranked school.

[beinghuman]

I second everything that was said above. I really do not know what international environmental law job prospects are and to be honest I always cringe when a prospective law student mentions anything international law because while there are certain jobs that could be deemed international, they tend be highly competitive and populated by graduates from top schools.

I really would advise you to think long and hard about whether you want to do this, particularly given the schools you are considering. If you're passionate about the environment, policy might be a better fit or a degree from a top US school, and more like T6 schools.

[mvp99]

Retake /thread

[jdcumlaude]

OP - any update?

my two cents. Stay out of law. Not worth the time and being a CPA is far more valuable on its own and the opportunity cost of law school is too high.

[dabigchina]

OP - any update?

my two cents. Stay out of law. Not worth the time and being a CPA is far more valuable on its own and the opportunity cost of law school is too high.

This. I was a CPA. I regret law school, despite being in basically as good a spot as anyone could hope to be coming out of law school. Don't be like me.