Parents Attending Law School Forum

[LegalLuvvie]

Anyone studying for the LSAT or attending Law school who is a parent and has a family. What are your experiences? Doable? Impossible?

[lacrossebrother]

I can't help you but quite a few people seem to do it just fine. I was hoping this was gonna be a thread where a father and a mother and a son all enroll at the same school at the same time.

[LegalLuvvie]

I can't help you but quite a few people seem to do it just fine. I was hoping this was gonna be a thread where a father and a mother and a son all enroll at the same school at the same time.

lol That would be an interesting thread!

[kray]

I was hoping this was gonna be a thread where a father and a mother and a son all enroll at the same school at the same time.

+1. Was disappointed.

[rmarshall]

Anyone studying for the LSAT or attending Law school who is a parent and has a family. What are your experiences? Doable? Impossible?

I have two young children (5 and almost 2). I studied for the LSAT and will be attending law school part time this fall. Studying for the LSAT was very doable. I attended prep classes 3x/week, usually at night, and studied every chance I got. My husband was very helpful during that time, so it worked well for me.

I can't speak to the law school experience personally, but I know people who have attended law school, while pregnant and are now practicing. I just met with several PT students tonight and many of them had children as well. I hear it is doable, but rough.

[TLSModBot]

3rd year evening student father with 3 kids under 1.5 (weaponized fertility, motherfuckers). Decided to have kids in law school because lol @ having time to deal with infants afterwards in practice.

If you are male: it is very possible to do law school and parent if your spouse does all the work, you have extensive family/friend network to help, or can afford nanny/daycare. As an evening student I had to load my classes onto 2-3 days per week and eventually quit my job so I could help out.

If you are female: I don't even know how to make this work because pregnancy and immediate post partum are rough even in ideal scenarios. And God help you if you want to go the breastfeeding route. It's equally doable if they're already out obvi. People like DELG must be some kind of superhero.

Also FYI don't have a kid 2 weeks before 1L finals.

Bottom line: kids are expensive and time consuming. Law school eats up one parent's time and money. So it is not easy but possible if you are very, very good (or I guess very, very absentee/neglectful?).

[haus]

I am a 1L (part-time) with a 6 year-old daughter. I have a full-time (plus) job. I am fortunate to have a very supportive wife who has helped to keep things together.

You may want to check out the OLD SCHOOL thread, dedicated to those of us over 30, as several posters there have families.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=143047

[zombie mcavoy]

I was hoping this was gonna be a thread where a father and a mother and a son all enroll at the same school at the same time.

+1. Was disappointed.

[fisheatbananas]

I was hoping this was gonna be a thread where a father and a mother and a son all enroll at the same school at the same time.

+1. Was disappointed.

[Wipfelder]

I took the LSAT with an 8-week old baby in the house. I almost missed the birth because I was studying.

With a newborn, it was difficult. What worked for me was volunteering for the 4am-ish feeding, then studying from 430 or so until 730, when I had to go to work. I also negotiated a lunch hour with my boss, so that was another hour of uninturrupted study. So, I was usually able to get 2-4 hours of quiet time a day for almost two months. I gave up everything else for those eight weeks. I was "helpful dad and loving husband" minus study time, when the office door was shut and the noise-cancelling headphones went on.

Individual results may vary, but if your spouse and you agree on your long-term goal (a 170+ should be a baby step on your way to awesomeness) then ya'll can work out the day-to-day plan. My "success" in getting buy-in was a detailed plan that my wife could agree with and understand. So Saturday morning was "yes, I can mow the lawn before breakfast, but then I can't do practice test seven, which means I can't review it this afternoon, which means I'll be behind, which means I'll suck at the LSAT; we will be poor and sad forever. Is a freshly shorn patch of grass worth our happiness?"

Seriously though, have a specific plan with baby steps and mutual buy-in.

[dancingbear]

I am a mother of 2 (who were 3 & 6 when I started law school) with a husband who works 50+ hours a week. Is it "doable"? yes, sortof. But it is incredibly, incredibly hard. I read something recently where people were criticizing someone who was doing incredibly well in his high ranked law school. They were criticizing his time commitment because he worked from 5:30-10:30 every day on law school. If you are a mother of young children in law school, be prepared for that kind of day every single day (you might get to sleep in until 7 on an occasional weekend day). You have to be extremely laser focused all the time. My average day:
-5am: wake up, make coffee, do an hour or so of reading for class
-6:30: get husband out the door (make sure he has clean clothes & lunch), get myself ready, feed kids, get kids ready
-7:45: out the door to drop off kids
-8:30-5: study, class, meet with professors (have to treat completely like a work day - no hanging out chatting in commons like everyone else)
-5-8: pick up kids, make dinner, go to sports practices/games, kid homework, get kids ready for bed, do laundry & dishes
-8 until pass out: read for class
-weekends: try to make sure to spend some time with kids & husband, but still have to study at least 2-4 hrs/day (bumped up to 6-12 right before finals or papers)

That schedule does not leave time to have a clean house or workout or to watch tv or movies very often. I am lucky if there are clean clothes and dishes.

So, what am I doing posting on here, taking time away from studying or family time? Procrastinating (actually, I'm trying to pretend that my Crim. Law final on Monday doesn't exist). Every now & then you have to. I am extremely focused & efficient with my time 95% of the time, but every now and then I just can't...

[MKC]

I am a mother of 2 (who were 3 & 6 when I started law school) with a husband who works 50+ hours a week. Is it "doable"? yes, sortof. But it is incredibly, incredibly hard. I read something recently where people were criticizing someone who was doing incredibly well in his high ranked law school. They were criticizing his time commitment because he worked from 5:30-10:30 every day on law school. If you are a mother of young children in law school, be prepared for that kind of day every single day (you might get to sleep in until 7 on an occasional weekend day). You have to be extremely laser focused all the time. My average day:
-5am: wake up, make coffee, do an hour or so of reading for class
-6:30: get husband out the door (make sure he has clean clothes & lunch), get myself ready, feed kids, get kids ready
-7:45: out the door to drop off kids
-8:30-5: study, class, meet with professors (have to treat completely like a work day - no hanging out chatting in commons like everyone else)
-5-8: pick up kids, make dinner, go to sports practices/games, kid homework, get kids ready for bed, do laundry & dishes
-8 until pass out: read for class
-weekends: try to make sure to spend some time with kids & husband, but still have to study at least 2-4 hrs/day (bumped up to 6-12 right before finals or papers)

That schedule does not leave time to have a clean house or workout or to watch tv or movies very often. I am lucky if there are clean clothes and dishes.

So, what am I doing posting on here, taking time away from studying or family time? Procrastinating (actually, I'm trying to pretend that my Crim. Law final on Monday doesn't exist). Every now & then you have to. I am extremely focused & efficient with my time 95% of the time, but every now and then I just can't...

WTF? You're on that schedule and you're husband can't pick out his own clothes and make lunch?

[dresden doll]

I had that exact same thought. I live with someone in biglaw and he still gets to be responsible for his own clothes and lunch. The only people I 'get out the door' are the ones I gave birth to.

[tim00]

Mod edit: spam

[hamyeezy]

Deleted

[OLitch]

Doable. I have a lot of experience with the family and school balancing act. I was active duty military with a step daughter a deployed husband while I got my Ugrad. I started my grad degree with a 6 month old and a 2 year old. I studied for the LSAT with three kids under the age of 8. Being an active duty undergrad with a child was the most difficult of my three experiences. If you want something bad enough, it is possible.

I would get up before the rest of the family and study. Anytime my kids were playing toys, I would sit next to them and study. When I was studying for the LSAT, I would read the reading comp passages to my kids. The oldest loved it and made an effort to understand what I was reading. The other two just took it as background noise. After bed, I was up late hitting the books again. I had no free time. There isn't room to read books, watch movies, hang out with friends... My whole life was family and studying. I love school so I didn't feel like I was missing out on much. I would get a little sad when I had to turn down invetations to awesome gatherings with friends. We all make choices, right?

I must admit that having a supportive spouse was key to my success. My husband would take the kids on a play date when I needed to study for a test or write an unusually difficult paper. He would do the grocery shopping and take the kids to school so I could study more.

A huge tip is to never leave clutter lying around the house. We were diligent about keeping our house tidy at all times so weekly cleaning was easily manageable. We put organizational systems in place that made laundry, dishes, and meal prep a breeze. I would make a lot of freezer meals and Trader Joe's became my full time chef.

I anticipate law school will be challenging. Prioritizing is essential. Hiring a nanny- optional.

[SeattleStudent]

-6:30: get husband out the door (make sure he has clean clothes & lunch), get myself ready, feed kids, get kids ready.

WTF? You're on that schedule and you're husband can't pick out his own clothes and make lunch?

This entire thread is evidence of men doing less than women when it comes to household duties. Let's get real.

[rnoodles]

I can't help you but quite a few people seem to do it just fine. I was hoping this was gonna be a thread where a father and a mother and a son all enroll at the same school at the same time.

Have to admit this was what I was hoping for too.

On a more serious note for the OP, a professor of mine mentioned that when she went to law school she had a classmate who was a mother to something like 2 or so young kids and still finished #2 in her class. Of course, it varies from case to case but it's not impossible. Good luck OP!!

[PoopyPants]

I'm still studying for the LSAT, but I'm active duty military, finishing my degree, doing three research projects, and deploying. I have a 9-month-old girl and another girl on the way. If I can do it this far, I'm sure it's possible in law school.

My dad went to law school while working full time as a cop and raising two kids. So, doable.

[FairchildFLT]

I'm still studying for the LSAT, but I'm active duty military, finishing my degree, doing three research projects, and deploying. I have a 9-month-old girl and another girl on the way. If I can do it this far, I'm sure it's possible in law school.

My dad went to law school while working full time as a cop and raising two kids. So, doable.

Hua! Finished my degree at 21 while serving on active duty with a wife and two kids. Studied for the LSAT at the same time...got into UT Austin...deferred until next year due to a family emergency. You can do it!

[PoopyPants]

Hua! Finished my degree at 21 while serving on active duty with a wife and two kids. Studied for the LSAT at the same time...got into UT Austin...deferred until next year due to a family emergency. You can do it!

Hooyah! I actually am hoping to go to UT. Hope everything's okay, brother. Good luck next year!

[salander]

-6:30: get husband out the door (make sure he has clean clothes & lunch), get myself ready, feed kids, get kids ready
-5-8: pick up kids, make dinner, go to sports practices/games, kid homework, get kids ready for bed, do laundry & dishes

That schedule does not leave time to have a clean house or workout or to watch tv or movies very often. I am lucky if there are clean clothes and dishes.

WTF? You're on that schedule and you're husband can't pick out his own clothes and make lunch?

Or help you with some of that clean clothes and dishes problem?

[fisheatbananas]

some of the posts in this thread are motivating in a way. if people did law school while parenting and having jobs, the rest of us should be able to be full time law students no problem...