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Hello all,

I will be starting my 1L in the fall at a t80, but I also have a pending application with the State Department as a foreign officer. If approved, I would be deployed at the end of my 1L, and serve no more than 2 years. Before i contact my LS, can anybody tell me if law schools generally allow students to take a year or two off and then returning?

If i do well in my 1L, I would like to use my experience to transfer to a t14. Would prospective law schools frown upon a disruption in my law studies?

t80?

i think your biggest problem would likely come with the logistics of finding employment/participating in oci

entrechatsix wrote:t80?

i think your biggest problem would likely come with the logistics of finding employment/participating in oci

How is that relevant? I would not be employed while attending school.

what i meant was (sorry that it was vague)... if you would be deployed at the end of your first year, you wouldn't look for legal work/participate in oci that year (this of course, is assuming that you would be deployed before/during the summer and wouldn't be able to work a legal job that summer). then, returning 2 years removed from your studies for 2L (and more importantly, fall oci) in addition to not having worked a legal job the summer after your first year might be sort of a negative in the eyes of employers.

i was just suggesting that the logistics might be a significant hurdle.

Not a good idea. ABA rules say you have to complete degree in five years or fewer.

Danteshek wrote:Not a good idea. ABA rules say you have to complete degree in five years or fewer.

So what if I spent a year and a half abroad?

just curious.. when would you find out whether or not you're accepted?

entrechatsix wrote:what i meant was (sorry that it was vague)... if you would be deployed at the end of your first year, you wouldn't look for legal work/participate in oci that year (this of course, is assuming that you would be deployed before/during the summer and wouldn't be able to work a legal job that summer). then, returning 2 years removed from your studies for 2L (and more importantly, fall oci) in addition to not having worked a legal job the summer after your first year might be sort of a negative in the eyes of employers.

i was just suggesting that the logistics might be a significant hurdle.

" if you would be deployed at the end of your first year, you wouldn't look for legal work/participate in oci that year"

I would be employed by the State Department until I decided to come back. I see your point though about not having worked a summer job after my first year. I can see how that would be a 'negative' to going overseas, but I'm not sure if the year of overseas experience would be valuable enough to overcome the negative. Plus I already have experience working at an Attorney General Office as an ug, but I really don't know how much not having worked a legal job the summer after my first year would hurt me, especially considering I'd be working around the world advancing U.S. diplomacy instead.

entrechatsix wrote:just curious.. when would you find out whether or not you're accepted?

between 6-8 months from now

andyman wrote:

Danteshek wrote:Not a good idea. ABA rules say you have to complete degree in five years or fewer.

So what if I spent a year and a half abroad?

Not a good idea. Employers will seriously doubt your commitment to the profession if you skip out after 1L.

I'm looking for a career in public policy btw, not private law.

andyman wrote:I'm looking for a career in public policy btw, not private law.

Then go to school for that... Tufts, Georgetown, or Johns Hopkins would be good choices...

andyman wrote:but I really don't know how much not having worked a legal job the summer after my first year would hurt me, especially considering I'd be working around the world advancing U.S. diplomacy instead.

It would hurt you tremendously if you were looking for a legal job upon graduation.

Danteshek wrote:

andyman wrote:I'm looking for a career in public policy btw, not private law.

Then go to school for that... Tufts, Georgetown, or Johns Hopkins would be good choices...

Please get a MPP, you will have all the tools you need to succeed and a TON less debt to worry about paying off. Go to law school if you are interested in practicing law.

entrechatsix wrote:t80?

LOL thats the first thing I thought. Just say T2 dude. Top 80 implies you're trying to brag about prestige and don't want to be lumped with the 14-20 schools beneath you.

entrechatsix wrote:t80?

i think your biggest problem would likely come with the logistics of finding employment/participating in oci

this person wins biggest idiot award.

Your State Department career path isn't compatable with law school. Pick one.

ScaredWorkedBored wrote:Your State Department career path isn't compatable with law school. Pick one.

It is if I'm pursuing a JD/MPP

Why not take this year off, do something while you wait to see if you get accepted, and then go? Taking time off doesn't sound like an ideal plan.

romothesavior wrote:Why not take this year off, do something while you wait to see if you get accepted, and then go? Taking time off doesn't sound like an ideal plan.

Not a bad idea, but I don't want to risk getting rejected and then wasting a year...although going back to undergrad, boosting my GPA a tad bit would not hurt.

andyman wrote:

romothesavior wrote:Why not take this year off, do something while you wait to see if you get accepted, and then go? Taking time off doesn't sound like an ideal plan.

Not a bad idea, but I don't want to risk getting rejected and then wasting a year...although going back to undergrad, boosting my GPA a tad bit would not hurt.

Have you graduated? If so, you can't go back and boost your GPA.

dhg5004 wrote:

entrechatsix wrote:t80?

i think your biggest problem would likely come with the logistics of finding employment/participating in oci

this person wins biggest idiot award.

um really? why?

why are so many people going to law school for "public policy"

don't they know there are schools for that?

entrechatsix wrote:

dhg5004 wrote:

entrechatsix wrote:t80?

i think your biggest problem would likely come with the logistics of finding employment/participating in oci

this person wins biggest idiot award.

um really? why?

I am also curious why you think entrechatsix is such a big idiot. Depending on the region that the T80 is in, and how many other schools are competing within that region, it is possible that finding employment/participating in OCI is a legitimate concern.

General Tso wrote:why are so many people going to law school for "public policy"

don't they know there are schools for that?

There are schools in public policy/public admin that are very good and set people up to do much of the mid-level management work in municipal, state and federal governments. The issue, I suspect, is that the people most often the face of public policy, and the ones doing much of the writing and discussing it, those who have clawed there way either to elected posts or to higher level appointments, have law degrees. It's not a stretch and, in my mind, it makes a good deal of sense to pursue law if you want to have an impact on policy.

This is not a wise decision. Defer your acceptance (or at least attempt to), or reapply after your deployment, it might be a beneficial soft factor. Further, I think that any potential transfer would be seriously hindered by you taking a year off. These schools will see that you removed yourself from your legal education for a year and wonder two things: a) Are you capable of resuming your legal education after having a year off and possibly forgetting much of the introductory curriculum? b) How committed of a student could you possibly be? Especially considering how important attrition rates are to some of these schools you might be attempting to transfer to.

Note: I respect your desire to expand your opportunities through both of these endeavors, but I think you would be best served by completely separating the two.