Starting CUNY law, class of '18, in 2 weeks--I can still back out... Forum

[Jaydee]

For now, I'm in 100%. But I'm speaking with attorneys/doing research to see if there's something I missed.
Anyway, here is my story:

I'm a non-trad with no debt, home paid, retirement savings, etc. I have a job lined-up as a partner in a small criminal law/immigration practice. They will hire an associate part time until after my first year; after 1L I'll work there for the summer to learn the ins-and-out and continue part time during 2 and 3Ls.

(Disclosure: firm owner is my daughter's mother/good family friend)

Final thoughts?

[CanadianWolf]

Criminal law & immigration matters go hand in hand, yet many attorneys are afraid to deal with both of these areas due to a lack of training in one. You should be able to get all the business that you can handle. Hopefully, your office location makes travel from the state courts to federal immigration hearings convenient. CUNY is an excellent low cost choice for this type of practice.

[mvp99]

u have a job lined up as a partner?

[WheatThins]

Sounds good to me

[BigZuck]

The firm's owner is the mother of your daughter?

You're going to CUNY with a goal of working alongside your ex?

[adil91]

The firm's owner is the mother of your daughter?

You're going to CUNY with a goal of working alongside your ex?

Would make for a great sitcom

[Jaydee]

Yes, she's my ex partner (never married). We separated in good terms and are actually good friends now. My wife and her husband are fine with all this.
Anyway, I will be a partner after I'm barred. She'll show me the ropes; I'll split the overhead with her once I'm ready. So far, she's turning down a lot of business because she can't handle the overflow; this is the work I'll pick up.

[mvp99]

lol good luck

[PoopyPants]

Sounds good to me. I'm in a similar situation. I have a job already lined up as a partner in a family firm doing immigration and criminal defense (I guess "partner" means less when the firm only has like 8 attorneys). I am still going to be applying for JAG through the in-service procurement program because the civilian job will be there when I get out regardless.

Good luck!

[stronitsing]

For now, I'm in 100%. But I'm speaking with attorneys/doing research to see if there's something I missed.
Anyway, here is my story:

I'm a non-trad with no debt, home paid, retirement savings, etc. I have a job lined-up as a partner in a small criminal law/immigration practice. They will hire an associate part time until after my first year; after 1L I'll work there for the summer to learn the ins-and-out and continue part time during 2 and 3Ls.

(Disclosure: firm owner is my daughter's mother/good family friend)

Final thoughts?

you haven't really asked a question? cuny isn't a great school but if you're sure the job is guaranteed, and you want the job, then ofcourse you should.

[Lawl Skool]

CUNY's low tuition makes it an attractive option for those with career goals similar to yours.

[LawsRUs]

I would be okay with OP's decision to attend cuny in his situation. Its tuition is also surprisingly cheap, and his SO will probably minimize COL.

[Jaydee]

No financial aid; I'm paying cash for law school. All 3-years, tuition, fees, books, etc will be ~46K. It's a lot less than 1 year at Fordham. As far as COL, there's really no addition since I won't be moving (the school is 20 min from home).
I really have no intention--or desire--to work for a large firm, the government, or non profit. I want to be a lawyer but the only thing that appeals to me is solo practice or small firm practice (really small, like 2-4 atty).

[timbs4339]

Not a bad plan. Good luck OP.

[mvp99]

only thing i would add is that you should still network during LS in case youre unable to secure the promised position after graduation

[BigZuck]

I think your first two threads on this topic covered everything pretty extensively

If you're asking whether or not you should go to CUNY with a goal of working alongside the mother of your daughter I'm not sure TLS is particularly equipped to answer that

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Good plan. but you're still taking a $46k + opportunity cost gamble that over the next three years you're ex won't change his/her mind about hiring you, that his/her firm will still have a solid book of business, that he/she won't hire a different attorney before then that wouldn't allow for another hire, etc.

None of us can reliably say whether those risks are worth the cost of CUNY, but assuming you can get the job in three years, CUNY sounds like a good idea.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

No financial aid; I'm paying cash for law school. All 3-years, tuition, fees, books, etc will be ~46K. It's a lot less than 1 year at Fordham. As far as COL, there's really no addition since I won't be moving (the school is 20 min from home).
I really have no intention--or desire--to work for a large firm, the government, or non profit. I want to be a lawyer but the only thing that appeals to me is solo practice or small firm practice (really small, like 2-4 atty).

The only way this would be a bad decision is if you don't actually want to be an attorney, and specifically doing the kind of work that this firm does, If you want to do this legal work for a career then you are making a great choice.

[CanadianWolf]

Participate in every immigration & criminal law clinic that you can handle. Consider taking Spanish courses as well.

[Jaydee]

Hey all! I can't believe it's been 4 years since this thread. I was just thinking about how apprehensive I was when I started law school, so I decided to dig-up my old thread and give you all an update (it took some time to find my password and user ID!)

Anyway, I went ahead with law school, graduated and passed the J '18 bar. I was able to work all throughout law school and with the clinics I felt prepared to go solo instead of working with my friend. I went solo in December 2018, but I started doing prep work, like renting an office, getting signs made, etc. around Nov.
The office I rented had desks/chairs so there wasn't much of a cost there. I did spend close to 6-7k for signs, website and advertising. I stopped advertising in March and clients are still finding me!

So, back to life post-law school: I have been practicing immigration law and some family law almost exclusively since December. I hired a part-time associate 2 months ago and I am in search of a larger space.

Financially, I'm doing well (from I'm told, though I am hesitant to give figures here) and I have zero regrets. Life is good, business is good, and I'm enjoying life.

Now, would I recommend law school to young people? NO! I was in a different position than most of my classmates. I was older, my eldest is in college, and I did fairly well financially BEFORE law school (own rental property, plenty of savings/investment, etc).

If you have no desire to work biglaw, you have a safety net, you're a little older and thus appear to be more mature/knowledgeable, own/owned a business, are good at marketing yourself, speak a second language, then by all means go for it!

[QContinuum]

Welcome back, Jaydee, and thanks for this update. Kudos and congrats on your success. You should justly be very proud of yourself!

To other 0Ls who may be considering attending a T3/T4 law school, I hope you'll note the critical points that put Jaydee in a good position to succeed out of CUNY: the financial cushion; the prearranged, rock-solid legal job secured even before they started 1L; the successful entrepreneurial track record; and the burning desire/determination to succeed as a solo practitioner. All four of these elements were, IMO, critical to Jaydee's success.