Jobs before Law School? Forum

[williams11]

Definitely applying to law school in a few years, currently trying to figure out what I want to do in the meantime.

What work experiences did people have before heading off to law school? I'm currently applying/interviewing for paralegal jobs because I feel like that's the only thing at this point that will pay, but I'm also a bit late in the hiring season and unlikely to get anything at a top firm at the moment. I'm worried that working as a paralegal (in addition to being generally unappealing/miserable) will prevent me from standing out in the admissions process, particularly if I'm not working for a prestigious firm. Can anyone comment on any of this?

[3ThrowAway99]

I don't think it will hurt you in the least; GPA and LSAT are the items of concern. If you got a stellar job then maybe that could give you a slight boost for admissions, but otherwise I think this won't hurt. And paralegal experience could help you get hired once you are in law school imo.

[superhands]

I'm a 0L currently working as a paralegal and I think that my prelaw work experience was worth the time. First off you get an idea of what the legal profession is really like, and you wont be jumping into law school with the notion that you will be saving the world upon receiving your JD. Also it provides you with a good networking opportunity, especially if you want to practice in the area.

And you should drop the prestigious-or-bust mindset. In this economy you got to take what you can get, or else starve.

[Anonymous User]

I think you should be focused less on the sector you will be working in and more on the impact you will be able to make in the position you have. I think most law schools are looking to see that an applicant has been able to hold his or her own in a respected field, and that the applicant was passionate about (or good at) what he or she did.

All the work I've done up to this point (not counting odd jobs) have been educationally focused. I've taught college classes and helped run a high performing charter school. Both the college and the charter school serve disadvantaged students. I've also done some volunteer work that is geared towards education/rehab.

I could be completely wrong though--this is TLS.