Top Law Schools

I have a career that I enjoy but that is not my passion. Current job pays the bills though and allows me to have lots of free time (knock on wood). I do have a strong passion for law and would like to practice it as a "hobby" (i.e. part time solo practitioner). Is it worth it to go to law school part-time for four years if I have absolutely zero interest in practicing law full-time?

Please do not consider debt. Without a solid scholarship, I would NOT attend law school period.

You may think you have a passion for law, but you're wrong. And people don't practice law as a side gig to another career. Do not do this

I can't fathom what you could do part-time straight out of law school except being a contract attorney. If spending four years plus lots of money is worth a $30 an hour skill, that's your call.

If you were to practice full-time for a decade+ then there'd likely be some options (I'm a young atty so I can't really speak to that).

Can you elaborate on your "strong passion for the law" statement? What does that mean exactly? Without know the answer, I think it's a bad idea. Unless you have been practicing for years and years and is finally reaching retirement, there is no such thing as practicing law on the side and a hobby.

Yeah, no. Law is a career. Lawyers work (more than) full time to hone their craft to become the best advocates they can be.

I don't think it's possible to practice law "as a hobby," at least not the type of meaningful work you're envisioning practicing "on the side." You can't just take on a jury trial for fun at your leisure. The only work you would have the skills for would be rote document review work. For the more advanced stuff you need training and dedication. Otherwise, at best you would be a sub-optimal lawyer, and at worst you would commit malpractice.

No. This is like a non-rich person buying a yacht because they want to sail part time

nick832 wrote:I have a career that I enjoy but that is not my passion. Current job pays the bills though and allows me to have lots of free time (knock on wood). I do have a strong passion for law and would like to practice it as a "hobby" (i.e. part time solo practitioner). Is it worth it to go to law school part-time for four years if I have absolutely zero interest in practicing law full-time?

Please do not consider debt. Without a solid scholarship, I would NOT attend law school period.

So if it's a matter of don't consider debt and also don't consider any future earning requirement, I say "why not?"

You're unlikely to ever be a great attorney. But if you want to represent occasional DUIs or some landlord tenant work, you could do that as a part time hobby.

Be aware that there are multiple ethics rules that could impact you as an attorney with another business interest. Potentially they could also impact your present employer. You might want to hire a lawyer just to work through those complexities before making a decision.

OP: Consider working as a para-legal. Probably would earn the same pay as a part-time lawyer without the ethics & liability concerns.

To join the other comments, unless your "passion" is for traffic court or real estate closings, there's not much in the way of legal practice that lends itself to part-time. You're either on the client's timetable, the opponent's timetable, the court's timetable or a combination thereof. Traffic court, real estate closings and maybe wills are pretty self-contained and could fly on a part-time basis. I have yet to meet anyone with a passion for those.

Becoming a lawyer is expensive, time consuming, and often times quite stressful. Many people committed to practicing full time end up in jobs they hate or that pay a crap salary. It is highly unlikely you will be capable of developing a practice on a part-time basis. Most obviously, few, if any, employers will take on a new lawyer part time, and no client wants to hire a lawyer who has no experience and, in any event, is just dabbling.

Thank you all for replies so far. Paralegal option seems viable. Maybe I should just concentrate on my current career. It always helps to get feedback from others.