Could use some advice from students who worked prior to LS Forum

[HWS08]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, so apologies in advance if it isn't. For those of you who worked before starting law school, how much time did you give yourself between work and law school? My orientation is August 29 and I'm thinking of working right up to the 23rd, which gives me 2-3 days to pack up (I'm not taking much with me) and move to my new state. It looks like I won't actually be able to move into my apartment until Sept. 1, so I'm thinking it doesn't make sense to move much earlier than that. Does that seem crazy?

Also, how far in advance did you notify your employer that you were leaving? I was planning to tell them in August, but some of my friends pointed out that might look bad because I clearly knew much sooner than August that I'd be leaving and they'd need to replace me. I want to stay on good terms because I will most likely be calling on my coworkers for references. My boss knows I am considering law school, but I told him a couple months ago that I was still deciding if I'd stay local, attend part-time, etc. so he doesn't know that I have decided to leave. I'm thinking that I should tell them in the next week or so after I've decided for sure when my last day will be.

Thanks for your help!

[keg411]

Went through this last year.

1) Don't work until the last minute. Give yourself at least a week to get everything together. Packing and moving takes longer than you think. Leaving after the 2nd week in August in your case should be fine.

2) You need to tell your boss sooner rather than later. I gave mine about two months notice, but a month should be okay in most cases (I was pretty senior in my office, so there was a lot of stuff that needed to be changed over and it took a while).

[HWS08]

Went through this last year.

1) Don't work until the last minute. Give yourself at least a week to get everything together. Packing and moving takes longer than you think. Leaving after the 2nd week in August in your case should be fine.

2) You need to tell your boss sooner rather than later. I gave mine about two months notice, but a month should be okay in most cases (I was pretty senior in my office, so there was a lot of stuff that needed to be changed over and it took a while).

Thanks! I've never actually had to quit a job before because most of my other WE has had an end date before I started (political campaigns, summer employment). What did you do? Did you have a letter of resignation typed up and ready to go before you told your boss/CEO/whoever?

[englawyer]

how long have you been working and how much are you getting paid? both of these determine an appropriate amount of notice. If you only make like 30k and have been working for six months, they will likely tell you to packup when you tell them you are leaving. Thus two months (or even one month) notice might be inadvisable.

If you have been working for a while/have important job/know your boss well, longer notice is appropriate. You could even soil a good relationship with too short of notice...its a balance obviously but look out for yourself first (and make sure you get those last few paychecks, they will come in handy).

[englawyer]

to actually quit, just schedule a meeting with your boss and tell them in person. they will tell you who needs to get the formal letter etc according to company policy. don't telephone/email or anything like that, and don't tell your coworkers before your boss!

[dood]

depends 100% on ur job. i gave my manager ~6 months notice b/c i was in a client facing position that required i transition my clients to the other account managers in my office. and honestly, a good manager wont get pissed, he'll try to get u to stay (unless u a shitty employee)

[nymario]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, so apologies in advance if it isn't. For those of you who worked before starting law school, how much time did you give yourself between work and law school? My orientation is August 29 and I'm thinking of working right up to the 23rd, which gives me 2-3 days to pack up (I'm not taking much with me) and move to my new state. It looks like I won't actually be able to move into my apartment until Sept. 1, so I'm thinking it doesn't make sense to move much earlier than that. Does that seem crazy?

Also, how far in advance did you notify your employer that you were leaving? I was planning to tell them in August, but some of my friends pointed out that might look bad because I clearly knew much sooner than August that I'd be leaving and they'd need to replace me. I want to stay on good terms because I will most likely be calling on my coworkers for references. My boss knows I am considering law school, but I told him a couple months ago that I was still deciding if I'd stay local, attend part-time, etc. so he doesn't know that I have decided to leave. I'm thinking that I should tell them in the next week or so after I've decided for sure when my last day will be.

Thanks for your help!

I worked all the way up until Friday. Packed up Friday night. Moved 200 miles on Saturday into girlfriend's place (so minimal actual unpacking necessary right away). Orientation Lunch was Sunday, classes began Monday. No sweat.

As to notice, I had my employers writing recommendations, so they were not surprised. They were in the loop with every decision, but I gave them formal final notice one month before my last day. I was making $110,000 and had been there for about 2 years. I strongly recommend telling them as soon as you've made your final decision. The more time they have to replace you, the better off they will be. You may not know how an appreciative employer who values professionalism may do for you down the road. There is no downside to telling them early, unless you think he'd can you. With the relationship you have, there should be no reason to fear this.

[Hippononymous]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, so apologies in advance if it isn't. For those of you who worked before starting law school, how much time did you give yourself between work and law school? My orientation is August 29 and I'm thinking of working right up to the 23rd, which gives me 2-3 days to pack up (I'm not taking much with me) and move to my new state. It looks like I won't actually be able to move into my apartment until Sept. 1, so I'm thinking it doesn't make sense to move much earlier than that. Does that seem crazy?

Also, how far in advance did you notify your employer that you were leaving? I was planning to tell them in August, but some of my friends pointed out that might look bad because I clearly knew much sooner than August that I'd be leaving and they'd need to replace me. I want to stay on good terms because I will most likely be calling on my coworkers for references. My boss knows I am considering law school, but I told him a couple months ago that I was still deciding if I'd stay local, attend part-time, etc. so he doesn't know that I have decided to leave. I'm thinking that I should tell them in the next week or so after I've decided for sure when my last day will be.

Thanks for your help!

I worked all the way up until Friday. Packed up Friday night. Moved 200 miles on Saturday into girlfriend's place (so minimal actual unpacking necessary right away). Orientation Lunch was Sunday, classes began Monday. No sweat.

As to notice, I had my employers writing recommendations, so they were not surprised. They were in the loop with every decision, but I gave them formal final notice one month before my last day. I was making $110,000 and had been there for about 2 years. I strongly recommend telling them as soon as you've made your final decision. The more time they have to replace you, the better off they will be. You may not know how an appreciative employer who values professionalism may do for you down the road. There is no downside to telling them early, unless you think he'd can you. With the relationship you have, there should be no reason to fear this.

Why, may I ask, did you choose to go to LS?

[nymario]

I was making $110,000 and had been there for about 2 years.

Why, may I ask, did you choose to go to LS?

Ha. Not for the money. I served in the Military, so this whole thing is ended up a free ride for me. After I got out, I had a TS/SCI clearance and language skills that were in high demand in the contractor community. So I jumped at that for a little while. Bought a BMW 650. Worked short (40) hours and lived it up. But it's not what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. Law is. I don't regret it one bit. I'm doing well, and can make up the salary I lost in a couple years if I want to. Or I can just do what I want with the law. I am leaning towards BigLaw with an eye towards USAO or some other BigGov job. The veteran status doesn't hurt for that goal either.

[HWS08]

how long have you been working and how much are you getting paid? both of these determine an appropriate amount of notice. If you only make like 30k and have been working for six months, they will likely tell you to packup when you tell them you are leaving. Thus two months (or even one month) notice might be inadvisable.

If you have been working for a while/have important job/know your boss well, longer notice is appropriate. You could even soil a good relationship with too short of notice...its a balance obviously but look out for yourself first (and make sure you get those last few paychecks, they will come in handy).

I've been there for over 2.5 years, promoted twice. I'm not going to say exactly how much I make, but it is well over 30K. I'd say I am still "junior staff" but have enough responsibilities/specialized jobs that there would be an impact if I were gone without being replaced. I do work directly with clients, but don't manage them so there isn't much of a transition issue there, internal responsibilities are what would really need to be shifted.

I'm planning to schedule a meeting with my boss and then probably tell the CEO, other management I work with directly, etc from there, depending on what my boss thinks is best. The only thing holding me back is 1) deciding between August 19th or August 23rd as my last day and 2) working up the nerve to go have the conversation - I like my job/company, so that might be tough. I'm still really tempted to work until the 23rd because the net pay from those 2 extra days would cover a good chunk of my moving expenses, if not all of them.

[englawyer]

sounds like you should tell your boss soon then. good luck!

[goodolgil]

Got to my school on a Monday for orientation week and worked until the Wednesday before. Not really by choice, I just needed all the money I could get. If you have disposable income already, I'd recommend taking at least a week off.

[shepdawg]

I quit a week before I made my 700 mile move. I needed the time to sell everything from a 4 bedroom house so I could fit my entire family into 1 bedroom.

[HWS08]

I did it! I told my boss and our CEO today. It went pretty well. Thanks for the advice, everyone.

[Geist13]

I took three months off. Moved in with my parents, did yard work all summer. It was fucking awesome. Got drunk with my dad every other night, worked hard outside during the days, had awesome mom-made dinners. Nothing better.

[StyrofoamWar]

quit working in May, started school in late august.

Best summer of my life. Highly recommended.

[NarwhalPunter]

Definitely take time off if you can afford it. It might be the last time in your entire life that you can drop everything and backpack around another continent for a month.

[random5483]

I took off just over 2 months, and I am glad I took the time off. Don't work till the last minute.

I gave my employer a little over 1 month of official notice. However, I had let my boss know 6-8 months before I left that I was applying to school and might have to resign. Generally, 1 months notice is good practice, and 2 weeks is sometimes acceptable. However, the amount of time you "should" give really depends on your particular position.

[whuts4lunch]

depends 100% on ur job. i gave my manager ~6 months notice b/c i was in a client facing position that required i transition my clients to the other account managers in my office. and honestly, a good manager wont get pissed, he'll try to get u to stay (unless u a shitty employee)

I was in a similar situation as dood, did the same thing dood did, and it worked well for me. However, I have seen it backfire once. A friend of mine told management that he was considering attending school full-time (he was legitimately undecided at the time), and management told him that going full-time is a fantastic idea and that he should start full-time in school immediately and leave work. My friend was gone the next day, not by his choice.

Just make sure you have a good idea of how much management really wants you around before you decide how to approach. If you are unsure, waiting longer before telling would make the most sense.

[LAWYER2]

I'd let the job know when they figured out I haven't been showing up for work unless you'll need a reference! LoL, they wouldn't give you advance notice if they laid you off! j/k, GL!

[ZFB]

I'm working until July 29 and orientation is August 17. I wish I had more time, but the 2.5 weeks is as close as I'd be willing to cut it.

As for time I work for a small company, so we had to hire and I've been training my replacement. I told my boss back in October that I'd be leaving the following August. Again, different work situation than a lot of people so not sure how much that helps.

[blerg]

Went through this last year.

1) Don't work until the last minute. Give yourself at least a week to get everything together. Packing and moving takes longer than you think. Leaving after the 2nd week in August in your case should be fine.

2) You need to tell your boss sooner rather than later. I gave mine about two months notice, but a month should be okay in most cases (I was pretty senior in my office, so there was a lot of stuff that needed to be changed over and it took a while).

Agreed. I gave 10 weeks notice (I knew training my replacement would take quite a while) and I gave myself 2.5 weeks off, without a move. Taking the time put me in a great mental state to hit the ground running.

[northwood]

last day of work is august 4th. first day of classes is august 26th. told the boss in december that i was going to law school in august ( used the time to train my replacement, fire the replacement- hire and train his replacement). I work for a very small company- and have been working there since i was a high school intern ( and throuhout ug) so they knew of my desire to go to law school ( and were curious to see me prep for the LSAT- apply and visit and choose the school).

looking forward to some time off- but will miss the paydays.

[queenlizzie13]

My last day is tomorrow. My company knew well in advanced I was leaving - they knew back in March as a matter of fact. It was definitely important for me to keep on good terms with them because they are my ticket to a law job should I strike out at OCI, etc. They even threw me a party.

Left only because I was making well under $15k/year and I wanted to work on the legal side of the industry as opposed to straight advocacy.

[caligirl07]

I've been there for over 2.5 years, promoted twice. I'm not going to say exactly how much I make, but it is well over 30K. I'd say I am still "junior staff" but have enough responsibilities/specialized jobs that there would be an impact if I were gone without being replaced. I do work directly with clients, but don't manage them so there isn't much of a transition issue there, internal responsibilities are what would really need to be shifted.

I'm planning to schedule a meeting with my boss and then probably tell the CEO, other management I work with directly, etc from there, depending on what my boss thinks is best. The only thing holding me back is 1) deciding between August 19th or August 23rd as my last day and 2) working up the nerve to go have the conversation - I like my job/company, so that might be tough. I'm still really tempted to work until the 23rd because the net pay from those 2 extra days would cover a good chunk of my moving expenses, if not all of them.[/quote]

First off, welcome to BC! I just finished my first year and love the City and the school. I worked for 10 years before coming to law school with never more than 2 weeks off at any given time, so I took off the month before law school. I luckily, was able to get a mid-August move-in date, but I know that's almost impossible in this city. I'd give yourself at least a week before Orientation to explore Boston (and the area around the LS and your new home), get your books and start settling in. There were a lot of people who didn't get here until the day before orientation and they seemed much more stressed than those of us who had time to settle in.

Good luck! Hope to see you around campus!