1L but need to work full time next year... Forum

[ellewoods123]

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[rinkrat19]

I'm a 1L and have had a lot of changes throughout first semester that have caused me to reconsider financial choices. I have come to the conclusion that I need to finish 1L year, but after that I need to get a full time job (hopefully as a paralegal or something in the field).

A few questions. How difficult would it be for me to get a job as a paralegal in my current situation? What is the best way to approach a position when employers are likely to be confused when they see I am applying after completing one year of law school...

Also, I would ideally like to continue law school at night, even if that means changing to a different school because of location etc.

If anyone has any thoughts or advice on this situation, I would greatly appreciate it.

The ABA only allows law students to work a maximum of 20 hours per week if attending school full time. To work full time, you'd have to transfer to a school with a part time program. Unfortunately, schools with pt programs generally have shit employment stats. I think Georgetown is the best of a bad bunch.

[Nova]

I'm a 1L and have had a lot of changes throughout first semester that have caused me to reconsider financial choices. I have come to the conclusion that I need to finish 1L year, but after that I need to get a full time job (hopefully as a paralegal or something in the field).

why? why not live on federal loans?

whats your total cost of attendance per year?

How difficult would it be for me to get a job as a paralegal in my current situation?

firms generally don't hire paralegals who are in law school.

[ellewoods123]

I don't feel comfortable living entirely on federal loans (especially in such a tough market). I have a few friends who are currently paralegals and night division students, so I was under the impression that perhaps this might be something not entirely out of the question. Is this not so?

[LS-boundNYC]

This is what I do. Work for a small firm by day and go to school by night. I started as a PT student in a different field but networked my way into this firm after 1L. It's possible, but the above posters are right that it might be difficult if you didn't start there.

Totally anecdotally, though, I'll say that employers at OCI were generally impressed with the students who work full-time and balance law school.

[midnight419]

You should meet with your career center. I switched jobs during law school, and my counselor was incredibly helpful.

A lot of firms won't hire law students as paralegals. You should look into law clerk positions. The pay and experience is better than paralegal work. However, there are very few full-time law clerk positions available. The big firms won't hire law clerks who didn't summer for them so you'll have to target mid and small sized firms. Most mid and small firms that hire law clerks hire on a part-time basis. Are you currently PT or FT? If you're PT now check Symplicity, for paralegal and law clerk openings. Also, go through old listing and see which firms previously sought paralegal and law clerks and directly email those firms to inquire about openings. Then, create a list of mid and small sized firms in your area, and send those firms an email saying that you're seeking a law clerk position/standard cover letter stuff. If you see any openings for FT law clerks apply asap. Most PT students don't switch jobs during LS, and very few FT students switch into PT so you have an advantage for FT clerk positions since the pool of potential applicants is so small.

[RedGiant]

You didn't really ask this, but I will add...don't try to be a paralegal in biglaw. 1) It's rare (but not unheard of) for there to be in-school paralegals, but generally this is a permitted situation because the paralegal's ability to juggle/multitask is known because he or she was at the firm previously and is not a new hire and 2) biglaw paralegals are expected to work overtime, anytime...whatever the client needs...depending on the firm. OT can be unpredictable and would definitely interfere with getting out of the office at a set time to get to class. Last, depending on what state you are in, you can't just "become a paralegal." For instance, in California, you spend at least a year as a legal assistant under the supervision of an attorney, and the pay's not great at all. (I'm not even going to go into why this is incredibly stupid and a sham licensing requirement, but...there you go.)

[Durkheim]

Did you work as a paralegal before law school or are you pursuing the gig on the strength of completing your first year?

Would a bump in your scholly alleviate the need to work next year?