Juggling Music Career and Law School? Forum

[foundwes9]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here.

I am an entering 1L at a lower tier T14 where my total COA will be around $60k. I've been in an indie group for a while, and we were recently offered a chance to sign with a label that we actually vibe with. If I sign, I can still attend law school but will have to work on music during my free time during the academic year so that our group can release an album during the summer and promote, do shows, etc. As of now, I don't know if I'll have the liberty during my summers to take on internships.

Having more or less successfully juggled music and school as an undergraduate, I'm pretty confident in being able to keep up with my coursework insofar as I limit extracurriculars and other work. But isn't just focusing on grades in law school, especially as a K-JD, career suicide? Assuming (and I realize that this is a big assumption) that I'm able to get solid grades, will my lack of legal experience and extracurriculars keep me from landing a job? (I'm interested in surprise surprise entertainment/music law).

Ideally, the music gig would blow up, and I wouldn't have to worry about legal employment. I know the credited advice is to not go to law school if it's your back-up career plan, but I think that applies only to people with plan As that can guarantee some form of stable income. If not music, law is the only thing I really want to do, so I don't want to leave myself high and dry if the music thing doesn't work out.

I'd appreciate any advice/insight.

Thanks!

[chuckbass]

As someone that abandoned my music dreams/career, just go with it now plz. Law school will ALWAYS be here for you.

[Traynor Brah]

I think you would be fine juggling them. Law school does not require an incredible amount of time outside finals month. With that COA, that's a damn fine investment. The big concern would be your inability to do summer work, as that's going to effectively make you unemployable (for the kind of jobs you go to a T14 for). If you can carve ten weeks out each summer to work, then go for it.

Actually I think you have the credited advice completely turned around. Law school is probably best pursued when all alternative attractive paths have been exhausted.

[rinkrat19]

You can probably juggle music and school during the year. But not doing legal work during both summers will basically doom you from ever working as a lawyer. It's hard enough to get a legal job with good summer experience.

[iliketurtles123]

As someone who was in a rush to go to law school, I tell you: TAKE AS MUCH TIME OFF BEFORE GOING TO LAW SCHOOL

Pursue your other dreams now before it's too late.
I would not juggle music with law school, especially during 1L year. Also, life is short. You start working right after you graduate. Law school is not the be-all-end-all. It is merely the beginning, and you will have less time after you graduate than during law school (basically, it all goes downhill after starting law school).

Law school will always be there. Take a year or two off. Or take 5 years off. ENJOY LIFE

[Other25BeforeYou]

As someone that abandoned my music dreams/career, just go with it now plz. Law school will ALWAYS be here for you.

This. You won't be high and dry if the music thing doesn't pan out, you'll still have the option of going to law school. Ask the school you're planning to attend if you can defer, give the music thing at least a year, and get whatever job you can while you're doing it if you need to support yourself. In a year, reassess. If the music thing is going well, give it another year. And so on.

You will be in a better position for getting legal jobs in the entertainment field if you take a year or two and spend it in the music business. And frankly, three years down the line you don't want to be in the position of wondering either (a) if the band would've worked out if you hadn't been so focused on law school, or (b) if you would have good enough grades for better legal jobs if you hadn't been so distracted by the band.

[ManoftheHour]

As someone that abandoned my music dreams/career, just go with it now plz. Law school will ALWAYS be here for you.

This. I was a bassist in a band that played regularly in local gigs. My bandmates decided to take it to the next level and move to Austin. I declined the move and went to law school. Every now and then, I see pictures of their performances and get pretty jealous. They're not even super big, but I regret not going with them. Looks like a whole lot better than what I'm doing now.

I yearn for the days when we'd just hold jam sessions by the beach. Practicing in university parking structures at night. Write songs. Drink beer. Being so free and careless. When life was fun.

Now I'm alone in the library and my head is buried in a Civ Pro E&E.

I would just focus on music and go to law school if it does not work out. You're a K-JD. You have plenty of time.

[downbeat14]

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