Job before 1L Forum

[kellyfrost]

This probably won't matter if you're like a 175/4.0 going T14 on a full ride, but otherwise, don't go to law school with zero professional experience on your resume. And I mean real experience, not delivering pizza for beer money in college.

How would 2-3 years of professional experience help someone who has never picked up a law text book, taken a law school exam, or done any legal writing?

No one will have picked up a law text book, taken an exam, or done any legal writing before law school, so not sure what you're getting at here. Like Nony said, it's more about signalling maturity and experience navigating a professional environment than it is acquiring any particular skill. Plus it makes for a more interesting interview.

But yeah, I'm obviously not saying that k-jd's never succeed. Just that professional experience is pretty helpful.

No one will have picked up a law text book, taken an exam, or done any legal writing before law school -- that's exactly what I am getting at. No one will, professional work experience or not, whether you were a bar tender or worked at McDonalds.
I don't think professional work experience, especially such little and insignificant experience as you could gain in two years, would demonstrate more maturity than other metrics. Why is this candidate bailing on his professional career so early? Couldn't hack it? Wasn't mature enough? Doesn't like working full time? Or just really wanted to be a lawyer?

[barkschool]

anything legal both in your state and to the federal gov't

[TheSpanishMain]

No one will have picked up a law text book, taken an exam, or done any legal writing before law school -- that's exactly what I am getting at. No one will, professional work experience or not, whether you were a bar tender or worked at McDonalds.
I don't think professional work experience, especially such little and insignificant experience as you could gain in two years, would demonstrate more maturity than other metrics. Why is this candidate bailing on his professional career so early? Couldn't hack it? Wasn't mature enough? Doesn't like working full time? Or just really wanted to be a lawyer?

My point is that employers look at more than grades (although grades are obviously the biggest factor). Not to mention, grades are really hard to predict, so you should give yourself as much of a boost as you can. Obviously, this is less important if you're at Yale than, say, UH.

I also disagree that two years of professional experience would necessarily be "insignificant." Maybe your experience is different than mine, but people who had substantive work experience did markedly better at OCI than people without, once you control for grades. I just don't think it's accurate that employers see someone going to law school after working for a few years and start worrying that you're immature, couldn't hack it, or lazy. If anything, just the opposite. It reassures them that you're capable of working in a professional environment, and someone who has lived and worked outside of the academic cocoon for a few years is almost certainly going to be seen as more mature than someone who went high school -> undergrad -> law school.

Besides all that, there are a lot of personal benefits to taking a few years off. Law school is a pretty risky investment for most people. It can only help to take a few years, live and work as an adult in the real world, and make sure it's what you really want to do. If nothing else, work as a paralegal for two years. Make some contacts in the legal community and get some exposure to the day to day life of a lawyer before you invest three years and a bunch of money.

[HopeyDopey]

I get it folks. I really do. Work experience would definitely help, and if I knew this last year, I'd give serious thought to deferring law school until a later time. Right now though, I'm starting law school in a few months. Period.

I think that working for the next few months in a customer service postion would not be the end of the world. I'll also be doing some volunteer work.

My advice for others in the same boat as me or people thinking of law school:

-Work experience for a few years can be a very good idea it seems

-WORK WITH YOUR SCHOOL'S EMPLOYMENT OFFICE. I was an idiot for not doing this and I wish I had. Talking with them about an internship position or something along those lines would have been enormously helpful for me.

-Working a part time job isn't the end of the world for a gap year considering the very limited time you will be around if you're going to law school in the fall. It's a simple fact that a lot of companies will not hire you if you're leaving in a few months. Period.

[BmoreOrLess]

I don't think professional work experience, especially such little and insignificant experience as you could gain in two years, would demonstrate more maturity than other metrics. Why is this candidate bailing on his professional career so early? Couldn't hack it? Wasn't mature enough? Doesn't like working full time? Or just really wanted to be a lawyer?

I'm still convinced you're a Bluelotus/Manali alt.

[kellyfrost]

I don't think professional work experience, especially such little and insignificant experience as you could gain in two years, would demonstrate more maturity than other metrics. Why is this candidate bailing on his professional career so early? Couldn't hack it? Wasn't mature enough? Doesn't like working full time? Or just really wanted to be a lawyer?

I'm still convinced you're a Bluelotus/Manali alt.

[kellyfrost]

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