Older JDs Forum
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ulyssescat5
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:27 pm
Older JDs
Would you consider 34 too old to go to law school? What are the job prospects for a 37-year old fresh JD graduate? Would it be more difficult to get a job at a law firm if the fresh JD grad is in his or her mid-30s to late-30s?
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ulyssescat5
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:27 pm
Best career path for older jd grads
Is there age bias among law firms? Do firms prefer to hire those who are younger, inexperienced, and willing to work for less money? What are the odds a law firm hires a 37-year old JD fresh grad? Finally, what are possible career paths for a 37-year old JD fresh grad?
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kaiser
- Posts: 3019
- Joined: Mon May 09, 2011 11:34 pm
Re: Best career path for older jd grads
Law firms pay associates based on class year, not based on age or their level of experience in their pre-law careers. The kid straight out of school and the seasoned investment banking pro who is pursuing law as a second career are going to be making the exact same amount.
As for bias, I don't think there is a bias toward younger, inexperienced associates. In many ways, its actually the opposite. Firms love prior work experience in areas that can be relevant, and that can be a huge asset when selling yourself at OCI. The career paths for an older grad are pretty much endless, but likely going to be a bit more tailored and focused based on their pre-law experience.
As for bias, I don't think there is a bias toward younger, inexperienced associates. In many ways, its actually the opposite. Firms love prior work experience in areas that can be relevant, and that can be a huge asset when selling yourself at OCI. The career paths for an older grad are pretty much endless, but likely going to be a bit more tailored and focused based on their pre-law experience.
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cavalier1138
- Posts: 8007
- Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2016 8:01 pm
Re: Older JDs
Merged this with your original topic. The Legal Employment forum is meant for law students and lawyers to discuss employment issues and advice, not for 0L advice.
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Pozzo
- Posts: 1918
- Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:36 pm
Re: Older JDs
The responses so far are correct. Firms often actually favor someone with work experience rather than someone without. I’m in my early/mid-30s, and neither I nor My other similarly aged peers had any issues during recruiting.
But it should impact the way you think about where to go and why. It’s everything any law student should be thinking about, but even more important for people our age. A huge debt load at 37 is very different than one at 25, so pick somewhere you can go for cheap or gives you a really good shot at a good employment outcome. And make sure you have a good reason for wanting to upend your career to go to law school.
But it should impact the way you think about where to go and why. It’s everything any law student should be thinking about, but even more important for people our age. A huge debt load at 37 is very different than one at 25, so pick somewhere you can go for cheap or gives you a really good shot at a good employment outcome. And make sure you have a good reason for wanting to upend your career to go to law school.
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QContinuum
- Posts: 3594
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:52 am
Re: Older JDs
Generally agree with everything already posted above, with the slight caveat that there may be a bit of concern over whether you'd be willing to take direction from more senior lawyers (midlevel/senior associates, and even partners) who may be years, even a decade younger than you. Many law firms prefer "malleable" juniors who they can train from the ground up. If you give the sense that you're set in your ways, or that you expect some kind of special treatment based on your work experience, they may be hesitant to hire you, fearing that you will not be as "trainable" or "manageable" as a 24-year-old K-JD.
Very important to keep in mind you won't receive any benefit in terms of seniority or respect or what have you. You will be in the exact same position, and treated the exact same way, as a 24-year-old K-JD. If you have valuable previous experience - e.g., in banking, or finance - folks will be happy for you to contribute that knowledge and perspective to the matters you work on (and seniors may even seek you out and staff you on projects specifically to get the benefit of your experience), but you'll still be treated and managed as a first-year at the bottom of the totem pole. Which isn't at all unfair, given that you'd have just as much (read: zero) prior legal experience as a 24-year-old K-JD.
Very important to keep in mind you won't receive any benefit in terms of seniority or respect or what have you. You will be in the exact same position, and treated the exact same way, as a 24-year-old K-JD. If you have valuable previous experience - e.g., in banking, or finance - folks will be happy for you to contribute that knowledge and perspective to the matters you work on (and seniors may even seek you out and staff you on projects specifically to get the benefit of your experience), but you'll still be treated and managed as a first-year at the bottom of the totem pole. Which isn't at all unfair, given that you'd have just as much (read: zero) prior legal experience as a 24-year-old K-JD.
