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I'm 25. I'm curious about BigLaw. I don't feel ready for law school now because I'm broke and am still figuring out broad life stuff. When will it be time to "shit or get off the pot?" If I start law school at 30, would any BL firms want to hire me? 35? How old is too old for BigLaw? I feel lost right now, I know I need to figure out what I want to do long-term, and I'm taking the steps toward that, but I don't know how long it'll take, and I'm afraid of falling behind.

(For reference: I'm job hunting, expect to be gainfully employed by January, and plan to work and save up money for several years but don't know how long I'll do that for. I'm afraid I'll wake up one day and want to go to law school and it'll be too late. If I have an idea of how much time I have in general, that'll help me make a tentative plan and not worry as much.)

I am surprised that I didn't find any threads dealing with this issue, and I would expect that this question has been asked before. If there are other threads dealing with this question, you'll have to forgive me for duplicating it. Many thanks.

There may be a time at which age becomes a liability, but it’s certainly not 30. I started law school at 30 and landed biglaw. The other 30+ students I know who wanted biglaw got it too.

Lots of other things to think about before going to law school and age should factor into how you think about debt and student loans, but age on its own won’t close off any potential career paths.

Pozzo wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 22, 2021 4:52 pm

There may be a time at which age becomes a liability, but it’s certainly not 30. I started law school at 30 and landed biglaw. The other 30+ students I know who wanted biglaw got it too.

Lots of other things to think about before going to law school and age should factor into how you think about debt and student loans, but age on its own won’t close off any potential career paths.

Thanks for the anecdote. I actually found many threads dealing with age and BigLaw viability since I made this post. From what I've seen, it seems that different firms have different preferences -- some seem to appreciate an older and more mature candidate, whereas others want a pliable 20-somethings. I've seen instances of people in their early 40s getting BigLaw jobs, but they seem to be the upper limit.

Keep in mind, though, that a lot of people who are, say, mid-40s and up who go to law school may have different goals than big law. And if you now, at age 25, intend to wait till your 40s to go to law school, the chances of you ending up there are slim, just because life takes people on really varied paths and it's almost impossible to say now what you'll want to do by the time you get to that age.

One thing to consider is physical stamina. In my 20s, I sometimes would pull all nighters and then work through the next day without major consequence. As with hangovers, the physical cost of that behavior these days is worse. Similarly, my ability to handle chronic stress and respond accordingly (e.g., fire drills) isn't what it used to be. Raising children adds another dimension.

Of course, you can (and should) stay or become physically fit, which helps to prolong these declines. But over time they are inevitable. Look at the capacity of older equity partners compared to the hungry, young senior associates.

None of this is intended to dissuade you from doing what you want to do. Age should never be an excuse for giving up on your dreams. But its something to consider when making your plans.

The biggest problem is not age per-se, but the responsibilities that tend to come with it. When I was 25 and fresh out of law school, I had no real obligations outside of work. Other than calling my spouse to let them know not to wait up for me, nothing had to be rescheduled and nobody really cared that I had to work until late into the night. I lived in a small apartment and had next to no home maintenance commitments. I relocated to NYC for biglaw and didn't have any family commitments or a ton of friends asking me to do things for them.

Now that I have two kids, that same late night would mean figuring out who can do school pickup, crossing my fingers my spouse doesn't also have to work late, and if so frantically calling friends and relatives to find out who can watch the kids. A busy week would mean upset kids. Then hope to God nothing breaks in the house while I'm too busy to meet with repair people because I'm slammed at work. And then there would be the fraying of family and friend relationships set aside because I'm too busy with work.

Obviously, people stay in biglaw once they have commitments, but they also tend to have more flexibility than juniors because they are usually at least senior associates by that point (if not partners). Many of them have stay at home spouses to mind everything for them. Of course people manage to do all that, but you have to be superman/woman. You also may be still commitment free in 10 years, but no way of knowing that in advance. Several friends I knew who insisted they didn't want kids in their 20s or wanted to stay single for ever ended up having them by 35.

nealric wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:07 pm

Obviously, people stay in biglaw once they have commitments, but they also tend to have more flexibility than juniors because they are usually at least senior associates by that point (if not partners). Many of them have stay at home spouses to mind everything for them. Of course people manage to do all that, but you have to be superman/woman. You also may be still commitment free in 10 years, but no way of knowing that in advance. Several friends I knew who insisted they didn't want kids in their 20s or wanted to stay single for ever ended up having them by 35.

Either stay at home partners or you have enough money to pay for help. As high as they seem, first year biglaw salaries are not enough to pay for that kind of lifestyle with kids in a major market like NYC.

Bdgerald wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:34 pm

nealric wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:07 pm

Obviously, people stay in biglaw once they have commitments, but they also tend to have more flexibility than juniors because they are usually at least senior associates by that point (if not partners). Many of them have stay at home spouses to mind everything for them. Of course people manage to do all that, but you have to be superman/woman. You also may be still commitment free in 10 years, but no way of knowing that in advance. Several friends I knew who insisted they didn't want kids in their 20s or wanted to stay single for ever ended up having them by 35.

Either stay at home partners or you have enough money to pay for help. As high as they seem, first year biglaw salaries are not enough to pay for that kind of lifestyle with kids in a major market like NYC.

Even paying for help can be stressful. Nannies quit or don't work out, need time off, kids needs things, etc. But it is absolutely true that a nanny isn't particularly affordable in a place like NYC unless you are really making the big bucks. Also consider that a live-in nanny needs a bedroom, which means bigger housing cost.