Part-Time Job Possible During Law School? Forum

[autumnleaves]

Hello,

I'm seriously considering a T14 school for next year (already been admitted), and I want to know if it is possible to maintain a part-time job without tanking my grades. I'm in my final year of undergrad now, working 25-30 hours a week and easily keeping a 4.0. I know that I'd have to cap employment at 20 hours in law school, but everything I'm reading tells me that's still too much.

Are any of you current law students with part-time jobs? If so, how are you managing? If not, how are you paying rent?

[TheKisSquared]

Just an 0L with many lawyer friends, most of whom are very recent grads (last 5 years).

Do not take a part time job your 1L year.

My friends who did it regret it. My friends who did not felt they were much better able to focus on school. and did better because of it.

You pay your rent with loans. Max them out 1L year. If you take a job 2L year, it'll be better if your 1L grades are better.

The only type of employment I can say won't be an absolutely terrible idea is if it's something where
a) you have great control over your hours and
b) pays a lot per hour and
c) doesn't actually require you to work very often or during set times.

But even then I would strongly strongly caution against it.

[emkay625]

I worked part-time all throughout law school, 20 hours a week and did well. However, I had a very flexible employer who basically would give me all of December and all of May off to focus on finals.

[totesTheGoat]

I've worked between 30 and 45 hours all through law school, but have only taken full-time hours at school one semester.... don't do full time work and full time school. Part-time (<20 hours) work and full time school is okay, but wait until after 1L.

[arose928]

Yeah you probably don't want to do it at least first semester of 1L year - because you're still figuring out how to do the work, it takes longer. Also, be kind to yourself and give yourself time to get adjusted to a new, really disorienting life event. After that, then consider it.

I think it depends in part on what you want to do during law school. If you do a clinic (which you normally can't until 2L), that's a part-time job itself, 16-20 hours a week (fo free! oh boy). Depending on the clinic, those hours may need to be worked in an office. So it would be hard to be in an office for a clinic 2 days a week, then in class, then in another job. If you don't want to do a clinic though, then that time frees up.

[808Law]

3L here. I worked about 35 hours a week throughout 2L and am currently working 35 during my 3L year. I've done well in school, but it's a lot of work. I am working to pay off loans, and it'll be great when they're paid off soon. My post should encourage people to retake the LSAT so that they don't have to do what I'm doing and just get a good entry scholarship.

[inter-associate]

I worked 20+ hours a week all three years of law school and did well, but nobody here can tell you whether it will work out for you or not. Law school requires a lot of effort, but the end result is not really a function of time spent after you've crossed a certain minimum threshold. It's more about processing the right information and figuring out how to write exam responses. My experience was that most (certainly not all - there are many exceptions) students either figured it pretty quickly or they never really did (hence grades remaining largely consistent over three years). The excessive hours that most people spend studying are just in response to stress and uncertainty or cramming due to poor study habits (which inflict high performing students just as much as others). As long as your job doesn't prevent you from putting in the time you personally need or add too much stress to your life, I don't think it will make a big difference on your final outcome.

That said, I think the conservative consensus here would be to not risk it. TLS posters are a very risk averse bunch in general (that's not intended as a negative - the advice is generally safe). If you don't need the money, are even remotely concerned about your study habits or prone to stressing out you are probably better off not working until you have got your footing.