Blue collar paw schools Forum

[Bluehair]

So, I’m 61 years old and a 100% disabled veteran. I’m looking for a part time program. I’m waiting on my January LSAT results. I feel like I got robbed by the LSAC over my GPA conversion. They dropped it much lower because I was given credit but no grades for my military schools. I also took more undergrad courses at another school after I graduated and had a 4.0 there but the LSAC doesn’t count them because they consider it graduate work. I’m a former congressional staffer. I just want to do Pro Bono work for poor people such as VA/SSDI disability, chase off bill collectors, maybe minor criminal stuff. I don’t need income, I just need to be able to practice law. I get the feeling everyone here is bright and wants to go to the highest ranked school they can to have a career, I’m just hopeful someone may be able to suggest a school that’s more of a blue collar program with a part time offering.

[dvlthndr]

U.S. News keeps a list of the "best" part time programs:
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-sc ... w-rankings

For what you want to do, rankings don't really matter. Pick a school near the place you want to live and work (e.g., apply to Fordham if you want to be around New York, Georgetown if you want to be in DC, Temple if you want to be in Pennsylvania, etc.). Most part-time programs are in lower-ranked "regional" schools that only have good job placement in the surrounding area.

Going to any of the schools offering part-time programs is usually a terrible financial choice. The financial hit can be mitigated with a nice scholarship or a good loan-repayment program. But make sure you have a plan.

[QContinuum]

For what you want to do, rankings don't really matter. Pick a school near the place you want to live and work (e.g., apply to Fordham if you want to be around New York, Georgetown if you want to be in DC, Temple if you want to be in Pennsylvania, etc.). Most part-time programs are in lower-ranked "regional" schools that only have good job placement in the surrounding area.

Going to any of the schools offering part-time programs is usually a terrible financial choice. The financial hit can be mitigated with a nice scholarship or a good loan-repayment program. But make sure you have a plan.

Cosign all of the above. I want to put extra emphasis on the "make sure you have a plan" part. Law school can be/often is extremely expensive. The cost of attendance at Fordham's part-time program, for instance, is >$315k. The kind of work you're interested in doesn't tend to pay well (expect a starting salary ~$50k, and likely lower if you work for a small firm/solo practitioner). And, graduating at ~65, you should only expect to realistically be able to practice law for up to 10 years (hopefully longer, but even 10 years would already take you to 75, and very few people would want to or even be able to work past 75). Remember that full retirement age for Social Security is 67, and the latest claiming age is 70. Most people retire between 62-70. Carefully consider when you want to retire and how many years that would give you to practice law. And carefully consider how you plan to fund your retirement. Even if you have, say, a $400k war chest saved up now, and can fully fund 4 years of law school and living expenses, consider that paying for law school would leave you with only $85k saved for retirement, and you're unlikely to be able to save much on a ~$50k or lower legal salary.

Merit aid can reduce cost of attendance significantly, but that typically turns on your LSAC GPA (which you imply is low) and on your LSAT score. You may also have access to military tuition benefits. But please make sure you consider the financial aspects to this.

[Bluehair]

For what you want to do, rankings don't really matter. Pick a school near the place you want to live and work (e.g., apply to Fordham if you want to be around New York, Georgetown if you want to be in DC, Temple if you want to be in Pennsylvania, etc.). Most part-time programs are in lower-ranked "regional" schools that only have good job placement in the surrounding area.

Going to any of the schools offering part-time programs is usually a terrible financial choice. The financial hit can be mitigated with a nice scholarship or a good loan-repayment program. But make sure you have a plan.

Cosign all of the above. I want to put extra emphasis on the "make sure you have a plan" part. Law school can be/often is extremely expensive. The cost of attendance at Fordham's part-time program, for instance, is >$315k. The kind of work you're interested in doesn't tend to pay well (expect a starting salary ~$50k, and likely lower if you work for a small firm/solo practitioner). And, graduating at ~65, you should only expect to realistically be able to practice law for up to 10 years (hopefully longer, but even 10 years would already take you to 75, and very few people would want to or even be able to work past 75). Remember that full retirement age for Social Security is 67, and the latest claiming age is 70. Most people retire between 62-70. Carefully consider when you want to retire and how many years that would give you to practice law. And carefully consider how you plan to fund your retirement. Even if you have, say, a $400k war chest saved up now, and can fully fund 4 years of law school and living expenses, consider that paying for law school would leave you with only $85k saved for retirement, and you're unlikely to be able to save much on a ~$50k or lower legal salary.

Merit aid can reduce cost of attendance significantly, but that typically turns on your LSAC GPA (which you imply is low) and on your LSAT score. You may also have access to military tuition benefits. But please make sure you consider the financial aspects to this.

Money isn’t a problem. I don’t want or need a paycheck or any form of scholarship. I have a moral obligation to help the poor because when I needed help the VA helped me. Money is not a problem or a concern. I’m fortunate.

[Bluehair]

I might have messed up the reply, I’m old. I don’t need or want a job. I have plenty of money for my golden years. I don’t need a scholarship. I feel a moral obligation to use my skill set to help the poor and disabled. Just looking for a school for average people...

[we'rebothmenofthelaw]

Hey, thank you for your service (past and future) and good luck with what you’re doing! If law school is what you want to do, that’s awesome, but I just want to point out that you can do a lot of great work in the areas you’re describing without becoming a lawyer. I did SSI/SSDI work at a legal services organization before law school, and you can do good, substantive work without a law degree or license. (Of course, make yourself aware of local laws and rules regarding unauthorized practice of law, and best to work with a good organization or firm.) might be worth checking into, though again, I don’t mean to discourage law school if that’s what you want to do.