Re: Is not too late to start law school at 40?

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Sure. You start with a bachelor's then take the LSAT, the law school
entrance exam. (google it and it will give you all the info you need)
Whether or not to take a prep course for the LSAT is up to you but
most definitely get some practice materials. I'm a good test taker so
I chose to study on my own and did OK. Most law schools require a
recommendation either from an employer or undergrad professor. some
are more selective than others, most also require an essay as part of
the entrance process. research what law schools are in your area, are
you in position to relocate if there aren't any? find a law school
that interests you and then check out the admission requirements.
almost everything is online these days. If you don't have a bachelor's
yet, there are several areas that are conducive to studying law but
don't make you a better student or attorney. Critical thinking is a
must. engineers seem to have a little more difficulty in law school
because they have been indoctrinated with the hard sciences where
everything has a formula and a set outcome. but they make very good
attorneys. philosophy, English,history are alternatives to the old
political science that everyone seems to think is the pre-requisite
for law school. but don't expect to get rich like you see on TV. those
are not the norm. willingness to deal with a lot a garbage and the
ability to see both sides of an argument are very helpful starting out
but you can learn those along the way too. law is almost a public
service job unless you land a place at a big firm but if you like
helping people, enjoy challenges and can learn not to take things
personally it can be very rewarding. good luck.
On 10/30/08, kelly wrote:
> I am also interested in attending law school,but have no idea
> where to start.Can you suggest a starting point?
> On 10/21/08, david tapia wrote:
>> On 6/07/08, Joe wrote:
>>> I was thinking about going to law school but i always wonder
>> about my age im 39. i drop out of high school later in life went
>> back for my ged and to college for my associate, now im half way
>> thru my bachelors in business. rading this post gave me what i
>> needed to go for it. thanks
>>> I agree with this article completely; however, not everybody
>>> graduates from a top tier school or top of their class. They
>>> should not despair. The big firms may not be interested, but
>>> keep in mind the big firm experience is not for everyone.
>>> Small firms, mom and pop operations, are always looking for
>>> associates. As are various government agencies. The pay may
>>> not be great to start, but the important thing is to master
>>> the field you are in and try to move up. Show managers you
>>> can make money on a file. Once you show that you are a money
>>> maker, nobody gives a hoot where you went to school or what
>>> your ranking is.
>>>
>>> On 10/10/03, cc wrote:
>>>> I started law school(ABA 2nd tier) at age 40, graduated at
>>>> age 43. The most imporatant thing you must know is that law
>>>> is a super competitive field. There is a serious oversupply
>>>> of lawyers. That is why big law firms only want the top
>>> 10&37;
>>>> of the class from top schools. As an electrical engineer
>>>> from a top 10 engineering school, nobody cared about class
>>>> rank or school ranking. Over the past 20 years, I have
>>>> worked besides some engineers that did not even have a
>>>> degree. This is because the demand for engineers exceeds the
>>>> supply. Very big difference in law, they do not care about
>>>> your capabilities, only your papers. Be sure you graduate at
>>>> the top of your class. Also, in my opinion, there is lots of
>>>> age discrimination in hiring "old" new lawyers. Law firms
>>>> are very conservative and they do not like to break the
>>>> pattern of hiring 20-somethings for first year associate
>>>> positions. But the important thing is CLASS RANKING. Look
>>>> at some ads on the recruiting sites and you will see that
>>>> almost all firms are looking for "excellent academic
>>>> credentials". This is an oversimplificatiion and there are
>>>> exceptions, but this is true for most people. Just be sure
>>>> you look at both the good and the bad before you decide to
>>>> go to law school.