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Due to a rough childhood it took me a long time to decide I was capable of doing ANYTHING.
Once I figured out I could do whatever I wanted, I became a Paralegal because I always wanted to be an attorney but thought that in my 40’s it was too late.
Then I looked into it further and found that in my state there are options to attend law school for less than $100K with bar pass rates similar to the giant spendy schools. So long story short I’m in my second year of law school while working full time as a paralegal and love every second of it.
Love this for you!!
A few reasons. I saw how miserable some attorneys were. Some love their jobs. Some are there because they have to pay off their student debt from law school, but they hate it.
I didn’t want to spend six figures on a degree and then end up wanting to change careers within a few years.
This was all pre-salary transparency though. My firm’s entry level salary for first years is $240,000, with more senior associates and partners making well above that. Had I known that, I might have thought differently.
Too financially risky for me given the incredibly high cost of law school and how competitive the field is. As a paralegal I make more than a lot of attorneys make (even though some — but relatively few — attorneys make 10 X what I make, of course).
How much do you make?
Not passing the moral character test 🥴😬
I couldn’t figure out why I actually wanted to go aside from it just seemed like the next step. So I took some time and worked at a firm that let me get super involved in cases and realized I would be miserable af lol I’m sure not all the fields and firms are the same but it looked like a 24/7/365/366 career where you’re punished for taking time off even though you don’t get time off?? Hard pass. I like being off when I’m supposed to be off and enjoying my PTO spending time with family and traveling. And omg dealing with other attorneys who are a-holes for no reason… my emails would be exhibit a to a lot of motions 😂😂
And honestly it’s hard enough being a career paralegal and having no guidance. I couldn’t imagine being an attorney with that level of responsibility and having no guidance.
The clients
I thought about it, and one attorney I worked for told me he thought I would be a good attorney, but I don’t like that it really seems like you cannot ever fully take time away. Also lots of nights and weekends answering emails. I also do not want to spend time networking and bringing in business.
Honestly, I don’t want to spend that much money on law school. Not to mention, as a paralegal I out earn some of the attorneys I know. However, if someone was willing to underwrite my law school education, I do it in a second. 🤣
$118k base, plus yearly bonus (varies). I certainly don’t make as much as someone who is an associate in big law 😉, but I definitely know I make more than some attorneys that I know at smaller firms. I do a form of specialized litigation.
Coach
Their shitty attitudes and not being tied to a client. I have met maybe two or three solid attorneys who love their job. The rest hate it and take their hate out on their staff.
Then you are in the wrong firm.
It is a valid career choice. I chose it because use I wanted to work on the more technical side rather than sales. I don’t want to try to build a book or network or play politics with partners. I just wanted to solve puzzles. For context, I am a real estate paralegal with significant experience in complicated title matters.
When I was just starting out as a paralegal, I worked with legal interns and once they passed the bar got hired as associates in the firm. I saw how they started out as hopeful, full of life and within 5 years, most of them jumped from firm to firm to become senior counsels/partners. Now reconnected with most of them via Linkedin and most of them left. They're mostly business owners now. One became a public prosecutor but most left the private practice. Esp the women as they wanted a family.
I just graduated from Undergrad 2 yrs ago so rn I’m just getting experience in the legal field. Still on the fence if this is the field I want to stay in forever, but if it does I’ll likely apply to law school in the new few years
I graduated undergrad in 2020, got my paralegal certificate in 2021, and i’ve been handling real estate transactions at several firms since. I enjoy where I am right now, and i’m convinced with not going to law school at this point. I do not want to commit myself to this industry; I believe I will switch to something else within the decade. I am fearful of being content/comfortable. Just not something I want to do for the next 40 years.
Want to enjoy life!
The way I am I won’t take disrespect from anyone so I would drop a lot of clients if I was an atty. I also already went to school for 3 yrs and got my bachelors and I don’t wanna do anymore school nor put myself $100k in debt. I only have $8k in debt now and that’s from housing since I had a full ride scholarship plus some $$ for books.
I also make more now with 3 and a half years in the filed, than a new atty would make and also more than a lot of attys I know now that have more experience.
I think similar to a lot of others’ stories. Originally joined big firm to get out of another toxic industry thinking I wanted to go to law school; after working in the industry and connecting / making friends with a lot of lawyers, whatever salary it ends up being does not seem worth the hours unless you own your own firm. I am starting graduate school for an MSW and working full time to pay my way through it to go into policy field. Eventually, maybe law school could be an option but for now, the cost outweighs the benefits to me.