05.22.09, 11:06 AM 9 replies
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how feasible is it to attend law school while raising a toddler?

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05.22.09, 11:06 AM Flag ]
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  • how feasible is it to attend law school while raising a toddler?

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    05.22.09, 11:06 AM Flag ]
    • you can do it, but you will need lots of help. a very supportive partner, and i mean VERY, or a great nanny, and you will have to be ready to accept that the amount of time you get to spend with your toddler will be significantly reduced. that said, having a mom who is not miserable at work may be one of the pros for your toddler, and if you have a partner who is spending lots of time with the child then this will be a situation that families deal with successfully all the time.

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      05.22.09, 11:08 AM Flag
    • When I was in law school there was a student in my class with a toddler. They lived in married student housing (even though the dad stayed in NYC -- school was in Phili -- they went back to NY on the weekends) and the child went to the University day care. The mom treated school just like a job. Was in class or in the library 9-5 every day. Worked great for her.

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      05.22.09, 11:09 AM Flag
      • thanks, this is encouraging. I work much longer than 9-5 now, so maybe I'll actually have more time with dd... losing the double income while keeping the nanny would be tough on the household finances though. but always wanted to go back to school, and feel like I can't put it off much longer.

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        05.22.09, 11:15 AM Flag
    • Law school would be totally doable. Better question is how feasible working as a lawyer is while raising a preschooler/school-aged child. :-)

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      05.22.09, 11:21 AM Flag
      • np: so true. most female lawyers i know are miserable or dropped out. the ones i know who are content and/or successful either were able to work in lower paying fields (no loans, high earning spouse, very low COL, etc.) or had to make great sacrifices in their personal lives.

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        05.22.09, 12:25 PM Flag
    • Have you talked to many lawyers about the field? Think long and hard b/f entering. Most lawyers hate their jobs (I am one--I've been lucky enough to find a decent niche). Plus with recession there's a HUGE over-supply and salaries are actually falling! Attys. are having their individual pay cut. The debt/hassle very likely isn't worth it

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      05.22.09, 11:21 AM Flag
    • It ain't Alle McBeal or Law and Order. It's a hard, tedious, stressful and boring job. Tom Hanks pittied his attys saying its like doing homework for a living---he's right.

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      05.22.09, 11:27 AM Flag
    • It's very feasible. You will need reliable child caretakers, obviously dh, plus others. You will have times when you must study uninterrupted. I often wish I'd had my dcs while in law school. I had more time available for them then than I do now as FT lawyer.

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      05.22.09, 11:29 AM Flag
    • You can do it. My mom did with an 20mo and 4 yo as a single parent. It's totally doable. You will obviously need childcare and a support system. Go for it, a professional degree is never a bad thing to have.

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      05.22.09, 11:56 AM Flag
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