EsquireX | How to Make Money During Law School (2024)
Going to law school can be expensive if you’re paying your way through it alone. There are several ways to help you finance law school while you’re actually in law school. Below are suggestions for investing in the right school and making money while you’re there.
How to Finance Law School
If you’re trying to figure out how to fund law school before even applying, consider looking into schools with evening or part-time programs. It will take longer to graduate with these programs, but it’s a great option for people who still want to make a steady salary to pay off school as they go.
How to Get Money for Law School
If you’ve been accepted to schools and are debating where to go, the school offering you the most scholarship money probably seems very appealing. People have rejected full scholarships to go to higher ranked schools only to struggle to pay their student loan debt afterwards. Scholarships tend to be contingent on how well you perform, so they’re not a guaranteed way to pay for law school. You will likely have to maintain a certain GPA to keep your scholarship money, but if you manage to do so your scholarship could cover a considerable amount of tuition.
It’s possible to work jobs during law school, but you don’t want to push yourself too hard. The ABA used to restrict full-time law students to working no more than 20 hours a week. The limitation has been dropped, but your law school might still honor this restriction. Either way, most people recommend not working during your 1L year. 1L grades are critical, and studying for exams is a full-time job. If you are worried about money, work noncommittal weekend jobs that give you downtime. Babysitting, pet sitting and pet walking pay well and still allow you time to read through class notes or outlines. You should stop working these jobs midway through your 1L semesters, though, so that you can put all of your energy into final exams.
There are more job opportunities for law students after 1L year, but it’s important to find balance between making money and studying. To start, you can work those noncommittal weekend jobs you worked during 1L. You can also work more time consuming jobs in retail or food service. Working the front desk of an office or hotel would also give you downtime to go over cases and outlines.
There are good part-time jobs for law students who want to focus on getting more legal experience. If you worked at a firm the summer after your 1L year, ask if you can come in once or twice a week during you fall semester. Also, check your school’s job board – firms and companies hire 2L and 3L interns, externs or fellows for fall and spring semesters. You could also look into doing project work or remote work for online legal service companies. Lawyer Exchange posts specific projects from law firms, and 3Ls looking for work can submit proposals to work on lower level projects.
Some other easy ways to make money in law school involve working for or at the school itself. You can make money working as a teaching assistant or research assistant. Talk to professors or check your school’s job board to see what kind of help they need. Another option is to table at your school as a student representative of a bar prep company. You’ll make money and/or at least get a discount on your bar prep course.
How to Make Money While Waiting for Bar Results
You can start applying to attorney jobs while you wait for your bar results or, if you don’t want to jinx yourself, work a non-legal job until you get the good news. If you want to give yourself a little time before committing to a full-time job, you can work on legal projects using Lawyer Exchange. If you want to jump in right away, you can start as a judicial clerk or law clerk before bar results are released.
Paying your way through law school is doable! It just takes a little planning ahead and knowing what you can handle.
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JoinLawyer Exchange for Free
Lawyer Exchange connects lawyers looking for work with law practices that need help on a short-term, project basis. Lawyer Exchange is open to all licensed attorneys and law school graduates who are awaiting bar exam results or have their bar exam scheduled. Learn more by visiting lawyerexchange.com/project-lawyers and join for free
Lawyer Exchange posts specific projects from law firms, and 3Ls looking for work can submit proposals to work on lower level projects. Some other easy ways to make money in law school involve working for or at the school itself. You can make money working as a teaching assistant or research assistant.
Another option is to look into working for your school, either as a library assistant, tour guide, or a research assistant for your favorite professor. Many bar exam prep companies also hire law students, which can be a good way to not only make money but may lead to a discount on your bar prep course.
Loans and scholarships are the only way to get money while you're in law school. Lots of law students will hold a job of some kind while they are in school. The key to having a job while in law school is to find one that is high-pay/low-hour. Working for your school is often a great option.
If you are working full-time while in law school, you are not alone! Many people work full time and attend law school in the evenings. Many law schools have programs specifically tailored to students who are working full time while in school.
The primary funding options are Scholarships and grants—the “free” money this is either funded by your law school or funded by private organizations, civic groups, etc.; Loans which can be federal loans or private/alternative/institutional loans.
You are never too old to go to law school! There is absolutely nothing wrong with starting law school at 30, and you definitely won't be alone. Your law school class will be filled with people of all ages and backgrounds in life, including those on their second (or third) career.
It's uncommon for full-time law students to take a job during the school year, according to Marcia Pennington Shannon, the assistant dean of the office of career strategy at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. Shannon recommends at least waiting until the end of your first year of law school before ...
According to the latest data from the American Bar Association: The average law school graduate owes approximately $130,000 in educational debt upon graduating. 90 percent of students take out loans to attend law school or their prior education.
You can use student loans for living expenses. You can borrow up to the school's cost of attendance, which includes tuition, fees, books and other law school expenses, as well as the estimated cost of housing, food, transportation and other living expenses.
As a traditional law student at a three-year law school, you have two summer “breaks.” The first is between your first and second years of law school (your “1L summer”). The second is between your second and third years of law school (your “2L summer”).
Jobs with flexible hours can be a particularly good fit. Overall, the calculus leans against working during law school, but many law students still find part-time work that does not conflict with their studies, campus life, career search or school rules.
Most students cannot afford to pay all of their law school expenses out of their own pockets. According to a recent survey by the American Bar Association, over 95 percent of law students take out loans to defray these costs.
If you know in your soul that you want to work in Big Law, it may make sense for you to take on more debt to go to a school that has great employment outcomes for its graduates, has a high median starting salaries, and is a good fit for you.
The cheapest law school in the US is the University of the District of Columbia. Tuition costs $13,438 for in-state students and $25,874 for out-of-state students. For those considering attending part-time law school, these costs will be even lower!
The National Jurist reports that the median salary for first-year associates at law firms with less than 50 employees was $90,000 and for firms with over 75 lawyers, starting salaries ranged from $126,500 to $168,250.
If you're able to get good grades and work during law school, it will be seen as a plus by potential employers. Law firms trying to determine which candidates can handle multiple cases and grueling hours will be impressed by your ability to successfully manage both work and law school.
If you want to make the highest salary post law school, you may want to attend Cornell Law School. The law school has the highest annual earners nationwide by more than $40,000, according to a new study conducted by Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar & Levine.
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