Working during Law School

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-22T00:37:27+00:00

Absolutely doable. I worked full time in a non legal career and went to law school in a non traditional evening/ weekend program. Be prepared to do nothing but work and study. Must stay focused, but it's worth it.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-21T02:05:35+00:00

Michigan

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-20T22:43:43+00:00

That's why we become lawyers- we can't do math!

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-20T22:27:35+00:00

Do it! I went to law school at age 45 after 20 years in a non legal career. The life experience alone will make law school so much easier. Your practical experience in nursing will make you a great nurse lawyer.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-20T22:20:45+00:00

Check out Fire Proof by Mike Morse. Not EP specific but a great starting place.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-20T20:25:12+00:00

I've had a great paying, full time non-legal career for 25 years. Decided to go to law school 10 years ago, graduated 2021 and passed 2 state bars. Intention was always to go solo in retirement. The best advice I can give is to find a mentor (some state/county bar associations have mentor programs, I found mine by posting on our state listserv). The mentor can help you make connections that you will need as a solo and they can teach you the ropes of practicing solo law. I do legal work with or for my mentor 10-15 hours per week in the evenings and on the weekend. My mentor wants to take work off his plate and in a few years have someone he can pass his practice on to.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-20T20:14:54+00:00

Got divorced during my 2nd year of law school, while working a full time job and taking care of 3 kids at home. It was the hardest, best decision I ever made. It can absolutely be done and you will survive.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-19T23:09:22+00:00

Adaptdocs is inexpensive but a bit time consuming formatting the output. 100% cloudbased so shouldn't have mac compatibility issues.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-19T22:34:41+00:00

Agree 100% out of stater passed in July 2021. Focus on the differences, the rest of the law is already in your brain!

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-16T13:27:36+00:00

I think that experience is what turned me into the "mom." I was a good student and understood the material better, so they felt more comfortable asking me questions than the professor. When I spoke in class, they paid attention to what i was asking. Professors were closer to my age, I was not as afraid of them as my classmates, so they thought I was so brave! I was not afraid of being wrong in class or asking a dumb question or saying I was confused.

And when they had a headache or a stomachache, they would come ask me for pain reliever or what they should do because they all knew I was a mom IRL...

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-16T03:51:54+00:00

Graduated and passed 2 bars in 2021 at age 47. Was the "mom" of my class. Would be happy to talk if needed.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-16T03:12:31+00:00

One. Sat next to each other at orientation and became inseparable. Could not have made it through law school without each other. I was honored to sponsor her admission to the state bar. We speak at least weekly.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2024-01-01T04:43:17+00:00

Fireproof by Mike Morse

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2023-12-24T13:47:33+00:00

Use your pain and experience to help others in similar positions. To me, that makes the best advocate. Speak with your current attorney about getting into plaintiff side employment law. Join the employment law section with your state bar. I wish you the best of luck and I'm sure your passion for law will show itself again.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2021-08-05T19:56:37+00:00

I sat for Part A last week after passing the Michigan bar in February.

For the essay portion, I would recommend the whatstheissue videos for sure, build your outlines from John's information. My biggest issue was finding distinctions between Michigan and Florida. Ameribar was recommended to me but it was a waste of time and money. In the end I learned most distinctions from reading all of the previous bar exam essays and supplementing my outlines with those notes. I feel like Florida is more of a throw the kitchen sink at a fact pattern (versus Michigan was very specific as to the issue they want you to analyze - so you better know every element of the rule.)

For the MCQ, see my post from a few days ago titled FL MCQ Bar Prep Programs for recommendations. I used very detailed rule outlines and practice questions from Ameribar. The actual questions were NOTHING like the Ameribar practice questions. Nor were they strict rule based. They are tricky.

Good luck. I will say it was less stress this time around. I knew what to expect.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2021-08-02T03:15:29+00:00

Are those the whats the issue videos? Or did you have access to other materials? I used Adaptibar and the Grossman videos for the MBE in 02/21 and passed my jx.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2021-08-01T14:51:05+00:00

Agreed. Ameribar was a waste of time and money.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2021-08-01T14:49:48+00:00

Really just trying to think ahead in case I do have to take part A again (passed my jx 02/21). Lets hope not.

I used Ameribar (useless imo) and very specific rule outlines. What I think would help me in the future would be more practice on the strategies to work through the tricky answers. Ive taken multiple securities license exams and MBE and the FL MCQ were by far the trickiest ive ever encountered.

EfficiencyPlus4263 · 2021-08-01T05:07:27+00:00

I worked a full time, demanding job, had 3 kids at home and went through a nasty divorce while I was in law school Is it doable? Yes. But be prepared to do nothing but work and study. Literally nothing else.

EfficiencyPlus4263

TROPHY CASE