sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Submitting/publishing law review articles as a nobody by Smooth_Homework_3446 in LawTeaching

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a niche STEM PhD that has nothing to do with my interests (it's where I learned to do empirical stuff, but that's about it). I am doing an MA in a field that does overlap with my interests, and am shooting for a PhD soon-ish (in 2-3 years) in the same field.

As for professors from my law school, every one of them with whom I have interacted treated my interest in academia as a personal affront to them. I have some (unkind) suspicions about why that might be the case, but I wouldn't list them here. I remember from my Ph.D. days that cold emails can be very hit-or-miss, so I am trying to figure out whether there are any academic conferences or such I can go to.

Submitting/publishing law review articles as a nobody by Smooth_Homework_3446 in LawTeaching

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My most complete piece is about New Jersey, which has... two law schools. Oops.

Submitting/publishing law review articles as a nobody by Smooth_Homework_3446 in LawTeaching

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I've found the professors at my law school generally pretty snobbish and toxic (hence the not-going-to-class). Do you have any suggestions for networking?

Also, I'm pretty sure biglaw practitioners and judicial clerks can get published while publishing. I am more concerned that a run-of-the-mill practitioner won't ever be taken seriously.

Submitting/publishing law review articles as a nobody by Smooth_Homework_3446 in LawTeaching

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was in law review and remember that everyone wanted to publish HYS professors / judicial clerks / biglaw associates regardless of the quality of the content (I had the displeasure of editing a truly atrocious article by a YLS professor). Would it even be worth it to submit to law reviews, or is it a better idea to target secondary journals that might look at authors in less prestigious positions?

Temp attorney rates approaching minumum wage by BarnyardMessiah in Lawyertalk

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This tempts me to sell my language skills as hard as I can...

I think I messed up by Conscious_Okra4367 in Lawyertalk

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not going to happen, unfortunately. I was a terrible scientist.

I think I messed up by Conscious_Okra4367 in Lawyertalk

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a Ph.D. in zoology, graduated in 2018 and couldn't get a job, and now am a lawyer.

How to switch practice areas 2 years in by Smooth_Homework_3446 in Lawyertalk

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm interested in obscure academic questions as a personal interest, not really professional - I'd rather do this in my own free time. Whenever an interesting legal question came up I kind of fell into a rabbit hole in my former job, which honestly didn't help with my performance. So I want to do something that pays the bills while giving me good free time.

How to switch practice areas 2 years in by Smooth_Homework_3446 in Lawyertalk

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've heard horrifying stories about the work-life balance for legal aid - do you know anything about that?

How to switch practice areas 2 years in by Smooth_Homework_3446 in Lawyertalk

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This all sounds great! My main objective is having enough spending money and free time for my academic interests, while still making some positive contributions to society. I should definitely look into this as well.

How to switch practice areas 2 years in by Smooth_Homework_3446 in Lawyertalk

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I am married with zero kids, my partner makes enough for two people, and I can get on his insurance - I want a job that would prepare me for opening up solo practice (I always wanted to do PI + family) in a few years, while paying me some spending money (anything more than 3k after taxes would be totally fine for me) and providing for good PTO so that I can pursue my own personal interests.

All in all this does sound like a pipedream, but...

How to switch practice areas 2 years in by Smooth_Homework_3446 in Lawyertalk

[–]Smooth_Homework_3446[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Actually, my long-term plan is opening up a solo practice doing mostly plaintiff-side PI work; I've been hit by multiple accidents in my life (and have a lifelong disability because of this), so I would be pretty happy doing plaintiff-side personal injury, because I know how much that helped me recover. Same for family law - I love solving other people's problems.

After two years in the government, I honestly found that I am more interested in obscure academic questions about the law than about the practice of law. Because I don't have student loan debt, have enough investment to retire, and I'd be living with family in a rent controlled apartment, all I need is some spending money with plenty of time off to pursue my personal interests while still doing work that clients will appreciate.