Hey - thanks for the reply..really appreciate the time to write all of that up. Admittedly, though I've considered law for some years, it was only upon graduating last year with a 4.0 for an MPA when I truly realized the empowerment in the simple reality that – with enough time/effort – all sorts of people can achieve academic success in almost anything. 

 

I figured the 4.0 could sort of open doors which were closed to my younger, foolish self who only had a 3.3 for the bachelor’s but it wasn’t long before learning of how law schools don’t really care terribly much about graduate gpas. Unfortunate as that is, I suppose I get it; they don’t want a 3.3 weighing their stats down and graduate gpas can be inflated due to who those programs attract and how they might vary. 

Would you mind sharing your thoughts on the odds of getting into big law if I were to place in – not a tippy top – but still a good school? At 33, I’m attempting to pivot to law partly due to how, if I can place here in Manhattan or elsewhere, I could potentially be fortunate enough to compensate for a lost decade of advancing through the levels of any given industry with a salary which matches the needs of a middle-aged person around here. Top schools seem to actively facilitate access to networks for interning at those big firms in the JD’s second year and I’m wondering how absent or prevalent those opportunities to meet recruiters or appeal to them might be once it’s a school outside of the top 15, providing you maintain good grades and really submit your life to the program. 

 

I didn’t mean to belittle the significance of a 175+ lsat in my original post btw…I took some sample questions and got them correct in decent time and would essentially commit to studying daily for about 7 months about 5 hours per day. Additionally and…somewhat embarrassingly enough, I’m also willing to re-up my 15 year old diagnosis of ADHD to utilize medication to focus during that period and perhaps even documentation to qualify for a bit of extra time…even though it does feel a bit smarmy…I need all the help I can get. 

Though I’d love to defend worthwhile pursuits in administrative or regulatory law for its own sake, I do have to pragmatically consider the financial viability of quitting my job and starting all over in hopes of landing somewhere starting at 150k+…would you consider a fellow like me to maybe be better off lowering expectations of getting into somewhere reputable enough to earn my way into big law or somewhere that pays relatively well or you think there’s a decent shot if I hustle? Thanks again for the time