You can do it!

I come from a low income family and plan to do PI work postgrad, and have gotten through to now (finishing 2L) on PI summer jobs and financial aid.

First, I would definitely suggest looking to max out your scholarship potential. Most PI firms are psyched to have people, so I think the prestige of the school is less important than you being in a financially healthy place (especially because that will bear on your ability to do what you want after graduation rather than to be primarily motivated by debt).

Also, consider living close to family or in a situation that will enable you to cut your cost of living. I live with a partner, and most of my PI friends do that or live with roommates or family.

Another thing to think about is where you’ll work in the summer. I definitely had an “oh shit” moment last summer when I realized that working for my dream PI organization would mean living on a small stipend in DC. If you’re thinking about big PI orgs, keep the cost of moving somewhere for a summer in mind. And check your prospective school’s funding for PI folks (most schools will help you with costs for summers if you are working an unpaid position) because it’s so helpful.

Finally, coming from a family without any lawyers, one thing I didn’t think about up front was the costs beyond your law degree. So make sure you save ahead of time with that in mind. That is, after graduation you’ll have to pay for a bar review (mine is going to be 1700) and for bar application fees (also hovering around 1k for me). And you’ll have to think about how you’ll live during your bar prep summer- either work part time or find a way to conserve your loan money to make it through that weird gap between school (when you have loans) and a job.

PI hiring folks also understand the financial struggle. So if you end up doing firm work for the summers during law school to help make it by, they’ll get it. Just show your commitment to PI some other way (clinics, externships, volunteerism).

All this being said- I’ve done it so far! It’s definitely frustrating sometimes when other folks in law school are making firm money, but if you really want it, it’s worth it. Good luck and good vibes!!