Happy Valentines Day!

Resa77

How's everyone doing?  Anything new going on?  How are all the pregnant mamas?

H took his LSAT last weekend, and now we're justt getting his applications all squared away.  I'm excited for us to start this next phase, but I'm also a bit nervous.  It's a total juggling act to do law school and work (both part time, of course).  I am almost thinking he should just go full time and somehow we'll make ends meet, but I'm just not sure that's possible at this point.  Oh well, I guess we'll just have to trust in God!  Although it would totally be cool with me if God gave me a little bit of reassurance right about now  

CrazyCatLady3

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_happy-valentines-day?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:eade934e-7841-453d-9914-e7a9453fad4ePost:eb4de4a2-b107-4213-8091-65294a31a12b">Happy Valentines Day!</a>:
[QUOTE]How's everyone doing?  Anything new going on?  How are all the pregnant mamas? H took his LSAT last weekend, and now we're justt getting his applications all squared away.  I'm excited for us to start this next phase, but I'm also a bit nervous.  It's a total juggling act to do law school and work (both part time, of course).  I am almost thinking he should just go full time and somehow we'll make ends meet, but I'm just not sure that's possible at this point.  Oh well, I guess we'll just have to trust in God!  Although it would totally be cool with me if God gave me a little bit of reassurance right about now :) 
Posted by Resa77[/QUOTE]

<div>Hi Resa, is your H looking at the part-time program at G'town law?  I actually started there part-time but switched to full time because I wanted to finish in 3 years.  However I have a lot of friends who did the part-time program all 4 years while working and managed just fine.  Many were also married, and some even had kids.  You just have to be really organized about your time and have a disciplined schedule for studying, etc. </div><div>A few years after law school, I also decided to go to b-school but went part-time because I absolutely couldn't justify leaving my job (and income) for it.  I still managed.  Again, I just had to be disciplined with my time and sometimes forgo social functions or whatnot.  But now I am done and it was so worth it. :)</div><div>Also, as far as law school goes now, the legal job market is pretty bad so I def recommend going part time and not leaving a steady income and racking up student loan debt.  Then there will be a lot less pressure when he graduates if it takes him a little while to find something.  Not sure if he currently works in the legal field, but it's also good to maintain contacts and goodwill for job leads down the road.  It's a lot easier than just sending around faceless resumes.</div><div>
</div><div>If you or your H has any specific questions feel free to PM me.</div><div>
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</div><div>[Btw this is formerly "femme55"; I decided I ought to change my username to take out my email address if I am going to be posting on TK more now.]</div>

Resa77

Thanks for the info   He's applying to Gtown, GW, Catholic, Howard, Mason, and UVA, so we'll just have to wait and see where he ends up!  Although the legal job market isn't great, it's what he's always wanted.  His Dad's a lawyer, his brother's a lawyer, and he's always wanted to be, too.  He still isn't sure about what kind of law he'd like to practice, though.  His current job isn't related to law at all, but it's income at least! 

Calypso1977

not sure what PT program he's looking at, but at Suffolk Law here in Boston the "PT" program is only 1 class less per week than the FT program.

i took the pesky LSAT twice.  yeah, twice.  brutal. 

when i looked at law schools here is what i found.  Unless you end up in the top 3 of your class and are editor of law review at some point, you dont end up getting the ridiculolous high paying jobs.  most people end up at the DA's office making less money than i made as a legal secretary.  you also need to nail a summer associate position  or again, you dont go far after graduation.

im not sure what your husband wants to do, Resa, and what his ability is student-wise, but it may make sense for him to go full time and focus 100% on his studies if you can swing it financially.  law school isnt just the course work - its study groups (im told these are VITAL) and many hours researching and brief writing.

i couldnt afford to go FT so i opted not to go at all because i know my abilities and i knew i wasnt smart enough to be at the top of my class.  i wont even tell you the horror stories i heard about cut throat stuff like stealing books out of the library so others couldnt get them, all in an effort to be at the top.

it also didnt help that every lawyer id worked for during my 5 years in firms said "dont go to law school and become a lawyer, its not what it looks like and its miserable!"

CrazyCatLady3

I did not find study groups to be necessary in law school.  They're mostly for insecure 1st years, and students after the 1st year don't bother.  Also, the PT program at G'town was the same as Calypso mentioned--1 less class.  But the program is structured and people managed.  The problem with going FT is that if you don't get a job straight out of law school and have racked up a ton of debt to go while losing income from not working, you're screwed.  It is true if you don't go to a top law school you will have more difficulty getting a high paying job, unless you are law review etc.  So good advice is for your hubby to go to the best school he gets into (G'town or UVA if he gets in), unless he is getting a full scholarship somewhere else.

If the legal job market weren't as bad as it is now I wouldn't be advising against FT, but there are years of backlogs of law graduates looking for jobs.  Even for DA/gov't and public interest jobs, there is a lot of competition.

Riss91

I know tons of corporate lawyers that do really well - they didn't all go to top schools. They can handle everything from SEC filings, contracts, litigation, due diligence, negotiations to regulatory matters. There are many options in the corporate world. I also don't think they all necessarily work insane hours - usually only when something is happening that day.

professorscience

That's both exciting and a little scary, Resa!  Definitely thinking of you!

No big plans for today.  We have tomorrow and Monday off, so I didn't really want to start anything new.  I'm just giving my kids a chance to make up missing work and showing a Life video (and I'll take any excuse to watch those!).  I'm heading to Dallas tomorrow, and DH will likely not be home by the time I leave, so I won't see him unless he decides to join me (fingers crossed).  We usually don't do anything special for V-Day except find a recipe that is somewhat ambitious and cook together.  I found some recipes for V-Day Sweets for Two, so I'm thinking of leaving him some delicious baked goods for when he does get home.

erin5286

Thinking of you and your H Resa!  I know you two will be able to figure out what's the best plan, whether it's PT or FT.  I know law school can be tough (one of the reasons I decided not to go after getting my paralegal degree) but having a supportive spouse like you will make it doable.  The job market out here for lawyers really doesn't seem to be as bad as in other parts of the country, at least as far as I know, so you can always consider moving to the Midwest if necessary

I like the idea of cooking together for Valentine's day.  This year we're going out to dinner (not sure where, H has a restaurant in mind but is keeping it a "surprise") but I'll definitely keep that in mind for next year. 

I just got some flowers delivered to me at work about an hour ago .  Even more than the flowers, I love reading the message that he puts in the card - my H is not usually overly romantic, so it's really exciting for me when he does things like this.

Riss91

We are pretty low key about Valentine's Day. We exchange cards and cook a nice dinner. We are going out with my parents for dinner on Saturday which is the anniversary of our engagement.

Calypso1977

true - my only epxerience is with major boston area firms and one mom and pop firm in vermont.  i dont have any knowledge of corporate lawyer jobs.

Resa77

Yeah, the job market here is actually pretty good compared to everywhere else in the country, apparently.  Ultimately, though, I want him to have a career he'll love. 

Our Valentine's Day will be pretty low-key.  We exchanged cards last night because we're impatient like that.  Tonight H is cooking dinner (like he does every night), so that'll be nice.  The house is a disaster, so I'm sure that'll drive me bonkers, but oh well.