5 Financial Pitfalls of Part Time Law School

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Last week, we discussed some of the financial benefits of attending part time law programs. Today, we discuss some of the drawbacks.

1. You limit the number schools you can go to. Only a few schools offer part time law school, so you’ll be limited by the number of schools you can apply to if you decide to go part time. This usually isn’t a problem for individuals who want to go to law school part time. Usually, they’re individuals who have a career and want to switch careers to law. They’ll just go to the closest law school that will allow them to commute. They’re not interested in tiers or reputations of schools. However, because most of the part time programs are offered at less prestigious schools, this could result in part time students’ job offers being limited. It’s a hard fact of life. Where you went to school will effect what kind of job opportunities you will have. Here’s a list of law schools that offer part time programs.
2. You miss out on networking. Because part time students are not on campus as much as full-time students, they miss out on valuable opportunities to network with their fellow classmates and professors. While it’s important to network with people outside of law school, I think it’s even more important to network with people with whom you go to class. Those students will be the people you will be working with for the rest of your career. You never know if you’ll have a future judge or big firm partner in your class. Making friends with your fellow law students can pay off big.
3. Your grades may suffer. Because most part time students are juggling both a career and law school, there’s a good chance their grades will suffer. Bad grades = fewer job opportunities = less pay.
4. Your current career may suffer. Law school is tough, even if you’re going part time. Because of the time and energy demands of law school, there’s a possibility that your current career may suffer. If you have too much trouble at work, it could result in getting laid off or missing on advancement opportunities, which results lost money. However, you could just enroll in a full-time program if this happens to you.
5. Many law firms look down on part time programs. Unfortunately, part time law school has a stigma. Many hiring partners see part time programs only for those students who weren’t qualified enough to get in a full time program. Or they might see part time programs as less rigorous than full time law school. Additionally, because most part time programs are at less prestigious schools, hiring partners will look down on a part time program because of the school attached to it. All these factors can play a part in diminishing the amount you earn during your law career.

Any other pitfalls of enrolling part time in law school or do you disagree with me? I’d love to hear what you all think.

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31 Comments

1. Ben on 29.05.2007 at 18:41 (Reply)

   Meh, I guess it’s the prestige quote that irks me: “most of the part time programs are offered at less prestigious schools”. I understand that this is statistically valid, but there are part-time programs that are top-notch at highly rated schools, many in the top 50 - GULC, GW, GMU, Fordham, UMD, American just to name a few. And it doesn’t seem to be a valid argument for or against being part-time.

   It just seems like an invalid argument to say “a reason for not choosing PT law is that most are at less prestious schools”. If you’re evaluating a highly-ranked program, what difference do lesser-ranked schools make? For example, in choosing whether or not to do part-time law at Georgetown, why would I take into account the status of Regent’s program?

   To use an analogy, it feels like it’s kind of similar to saying, “There are many reasons to avoid studying law in Massachusetts, and one of them is that most of the law schools aren’t very prestigious”. Well, true, the majority of law schools (4 of 7) rank below #80 in USN&WR rankings, but Harvard’s there for pete’s sake. Doesn’t make sense to criticize Massachusetts. There are fine schools in Massachusetts, and people who want to study there (just like people who want to study elsewhere) can see what schools are good and what schools aren’t good.

   The other four are definitely concerns of mine, though. My current career is the least of my concerns. As I’ve told my boss, and you suggested…. between (1) family/friends, (2) law school, and (3) current job, if something has to go to save the other two, it’ll be the job, no question. I’m going PT because the debt load scares me, particularly as I’m considering public interest. But if push comes to shove, hell no, current job is not worth it.

   And one additional reason what part-time might be a pitfall — all programs that I’ve seen are four years. This means one more year of interest on loans compounding and one more year of cost-of-living expenses potentially billed to loans. If for some reason you’re taking out in loans the maximum student budget available to part-time candidates (perhaps because your salary is small, or it’s going to paying off existing debt) then your 4-year cost will be more than a 3-year (full-time) cost.

2. Brett McKay on 30.05.2007 at 08:04 (Reply)

   Ben-
   Thanks for you comment and feedback. You make a good point about not all part time programs are at less prestigious schools.

   I also agree that the extra year of school will definitely create more cost of living expenses as well as increase the amount of compounding interest.

   What kind of public interest law are you looking at?

3. Ben on 30.05.2007 at 09:45 (Reply)

   Good question! My background is in technology/computers, but I’m really interested in civil liberties and constitutional law. I think melding the two and ending up in an organization like EPIC, or working in the government could be really fascinating. But also impoverishing, heh.

4. strange bird on 30.05.2007 at 10:14 (Reply)

   Ben makes some good points. I suppose part of the concern is the sense that many law school applicants get that the application process is something of a crapshoot. Maybe “you” (the general you) may get into one law school and be rejected by a peer school for no discernable reason. So “you” are *slightly* more limited when you are looking for part-time programs. I think you agree, though, that if you are set on a part-time program, that’s not really a concern… only for those who are still up in the air.

5. Chitowngirl on 30.05.2007 at 11:24 (Reply)

   I have a few observations as a part-time law student.

   1. It definitely makes it hard to network.
   2. You miss out on the opportunity to Summer with a Firm.
   3. Not having direct legal experience is a large hurdle to overcome.
   4. You definitely have to emphasize transferable skills.
   4. Working and going to school places a large strain on families and relationships.
   5. There is a range of part-time programs. My school is a second-tier law school which has pretty good standing on a regional basis. Since I am trying to stay in Chicago, it holds an excellent reputation but does not hold the status of a first-tier like Northwestern where I went to undergrad.
   6. Working and going to school is HARD, HARD, HARD!!!!!!! Wears on you by year 4.
   7. After it’s all done with, there is a huge sense of accomplishment and you come away feeling a lot stronger than before you started.

6. Chitowngirl on 30.05.2007 at 11:26 (Reply)

   Oops…one more thing. You may be able to get your employer to help you out with tuition reimbursement. (thumbs up)

7. Kenlie on 30.05.2007 at 12:58 (Reply)

   Chitowngirl answered the question I would have asked regarding summer clerk positions.
   Those experiences are invaluable. Without them, I’m not sure how one would apply for their first job. And it is SO important to have a sense of the office environment before committing to the job.

   And regarding the reimbursement situation…I know that firms will often pay for your LLM if you agree to join their program, but I didn’t think there was a firm on this earth that would reimburse portions of tuition for a JD. I think it’s safe to say that it definitely would not happen in NY.

8. Kenlie on 30.05.2007 at 12:59 (Reply)

   Hehe, also…how do you all feel about getting your LLM part-time while working for a firm? Maybe I’ll want to shoot myself, but it appears to be my only option.

9. Brett McKay on 30.05.2007 at 15:07 (Reply)

   Chinatowngirl-
   Thanks for the input from someone who has experienced part time law school first hand. I didn’t even think about the summer clerkship positions. Kind of hard to do when you have a job.

10. Brett McKay on 30.05.2007 at 15:08 (Reply)

    Kenline-
    I know several attorneys who got their LLM while working. I can imagine it being extremely hard to juggle the course work with your job, but I bet you’ll have no problem with it!

11. Brett McKay on 30.05.2007 at 15:09 (Reply)

    Government work, eh? That’s what I’m looking at, too. Any particular field in the government? Government work may not pay well, but you can’t beat the hours or lifestyle.

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13. PT-LawMom on 21.06.2007 at 06:10 (Reply)

    I don’t know that this is all true. I am part-time at a T2. I work as staff for a BigLaw firm and we have several evening students from my firm taking a four-week leave of absence from their jobs to do a half-summer at my firm. If you have the grades, you can do it.

14. Chitowngirl on 21.06.2007 at 09:54 (Reply)

    Depends on your employer.

    When you have a career versus a part-time / temporary job, it’s a little tougher because what’s in it for your current employer? I think they weigh all of that when they consider allowing you to take a leave. They ask all kinds of questions for why you want the time off. I had a hard time convincing my employer just to give me 4 days unpaid while studying for the bar. I have to take all of my vacation for the month of July.

    It’s just tough in regular corporate whereas if you are in a traditional legal environment, it makes more sense.

15. PT-LawMom on 21.06.2007 at 09:58 (Reply)

    If it’s your vacation time, should you have to justify it? Ultimately will you be working for your same employer when you pass the bar? If so, then one would think it would benefit them for you to do well on the bar. If they don’t think so, then perhaps it’s the wrong place for you to be working? I think the bottom line is that those of us who go part-time have to realize that we’re going to have to either sacrifice sometime during the four years or perhaps it’s not worth it. If you don’t summer or do law review and your current company won’t hire you on, it’s going to be tough to find work.

16. part time law student on 21.06.2007 at 11:59 (Reply)

    What a great idea for a blog. Money is such a huge issue for law students/lawyers and so few people talk about. Like Ben I came in wanting to do public interest and knew enough lawyers who were miserable doing work they don’t like to pay off huge debt loads that I was willing to do whatever it took to avoid that fate. It’s definitely a grind, but there’s no rule that you can’t network, can’t summer or can’t do the extracurriculars to pad the resume.

    I work about 40 hours a week in an unrelated field, did mock trial last year, moot court next, am an officer on two organizations and will do either of the top two journals at my school depending on how the write-on competition goes. I don’t have a family to care for, which helps, but there are people in my section with families (even a few girls who have just had babies during the year) that have been able to make it work as well. It takes determination, commitment and a LOT of discipline, but it is do-able.

    I estimate that going part-time probably saved me about $40,000 for my first year (tuition + living expenses). The toughest decision is whether or not to switch to full-time after the 1st year. A lot of people don’t realize you can do that and still graduate in 3. Having only done a year, as of now I think going part-time was one of the best decisions I ever made.

17. PT-LawMom on 21.06.2007 at 13:26 (Reply)

    P.S. Many of the employers who pay for law school are IP firms sending their patent agents.

18. part time law student on 21.06.2007 at 17:46 (Reply)

    Regarding ones company footing the bill - a lot of bigger companies have a blanket policy regarding paying for tuition that will cover it. A guy in my section works for 30 hours a week for a Fortune 100 and they pick up the bill. I don’t even think they have a significant legal dept. in town so it’s certainly not in the expectation that he continue with the company after graduation. I can only assume it’s a good will gesture on the part of the company.

19. Erin on 24.06.2007 at 18:53 (Reply)

    PTLS you are right. I work for an oil and gas company and they are paying ALOT of the tution for the next three or four years. My thing is I hope that just as many of the responders were able to find positives about PTLS the blog author will take it upon himself to post something GOOD about it as well. I don’t start until fall, but bottom line is most PTLS already have inhibitions. They already know the hurdles. Some even feel bad about having to go that route. I certainly wish I could go full time, but that is not an option. So it would be nice if forums, websites and blogs would commit just as quickly to the positives of the experience as the negatives. My full time friends just took out over 30 grand in loans for THIS year. With my job paying, and scholarships I will owe two thousand out of pocket at a school voted best in the country for advocacy. Volunteering at two of the law networks in texas i am getting to not only network, but learn that of what a clerk does. I have already joined two student networks so far and talk with them intermittently. And my having a job and bills serves as MAJOR motivation to do my best to set myself up financially for the future. Bottom line is PTLS is not the end of the world if you are willing to work. It will be hard but like I said, i and many others have no other choice. Hearing about the negatives but at the same time given guidance as on what can be done positively as to negate those negatives would be nice as opposed to being immersed in the negative.

20. Brett McKay on 24.06.2007 at 19:21 (Reply)

    Erin-
    Thanks for stopping by and commenting! If you read the beginning of the post, you would have seen a link to a previous post I did on the financial BENEFITS of part time law school. This post was a second in a series on part time law school. I’m not knocking on part time law school, I’m just trying to get people talking about the pros AND cons of it.

21. Brett McKay on 24.06.2007 at 19:22 (Reply)

    PTLS-
    That’s a definite financial benefit of part time law school. I’ll have to update my post on the benefits of part time law school to include that.

22. Erin on 24.06.2007 at 22:06 (Reply)

    I did see that and I congratulate you on the consideration. But what I also noticed was how succinct it was in comparison to this article. Also, how limited it was to primarily FINANCIAL benefits. I simply pointed out the plethora of OTHER benefits that were not mentioned. I see that you plan on writing such in the future and look forward to it.

23. Brett McKay on 24.06.2007 at 22:51 (Reply)

    Erin-
    The Frugal Law Student is primarily a financial blog. For that reason, I decided to focus on the financial aspects of part time law school. I know there are lots of other things to consider when deciding to go part time, but I wanted to keep in theme with the blog.

24. Stuart on 24.08.2007 at 19:21 (Reply)

    Here’s an idea I haven’t seen mentioned:

    A BIG group of employers that will pay for your part-time law school: The schools themselves.

    I work at a college which has a well-known law school. I applied for a job and began working here with the plan of staying one year, and then taking advantage of the 50% tuition remission that employees get.

    So far (first week of 1L) it’s working great:

    I work “full time” (A work-week is 37.5 hours.)

    It’s a college, and so not a very stressful workplace.

    I’m on campus all day, and can go to the law school for daytime events.

    I can park in the “staff” spots.

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27. Heather on 20.03.2008 at 23:24 (Reply)

    I am looking to go to lawschool part-time and focus on IT Secuity and privacy. Anyone have any sugestions on companies who might help me out with this? I am an IT Audit Manager now. Also, do any of you know of law firms who hire auditors as experts and then help them along with law school?

    1. houston part-time law student on 21.03.2008 at 21:44 (Reply)

       Heather, here’s my take, with the caveats that the following is purely anecdotal and perhaps peculiar to my location: “traditional” law firms are not particularly part-time-friendly and would shudder at the notion of paying for someone to go to law school. The glaring exception is in intellectual property where many firms actively recruits part time students with science backgrounds. We’ve even had a few full-time law students with science backgrounds switch to part-time in order to take jobs with IP firms while still in school.

       Aside from IP firms, large corporations are the most likely to offer tuition reimbursement.

       With your background you might target legal service companies in e-discovery and computer forensics.

       1. Heather on 22.03.2008 at 20:20 (Reply)

          Thanks for the tip. Here is another question, I am actually the acting IT Audit Director of a fortune 100 company. You said something about corporations who focus on IP which is one of the audits I am focusing on. Do you have any sugestions as to the firms or head hunters which I might want to speak with. Since I am planning on getting a degree to focus further on legistation I currently audit against I was hoping this might help.

          Thanks again

          1. houston part-time law student on 24.03.2008 at 15:20 (Reply)

             Heather, it sounds like you have a great background for what you’re interested in. My info is all Houston-specific, but e-mail me luke gilman at gmail dot com and I can put you in touch with some of the people in my section who are at IP firms.

28. kanika on 01.07.2008 at 11:36 (Reply)

    Hi

    A quick question. I hav a degree in Food Engineering and work in food company. I am at good managment position. However, I feel I want to get part time law school and become law and specialize in food company laws or corporate laws…..dont know many choices ..so cant say which will best suit my qualification. Do you think it will be good to further study law????

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