Any Single Moms/ Dads Attending Part-Time Law Students???

[LotusRN1972]

Hello,
I am new to this site. I am the single Mom of  teenagers and am presently an RN. My goal is to become a Nurse Attorney! I was wondering if there are any single parents on the site who attend school (Full opr Part) that have some words of wisdom to share with me. Thanks in advance

LotusRN1972

[FalconJimmy]

I'm a parent.  (Separated.) 

Law school has been WAYYYY more work than I anticipated.  It just takes a heck of a lot of time.  I notice that the biggest thing that's impacted is my time with my son.

However, on the other hand, I still have time to help coach his football team (2 hours a night.)  So, depending on what, specifically, you want to do with your kids, you can still keep some good quality time going.

What questions do you have? 

[Hamilton]

I did it married with a supportive wife and kids - regret every minute of time it took away from me and the children, because it was a LOT of time.  Would not do it again and would advise any parent against it unless they NEEDED to go to law school.  Sad thing is, they get used to you not being around as much and they miss out on time together with their parent - not a good thing.  My 2 cents - it was selfish of me to go to law school when I did not need to and when I had kids at home who needed their father's time.

[justanothersucker]

Hamilton-what lawyer does not "need" to go to lawschool?

What were you doing for work before lawshool? What would you be expecting to be doing now if you hadn't gone?
Are you a lawyer now or useing your JD in a nonlegal profession?

[Hamilton]

The OP is a RN, does she NEED to go to LS or WANT?  RN is a good career, so I'm guessing it is a "want" (and that is not said in judgment) - one could argue that nobody needs to go to LS unless they are something like an 8-track tape salesman with no other career options.  I maintained my current career (which I have always loved) as a technical/regulatory manager throughout LS and hoped to build upon it with a law degree.  That always sounds good, but for established working professionals making a switch and taking a significant pay cut is not reality.  Generally, I think it is a myth that a JD can be used outside of being a lawyer.  Am I better at my job b/c I went to LS?  In some areas, but I did not need 3 years of LS to acquire the skills and knowledge.  Have any doors been opened?  Marginally, none worth taking.  Overall was it worth the time?  No, it is a tremendous burden to place on one's family.  I am lucky b/c I did not sacrifice my career to go to LS, and had most of it paid for with scholarships and by my employer.  I truly worry about people with families or decent careers who are thinking of sacrificing the career and taking on a tremendous amount of debt to go to LS, I think it is generally a bad plan unless they are fully prepared to hit the reset button and start over careerwise.

Hamilton-what lawyer does not "need" to go to lawschool?

What were you doing for work before lawshool? What would you be expecting to be doing now if you hadn't gone?
Are you a lawyer now or useing your JD in a nonlegal profession?

[Hamilton]

Comment question for the OP.  I was in a similar situation where it seemed very logical that I would be able to build upon my existing career and become a XYZ-lawyer.  Found that (1) they are already plentiful, and (2) having the established professional background does not necessarily translate over to that making you a superior XYZ-lawyer who can step into the game with these people who have been practicing law for 20+ years.  Is there something unique about "nurse attorney" that existing lawyers practicing in the field are missing?  I suggest really critically evaluating the decision from many sides before pulling the trigger.

I am being a wet blanket, I know.  You do not know me from Adam, so take anything I post with 10 grains of salt.  For all you know I am a 12 year old girl making stuff up (I'm not, but this is the internet).  But maybe use my comments and experience in formulating your own thinking, questions, and self-evaluation.

Part time: would that mean keeping your job?  Between work and school, your kids will largely be on their own - is that what you want?  We only get one bite at the apple when it comes to raising and spending time with our kids while they are still young.

Boil down my advice to recommending that you rethink this once the kids are gone to college.  Use this time to prep for the LSAT and max that score.

Hello,
I am new to this site. I am the single Mom of  teenagers and am presently an RN. My goal is to become a Nurse Attorney! I was wondering if there are any single parents on the site who attend school (Full opr Part) that have some words of wisdom to share with me. Thanks in advance

LotusRN1972

[justanothersucker]

So if she plans to go become an actual RN/Lawyer (a real job with real demand and better pay) then she SHOULD get the JD.

If she wants to continue in a nonlegal field with a JD, not the best choice.

Good advice to live by. I support that too.

[Hamilton]

You boiled my ramblings down nicely.  My big question is whether that RN/Lawyer field exists, and whether it is feasible for an older established professional to shoehorn in with a new JD.  I don't know, but think thats the big question the OP, and folks in similar circumstances needs to vett.  Not get 'rah rah go for it' sunshine blown up their shorts, or get "sold" by some law school on the idea - but TRULY explore and vett the "plan" with several practicing lawyers and look for the cold, hard truth of the plan's feasibility.

My experience was that the professional experience was "interesting," but when push came to shove, was not a game-changer and I was just another freshly-minted lawyer who needed to learn the business of practicing law from the bottom up... and that in-house counsel jobs are largely held by folks who had a fair degree of private practice experience.

So if she plans to go become an actual RN/Lawyer (a real job with real demand and better pay) then she SHOULD get the JD.

If she wants to continue in a nonlegal field with a JD, not the best choice.

Good advice to live by. I support that too.

[FalconJimmy]

Hamilton, you actually touched on a concern I have now that I'm in this process.  I am relatively sure I'll finish my 1L year as a full-timer.  I am also relatively sure that doing this is something I do want to complete, if for no other reason than to take it off the bucket list.

However, I also have a 10 year old boy and by my calculations, I have a little more than 7 more years until he's out of the house and off living his own life.  I really don't want to miss out on much of this.

I have a wierd personal situation where I am able to sustain myself without really needing to work the way most folks do.

Being in law school?  It's like having a normal salaried job.  Especially as a 1L, you have hours you need to be there.  You have work to take home and you will probably have to do work on evenings and weekends.  It reminds me very much of the way I had to live when I had a corporate job.

I think I was just spoiled, because I was used to being able to meet my brother for a 3 hour lunch if I felt like it, or be at every single school function for my son, put him on the bus, be there when he got off, etc.

Now?  It's work.  No doubt, it's work.

So, I'd say to calculate the impact on your life, you should think about what it would be like to have another full-time+ job.  As a part-timer, frankly, if you took 9-12 hours, I think that's probably equivalent to having a 40 hour job where you punch a clock.  It's a major impact on a person's life.

[justanothersucker]

Most Americans without advanced degrees have to work as much overtime as possible to pay the bills.

RN's are a GREAT example of that. So, if we are doing it by how much "free time" she will gain or lose, seems like semantics.