Possible for attorney to take 10 years off from work to be a stay at home mom?

[Jennifer37]

I'm considering becoming an attorney but also want to stay at home with my children when they are young. Is it likely that a woman could return to work as an lawyer after many years off? Are there any specialties that might be better for this than others? I might not mind working a few hours a week maybe as a volunteer or paralegal during that time. If I took time off and then was rehired would I probably start at a salary that is lower that it was when I quit the previous one? Thank you for the answers. 

[LincolnLover]

It depends. How much college do you already have? If you don't have any college yet and want to get it online (undergrad through JD) it will take about ten years anyways.

[Jennifer37]

I am a senior in college majoring in general studies. My corse of studies has been changed many times, and I'm taking a part-time corse load this semester just to research different careers and grad programs.

[LincolnLover]

would the "ten years" start now or after completion of gradschool?

[Jennifer37]

They would start after I completed law school.

[LincolnLover]

why that big of a gap that late then? If I were a feminist (I'm not I'm a dude) I'd be put off by the idea since it seems more of a want and less of a need.

Do these kids even exist yet, or are they just being planned for?(nothing wrong with a plan just asking) and if alive, how old?

They would start after I completed law school.

[IrrX]

They would start after I completed law school.

How do you plan to make loan payments? How do you plan to study for the bar ten years after leaving law school, as a stay-at-home parent? How do you plan to find a job when employers tend to focus on, if not current students, recent graduates?

[Jennifer37]

Sorry if anything I typed was misleading. There will be no children for at least a few years after graduation! Lol. I am a returning college student that is 29 years old. There are lots of things about being a lawyer than sound good, but as you mentioned many clients prefer to hire recent graduates, it is an extreemly competitive field and takes several years to build up a client base, etc. The majorty of my f/t career would start in my late 40's- early 50's. Would it be possible for me to take many years off and then return later? Are there any fields within law that would be better than others?

[Jhuen_the_bird]

Anything is possible, but this would be really risky.  I mean, I'm an attorney (since 2010) and most of us are struggling in this economy... Even more experienced attorneys are struggling.  Who knows how the career will change in 10+ years, but if you aren't actively along for the ride, it might be near impossible to re-enter after 10 yrs off... Especially with 0 attorney experience under your belt.  I mean, new attorneys know nothing about practicing law (I promise this is true).  I can't imagine trying to practice after forgetting even what I learned in law school after many years.

Personally, I think it's a horrible idea.  Why do you need to stay home w kids?  Kids need working, productive parents.  It's too difficult to survive financially with only one income per family these days.

[LincolnLover]

If no college, is there even a current husband, or do you plan to meet him between now and then?

Sorry if anything I typed was misleading. There will be no children for at least a few years after graduation! Lol. I am a returning college student that is 29 years old. There are lots of things about being a lawyer than sound good, but as you mentioned many clients prefer to hire recent graduates, it is an extreemly competitive field and takes several years to build up a client base, etc. The majorty of my f/t career would start in my late 40's- early 50's. Would it be possible for me to take many years off and then return later? Are there any fields within law that would be better than others?