Working as a 1L?

[JulieJul]

(if there is already a thread about this, which I realize there most likely is, would someone be kind enough to point me in the right direction?)


I have always worked.  I've been working in some form or another since I was legally able to get a job when I was 14.  For the past year or so I've been waitressing, since it's a fairly easy way to make a lot of money in not so many hours.  I have been thinking about what to do come August, and the most logical thing in my mind is to try and find a job working 1-2 nights a week waitressing or bartending at a nice restaurant, with a weekly income of $200-400.  I know I can take out loans for mostly everything, but an extra few hundred dollars a week could go really far in law school.

I know that it's recommended that you shouldn't work in law school, and we are forbidden from working more than 20 hours a week, but do most people really not work at all?  I just find this so hard to believe.  I know that most of the people I know don't work in undergrad, but this definitely does not mean it's anywhere near impossible.  Call me naive, but would taking 5-10 hours out of my week to work really seriously disadvantage me?     

[thenextstep]

I plan to work around 10hr/wk myself... I think that you and I can be good judges of whether it's a problem.  I mean if you take that type of job, you can quit if it's taking away from your ability to get your work done.  It does seem like most people do not work while in law school.  But do what you are comfortable with and see how it goes.  I think it's pretty important to do something outside of school, and work can be one of those things.  What do others think?

[sck]

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to work, at least not the first semester, when I go. I wouldn't want to work more than 5-10 hours a week, though.

I tried working 20 hours a week and taking 12 hours of graduate school (granted, considered an overload) at the same time. I quit the job so I wouldn't fail. Later, I worked full time while taking 6 hours and it was horrible, too. (Working 30 hours a week with 6 hours of undergrad as a postbacc was fine, however....)

I just don't do well working and going to school at the same time. Since I'm going BACK to school, too, I think I'm much better off focusing on my studies at first since I'll have to adjust to law school and get back into the study groove. I'm thinking about getting a job at Kaplan or Princeton Review for some spare cash right now, though, so I might look into doing that some once I'm in law school too.

[dave303]

Absolutely do not. Not only is it a waste of time it might hurt your grades. Law school is a lot of work, you have no idea how much work. If you want money, then come dec 1st be prepared to send out resumes/cover letters to biglaw firms. You'll make about 29,000 over the summer if you can get a job, which you have a good chance of doing from a top 10 school. Is it really worth risking your grades to make a few grand over the semester? Seriously, grades are incredibly important your first semester and 1L is a very short time. Don't risk it.

Just take out the loans and focus on studying. You can work 2L and 3L part time, a lot of students do it.

[Actual 1L]

Absolutely do not. Not only is it a waste of time it might hurt your grades. Law school is a lot of work, you have no idea how much work. If you want money, then come dec 1st be prepared to send out resumes/cover letters to biglaw firms. You'll make about 29,000 over the summer if you can get a job, which you have a good chance of doing from a top 10 school. Is it really worth risking your grades to make a few grand over the semester? Seriously, grades are incredibly important your first semester and 1L is a very short time. Don't risk it.

Just take out the loans and focus on studying. You can work 2L and 3L part time, a lot of students do it.

I didn't open a book on the weekends.  I say go for it. 

[JulieJul]

That's the thing...do 1L's realistically spend every waking second studying?  I can understand maybe during the week or during exams, but I find it hard to believe that some don't go out on Friday or Saturday nights...ie...the time that I would probably be working.  At least I wouldn't wake up with a hangover 

[Vannabunny]

I'll keep teaching percussion lessons ($20 a hour, up to five lessons on Saturday mornings), and I arrange drum music for a couple marching bands ($600 a show), which I do in the late spring, but that'll be about it.

And I'll still sub. teach over school breaks, an easy $58 a day.

["Legapp" Stands for "Legal Application"]

It can be done, but for it to be effective you need to be one heck of a good time planner. Have you thought about getting a job at your school? A few friends of mine do work for the school at between $10-15 an hour. Law library jobs are pretty cush if you can land a desk, and once your work is done, they expect you to be studying.

Do they allow work study in law school?  Does anybody know the rules for this?  I thought that some schools actually prevent you from working at all during the first year...

[slacker]

ABA rules are not more than 20 hrs/week for your 1L year. I worked some on consulting projects, where I got to set my hours. It was still a pain. Always seemed to get them when LW assignments were due.

[cannotpick]

You seriously didn't open a book?! No offense, but you couldn't have done that well.
The semester starts slow, but by the end, you couldn't possibly have enough time to do everything that you need to do. Don't make a mistake by underestimating the workload & getting a job.

Absolutely do not. Not only is it a waste of time it might hurt your grades. Law school is a lot of work, you have no idea how much work. If you want money, then come dec 1st be prepared to send out resumes/cover letters to biglaw firms. You'll make about 29,000 over the summer if you can get a job, which you have a good chance of doing from a top 10 school. Is it really worth risking your grades to make a few grand over the semester? Seriously, grades are incredibly important your first semester and 1L is a very short time. Don't risk it.

Just take out the loans and focus on studying. You can work 2L and 3L part time, a lot of students do it.

I didn't open a book on the weekends.  I say go for it.