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I have a lot of friends from college who went on to law school ... great schools, mediocre schools, and everything in between. They passed the bar. What is odd this is that some from the great schools left the field and some from the not-so-great schools still practice.
Here's the question. Law school lasts 3 years, if on a full-time basis. The first year has a fairly common core, with some additional core courses in the second year, if I recall. The third year is most, if not all, electives. Heck, I had some law school friends tell me that some MBA courses were "double-coded" so they could also enroll in them.
Therefore, what if, in Year 3, the law student takes a semester off ... to travel, to help a parent, or because they want to, and without a real "professional" excuse ... and then graduate in December, after 3.5 years? Does this mess up their on-campus, or self-administered, career hunting prospects? Is there a lot of "huff and puff" about the treadmill from law school to the bar, in synchronized fashion, that would torque a lot of firms in the legal profession interviewing a law grad that did this?
I've always wondered about this. Any input from lawyers, law students, or others who know is appreciated!
With how crappy the legal industry is, you better damn well not be wasting your free time. That includes taking time off to travel or help out parent. The recession put a lot of lawyers out of work. It also put a lot of people in law school since they figured they could ride through the recession and come out with a good job. now you have both experienced lawyers and students vying for the same jobs with the students usually getting the worse end of the deal or getting hired for wages far too low to payback their loans.
Basically, take internships, volunteer, participate in mock court, etc. dont do anything that wont help with getting a job.
With how crappy the legal industry is, you better damn well not be wasting your free time. That includes taking time off to travel or help out parent. The recession put a lot of lawyers out of work. It also put a lot of people in law school since they figured they could ride through the recession and come out with a good job. now you have both experienced lawyers and students vying for the same jobs with the students usually getting the worse end of the deal or getting hired for wages far too low to payback their loans.
Thanks for your assessment. Again, I'm NOT going to law school, and this is water under the bridge, for me, nor would I have enjoyed all that reading. What I am asking is what the outcome of this would be in "the good old days," and at a top school. Assume someone did this during the Clinton years at a top law school, like Berkeley, NYU, or even Univ of SoCal, and graduated in 3.5 years, ending in December. Is it "bad form" under any economic circumstances?
With a graduate business program at a plum school, like Michigan or Penn, a student is to start in September, and leave 4 semesters later, in May, with no exceptions. I'm sure doing it in 2.5 would jeopardize someone's recruitment options. It would be like showing up to an exclusive country club in a Buick!
I know that some fields of study are more forgiving. If someone was doing grad work in something technical, say engineering, and you finished in 2.5 years or whatever, largely due to a thesis or research project, and it was from a highly respected school, they wouldn't care. They're just looking for skills ... and might give a broad-brush look at grades and your research/focus areas.
Yes, you can. Part time law schools take at least four years to complete, so you can certainly extend your time past three years. I also know of a case where a law school student was suspended for a semester for violating their code of conduct, but was allowed to return to school after finishing their suspension.
Yes, you can. Part time law schools take at least four years to complete, so you can certainly extend your time past three years. I also know of a case where a law school student was suspended for a semester for violating their code of conduct, but was allowed to return to school after finishing their suspension.
You can, but like another poster said, given the state of this economy (especially the legal economy) it's incredibly foolish unless you have a damn good reason.
Thanks, gents, so it is, and was, doable, though more difficult. I would venture the same is true with grad business, then. I sense that, under both scenarios, there will be recruiters, who despite the grades, the quality of the school, and whatnot, would automatically be dismissive of a candidate who took a semester to do his or her "own thing."
Thanks, gents, so it is, and was, doable, though more difficult. I would venture the same is true with grad business, then. I sense that, under both scenarios, there will be recruiters, who despite the grades, the quality of the school, and whatnot, would be dismissive of a candidate who took a semester to do his or her "own thing."
In response to your rep comment regarding the supposition that leniency toward sabbaticals "varies by study," I would probably agree. As to why lawyers tend to be such hard-asses, think of it this way: given the varying combinations of long hours, heavy stress, and piles of dull work that come with legal jobs, as an employer, wouldn't you be wary of someone who felt like "taking a break" when the going got tough? In law, as in life, when the going gets tough, you have to suck it up and keep on pushing if you want to be a success. There are obviously exceptions to this rule, and there are certainly legitimate circumstances that would warrant an extended leave from either law school or the actual legal world, but these are rare (and even if you do have a good reason for taking off, it's still going to make alarm bells signal in many peoples' heads).
It's not feasible given the nature of legal hiring. Hiring is usually done by the end of your 2L summer, for a position that starts in the fall of the following year. So if you put everything off for a semester, it screws up the timeline.
Also, schools don't just let you go off an do whatever you want.
It's not feasible given the nature of legal hiring. Hiring is usually done by the end of your 2L summer, for a position that starts in the fall of the following year. So if you put everything off for a semester, it screws up the timeline.
Also, schools don't just let you go off an do whatever you want.
No, no, I'm with you. I feel like I can empathize with this experience, with many friends choosing this path and having to hear all about their courses, profs, fellow students, and the dreaded bar exam. They typically went to off to law school, clerked for a judge or did an internship with a firm during the summer between years 2 and 3, sort of knew where they were going after graduation, hibernated between May and late July studying for the bar exam 24/7, and then started a position at a firm/public entity in September.
The only way I could see getting around it with a December graduation from a F.T. program is that they line up a job with a firm that didn't fill its hiring target (less conceivable today) and they just would have a LOT more time to study for the bar, and then go to work in the fall. But this would make for "double sabbaticals," and an employing firm would likely question the ability to withstand rigorous demands, as posted by HeavenWood.
Last edited by robertpolyglot; 11-14-2012 at 05:49 PM..
Reason: grammar
No, no, I'm with you. I feel like I can empathize with this experience, with many friends choosing this path and having to hear all about their courses, profs, fellow students, and the dreaded bar exam. They typically went to off to law school, clerked for a judge or did an internship with a firm during the summer between years 2 and 3, sort of knew where they were going after graduation, hibernated between May and late July studying for the bar exam 24/7, and then started a position at a firm/public entity in September.
The only way I could see getting around it with a December graduation from a F.T. program is that they line up a job with a firm that didn't fill its hiring target (less conceivable today) and they just would have a LOT more time to study for the bar, and then go to work in the fall. But this would make for "double sabbaticals," and an employing firm would likely question to ability to withstand rigorous demands, as posted by HeavenWood.
The best way to "take a break" (and still get paid for it) is to snag a federal clerkship after getting a permanent offer from a big firm. It's much easier said than done (and even from top schools takes excellent grades), but it's a good way to hone your legal research skills and make connections while working a 9-5 federal job with all the benefits, possibly pulling in over $100k after the generous clerkship bonus a lot of big firms provide.
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