(Newswire.net — May 23, 2020) — Although it might seem like all law school graduates are in their 20s or early 30s, the reality is that people of all ages can and do earn law degrees. In fact, there are actually many benefits to getting a law degree later in life, so going back to college at 30 might be exactly what you need to do to spark that change in your professional life.
No one knows this better than Zora Colakovic, who after many years as a California-based investigator, obtained her Juris Doctor with honors and leveraged herself into an international career in the United Nations system. Zora Colakovic earned her law degree and was admitted to the California bar mid-career as part of an effort to transition into international law and investigations, which she accomplished through the help of professors and mentors and her own sheer hard work and determination. Her example proves that getting a law degree, passing the bar, and becoming a licensed lawyer are attainable goals regardless of age and can be well worth the significant sacrifices. She shares the advantages, challenges, and benefits of getting into law at a more mature age.
Advantage: Life Experience
As someone getting into law later in life, one huge advantage you’ll have against a sea of 20 and 30-something applicants is your life experiences. Zora Colakovic shares that older law students are often entering their second if not third or fourth careers by the time they decide to pursue law.
This life experience is a major asset, not only when it comes to having the motivation to stick out law school, but also because it will give you a leg up when applying to jobs in the future. Someone who formerly worked as an accountant may have an easier time getting a job in tax law due to this area of expertise they already have. Similarly, someone who worked in human resources may have an advantage getting hired by a firm that specializes in labor law. There are law specializations in almost everything, including sports, entertainment, fashion, and art, allowing many previous careers to pave the way for a legal career in mid-life.
In addition to skills from previous careers, older law students are likely to have a larger network of professional and personal associates than younger students. This previous network could prove to be important if it leads to new business for a law firm or is otherwise useful for an organization.
Zora Colakovic has a background mainly in criminal investigations, which allowed her to immediately identify the type of law she enjoyed. Her real-world knowledge of criminal procedures and standards and experience gathering evidence and preparing cases for trial provided a distinct advantage in law school. After law school, she was able to draw on her experiences and networks in both investigations and law, which proved to be useful in her next employment steps.
Challenge: Competition
As with any job, there will be competition. With law, there is intense competition at every stage.
From the very beginning, a prospective law student must compete to attain a high score in the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and be accepted to a school with favorable rankings and bar passage rates that also has programs for your preferred specialization. There is also fierce competition during law school for grades and opportunities such as moot court and law review.
Students in mid-life who are entering this arena may find the change from working life to intense academic demands a bit shocking. The first year of law school is certainly the most difficult, requiring an adjustment to the new normal. And students in mid-life often have other demands on time that younger students may not, such as existing employment or child-care duties.
Zora Colakovic shares that her experience of the first few months of law school was indeed very stressful, with voluminous reading of complex material. The legendary Socratic method, with professors cold-calling students during class, made it necessary to always be prepared and on your toes. But she adjusted and then even began to enjoy it. Good advice she received before she committed to law school was that she should expect to feel overwhelmed, but it can be managed by taking one step at a time. It can be done.
There is also competition to pass the bar exam of each state, given that such exams are evaluated on a curve. California has reportedly the most difficult bar exam in the United States, with the lowest passage rates in the country. Many students must retake the exam, sometimes several times over. The bar exam can be easier to pass with complete concentration for two months, which mid-career professionals may have difficulty doing given other commitments such as job and family. Like many states, California also has a strenuous background check that takes months to complete, and even longer for those with a longer life and work history.
After graduation, there is also competition to enter the legal workforce. In certain regions, law is an oversaturated profession, meaning there are more law students graduating than there are open positions for lawyers. Even if you don’t live in a city where this is an issue, you will still be competing with other applicants, just like you would any other job while possessing limited experience. The difference here is that most of the candidates you’re competing against may be 10, 20, or even 30 years your junior. In addition, there may be age caps, both official and unofficial, for certain internships, grants, and job opportunities. For example, the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the U.S. military have an age cut-off of 35.
Moreover, the reality is that some law offices are hesitant to hire older people as they believe they may not be as willing to work long hours or be as flexible as younger hires. This is a burden that older lawyers may find difficult but not impossible to overcome. The key is to focus on your experience and all that your previous careers and networks can bring to the table.
Since mid-life law graduates do not have as long of a time horizon ahead as younger grads, they may have to find a way to their specific goal rather than allowing themselves years to try different types of law. Zora Colakovic shares that she would have enjoyed pursuing a judicial clerkship and building criminal trial experience, but without the luxury of time, she had to set her intention, focus, and efforts on securing a path to her primary career goal.
Advantage: Motivation
Zora Colakovic believes that another substantial advantage to pursuing law later in life is that you will be more motivated. Mature students are often far more motivated both in law school and in the workforce than younger students. There are many possible reasons for this, but one is that younger students often don’t take time off between their undergraduate and law degrees. Thus, they may be suffering from some burnout given that they have been in school for almost two decades straight by the time they graduate from law school.
In addition, some younger students decide to go to law school because they aren’t sure what else to do or perhaps are feeling pressure from family members. Meanwhile, mature law students have had time to figure out their passions in life and are thus typically more committed in school because they have the life experience to be certain that this is what they want.
Zora Colakovic reports that after years of professional experience in the parallel field of investigations, she went to law school extremely motivated and with the specific desire to focus on international law and criminal law. This motivation kept her going during the most difficult parts of her journey to becoming a lawyer and obtaining her preferred employment.
Challenge: Finding Balance
Mid-life graduates often have taken on commitments that younger students are less likely to have, such as continuing employment, a mortgage or other debt, and obligations to a partner or children. A law student in mid-life may have to sacrifice existing income and take on student loan debt at an age when many professionals are building their retirement and investment portfolios. The demands of law school can also undoubtedly be very hard on personal relationships. A student in mid-life will be faced with balancing these personal and financial demands against the benefits of studying harder to get higher grades and enjoying opportunities outside of class such as clinics, internships, and seminars.
Zora Colakovic shares that during law school, she was able to shift to part-time employment status, which provided some income while also allowing her to more fully participate in experiential opportunities such as clinics, international law programs, and law-related employment overseas. As many law students do at each end of semester during exam season, she set aside a month ensconced at home to study and prepare for mock trials. This focus was even more intensified during the two months studying for the bar exam. She would have liked to have enjoyed more time with family and friends, but ultimately the sacrifice was worthwhile.
Final Thoughts from Zora Colakovic: The Benefits of Getting into Law in Later Life
While there are both advantages and challenges to pursuing your legal credentials later in life, there are distinct benefits that can outweigh the many sacrifices of time, money, and effort.
During one’s transformation in law school, the intellectual stimulation makes use of parts of the brain you thought you never had, with the reward of insights and concepts fitting into place. As a law student in mid-life, you can enjoy and be refreshed by the reopening of your mind to the formal learning process. In addition, the process of becoming a lawyer can open your eyes to worlds of employment that you may not have been aware existed. As in, helping a client Apply for a criminal record suspension and other important legal proceedings.
Students in mid-life might also find that law school can help them overcome limitations previously thought unsurmountable, such as the fear of public speaking. Law school is particularly effective if you would like to increase your confidence presenting facts and arguments to audiences. Law school also makes you “think like a lawyer” and see many angles of an issue, which is tremendously useful for challenges and disputes in work and life. A law graduate will likely find that their J.D. is far more useful than other graduate degrees, as it is a versatile professional degree that is in demand in many career fields.
Zora Colakovic shares that the mental stimulation and personal and professional growth she experienced while becoming a lawyer was priceless. She credits her law professors for showing her the world of possibilities in international contexts and guiding her first steps. Doing this later in life was challenging but highly rewarding in both tangible and intangible ways.
Zora Colakovic hopes to remind people that it is never too late to go back to school and pursue further education. But to take maximum advantage of the benefits, those considering law school should try to make the commitment sooner rather than later. And keep in mind that even in mid-life, both the quality of the school you choose and your grades matter, as they increase your odds of passing the dreaded bar exam and getting hired in law or a law-related field.
Consider your career and where you want it to be, as well as your personal life. Your circumstances may never appear to be perfectly lined up for such a big step. But the most important contributor to success is being ready, both mentally and emotionally, to undertake an intense marathon. If becoming a lawyer seems like a good path for you personally and professionally, the challenges can be overcome with the right mindset and spirit.