We got a slew of mail on our post ("Too Old for Law School?") about whether a middle-aged government relations professional should go to law school. Readers generally were not encouraging; they warned about taking on an onerous debt and the shadow of age discrimination in the job market.
But Barbara Griff, who graduated in 1996 from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (magna cum laude) in her fifties, offers a different take. Now a legal recruiter, Griff worked as an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison, later moving to Loeb & Loeb's New York office.
So what was it like to be the oldest law student in the classroom? And how hard was it for her to land a Big Law job? Griff gives us the inside scoop.
by Barbara Griff
After a lifelong career in television production, I decided to go to law school at age 50. I still think it was one of the best decisions in my life. I loved law school. The practice of law? Not so much.
For me, going to law school was like getting permission to start all over again—only with hindsight. There is a distinct advantage to being an older student–like having real-life experience with contracts and real estate and even constitutional issues.
But what about memory capability? For some reason that was a frequent question put to me. It was a nonissue. Law school requires understanding, logical thinking, but memorization? That’s what books and computers are for. (Are you aware that for almost any exam you are allowed to bring in whatever materials you want—just like a real lawyer would do?) Moreover, forget those horror stories about the law classroom—it is not Paper Chase.
So if you've decided to go to law school, let me offer you some advice on how to survive it:
1. Take a front-row seat. As everyone knows, orchestra seats are best. I wasn't trying to impress the professor; it just helped me see and hear better.
2. Never fall behind in your reading; you will want to shoot yourself later. It’s kind of like neglecting your time sheets in a law firm—you will pay for it.
3. Work really hard because grades count. A lot. To get the best jobs, you need the best grades, and nothing is more important than the first year. So forget about seeing friends and family on a regular basis.
Keep in mind that where you went to school and your grades will follow you for your entire legal career—no matter what else you might have achieved in your life. (One law firm partner, a Harvard Law cum laude grad, with over $3 million in business, was asked to produce his transcript to a firm that was interested in hiring him. True story.)
And what happens when you start looking for a job? The good news is that I found little age discrimination in hiring—both as a starting lawyer and a lateral.
But I experienced other shocks. When I joined Paul, Weiss, I thought I was prepared for big-firm life. Wrong. I felt like the woman who gets involved with a man that her friends had warned her to avoid; she thinks she can handle the guy because she's been around the block. Wrong. I was unprepared about how hierarchical, impersonal, and isolating big-firm life can be. So forget the oft-vaunted collegiality.
As for partnership, I don't think being older makes a difference. I never thought that I was not on the partner track. But everyone has an equally poor chance of actually making partner; it's a level playing field. Ironically, being older actually had some advantages here: Partners related well to me, and so did clients, because I was their peer—so, in some ways, I was in a better position to bring in business.
I don't think you have to approach law school with a specific goal—like being a partner—in mind. Just be open to all the new options law school will open up to you. It may take you on a path you never expected. It did for me.
I started law school at 56 and am really enjoying it. I hope to avoid the age discrimination that seems to be common in the field and use my experience to do the things I used to hire lawyers to do. From my perspective, law school is really fun and learning about the law is fascinating. I hope practice is as rewarding.
Posted by: JayRod | January 4, 2021 at 12:53 AM
I am interested in working for a more charitable organization like the Southern Poverty Law Center or other non-profits like The Innocence Project. I also seem to just want to give legal advice to those who just need to be steered in the right direction bc I have been in need of advice and have had no where to turn.
I don’t need to make a million but I’d like a comfortable salary. I’d like my husband to be able to retire in 8 years and would like to support us. Are these dreams/wishes/goals a possibility?
Posted by: AYoung49 | September 13, 2019 at 04:23 PM
I just turned 55 and am hell bent on going to law school...life interfered and prevented me from doing so before now, even though my first two years of college were pre-law. I have an accounting degree. I will be taking the LSAT in the Fall. I am determined but scared that the effort will be a waste of time that I could have used pursuing a graduate degree in something else. When I finish going thru a part time program(I cannot go full time because I have a mortgage, although no husband at the moment and no children) I will be 60. Is that even realistic to think that I can do this? I thought that I wanted to work for the DA's office but I would also be happy working in some legal aspect at my current employer. The people close to me are very supportive including my job at Columbia University. I am tired of accounting and want to do this with everything in me. Please some honest, realistic advice.
Posted by: secondchance | March 11, 2019 at 03:05 PM
I am a 48 year old nurse with 10 years in Oncology nursing. I've decided to take the LSAT in January 2019 and enroll in law school in Fall 2019. At this point, Health Law is of interest, especially, since I have some experience in health care. I am excited, nervous and filled with anxiety.
Any advice on mentorship?
Any tips are much appreciated!
Posted by: Tara | July 7, 2018 at 01:55 PM
I entered law school at 49, graduated at 52 cum laude, on law review, and published. It took me 52 interviews to snag a job offer--by the end of year two I was the only person on law review without a job offer. Ultimately I took a job 5 hours away from my husband, then worked for 9 years before I realized I would never become a partner at the firm that had finally hired me. Age discrimination? Yes, at every turn. During the interview process, one interviewer advised me to enjoy earning the degree but to go back to my "regular" life. Another told me I wouldn't be getting a call back and then, incredibly, advised that it wasn't because of my age (an issue that I never raised!). Another told me how much he "admired" my accomplishments, then told me I reminded him of his aunt who had gone to law school in her forties but decided she hated practicing law.
Posted by: Lee | November 11, 2012 at 09:33 PM
I'll be 42 next month. I'm at the top of my second-year class in one of Canada's leading law schools, I edit the law journal, I have twenty years of professional experience, I speak numerous languages—yet no law firm has given me the time of day. Does anyone here wish to maintain that my inability to find work has nothing to do with age?
Posted by: Over the Hill | March 23, 2012 at 11:11 AM
I'm the person who asked the original question of Ms. Chen -- the middle-aged government relations professional w/two kids and a mortgage who wants her second act to mean something. So yes, I have a plan. I want to be a public defender. Specifically, I want to work in the DC Public Defender's office, which I understand is a national model for the public defender function. I have worked for almost 20 years making sure affluent people stay affluent. It's time to help the other guys. And if looking like someone's mom either makes people more comfortable with me, or helps me intimidate the other side, so much the better. I knew my wattles would come in handy. Thanks to Ms.Chen and all the commenters for their useful advice. Best -- Tracey Henley
Posted by: Tracey Henley | February 28, 2012 at 07:09 PM
So there's no age discrimination in the legal profession? And I have the deed to the Brooklyn Bridge
Posted by: Wigmore | February 14, 2012 at 11:30 AM
Michael - I am keen to know what jobs you've found and where they are (generally speaking).
Posted by: savagevervet | February 13, 2012 at 09:54 PM
@savagevervet:
All my jobs since law school have been the sort that you say you have been looking for: my law degree has been required (or at the least, has been a very big advantage in getting the job), and I have not practiced law. And, while I don't earn at the level of BigLaw (let alone partnership), I do well enough.
That said, I do agree with you that anyone contemplating law school should have a valid reason for wanting to go, and a well-considered idea of what they hope to do with their law degree. At the least, it can help the student to be strategic about elective classes, internships, research topics and the like, which - with some luck - can then lead to real-life
work in one's chosen field.
Posted by: Michael | February 13, 2012 at 09:01 AM
With sincere respect to Ms. Chen, the last paragraph of this post sent my blood pressure straight to the moon. I went to law school, not because I wanted to, but because I was lured into it with the rotten, and ultimately illusory promise that there were oh-so-many things I could do with a law degree. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.
Whether you're 22 or 82, if you're thinking about going to law school you'd damn well better have a plan, and that plan had better include practicing law. For 15 years I've been searching for that one job - I'm not greedy. All I want is ONE! - for which 1) a law degree is prerequisite, but 2) DOES NOT require me to practice. The dirty little secret is...there ain't no such thing. You're either going to practice law, or you're going to wind up with a job that you could have gotten without spending 3 years and umpteen thousand dollars on the degree in the first place (e.g., a barista at your favorite coffee shop, a buyer for an upscale clothing retailer, a real estate broker, etc., etc., etc.).
PLEASE! Before you leap into the pit of rusty nails and broken glass that is law school, stand in front of a mirror and see if you can articulate a valid reason for wanting to go. If you can, then Godspeed! If you can't, or if your reason smacks of "oh, I can do anything I want with my law degree," you're preparing to make the worst mistake of your life!
Posted by: savagevervet | February 11, 2012 at 08:44 PM
I wanted to comment on one of the things Griff said about grades, and how they follow you. The anecdote about a partner w/ $3M in business being asked to produce a transcript? With a $3M book, he should be able to move someplace where the leaders of the firm are less insecure and don't need to engage in that sort of self-validation.
Posted by: Sous Chef | February 10, 2012 at 01:32 PM
I started law school at age 47. I went at night because I did not want to give up a well paying managerial position. When I graduated at age 51, I decided to go the in-house coporate route to capitalize on my 20 years of experience. It paid off, I am now General Counsel and enjoying every minute of it.
Posted by: dclaw | February 10, 2012 at 10:48 AM