2 answers
robert
Student
Memphis, Tennessee
1
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How many years do we have to spend in collage to be an lawyer?How much will it cost to get into law school?
#lawyer #NFL How much will law school cost to attend . #law-school
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2 answers
Jason Garoutte
marketing
1
Answer
San Francisco, California
Updated
Jason’s Answer
After a standard 4 year college degree, you're looking at 3 years more for law school. From the career site at Cal Berkeley:
" All American Bar Association approved law schools usually require 3 years of full-time study to earn a JD. Some law schools also offer part-time programs that generally take 4 to 5 years to complete."
https://career.berkeley.edu/Law/LawOverview
Regarding cost, I assume you're asking how much it will cost to *attend* (not the cost to get in). For that, US News has good data:
"Cost figures vary by type of school, with public law schools charging an average of $28,046 or $41,549 for full-time students, depending on residential status, compared with an average of almost $50,000 at private schools, regardless of residential status."
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/the-short-list-grad-school/articles/most-expensive-law-schools
So, it's expensive. And the real question is: should you do it? For me, I went to business school instead, with deliberate intent to pivot into a job that was more exciting and paid more. I was fairly confident that my increase in salary would enable me to pay off six figures of school debt. It took awhile, but I got there. And most importantly, I preferred the jobs I could get with the degree in hand.
Unfortunately, not too many folks feel the same about law school. A survey of American JD grads found that "only 23% of law school grads say their education was worth the cost."
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/21/only-23-percent-of-law-school-grads-say-their-education-was-worth-the-cost.html
The US job market for lawyers has undergone structural changes in last 15 years. Law firm employment isn't growing like it used to. So if you're passionate about the field, by all means go for it. But it's no longer an obvious slam dunk.
Learn about taking the LSAT test required for admission
" All American Bar Association approved law schools usually require 3 years of full-time study to earn a JD. Some law schools also offer part-time programs that generally take 4 to 5 years to complete."
https://career.berkeley.edu/Law/LawOverview
Regarding cost, I assume you're asking how much it will cost to *attend* (not the cost to get in). For that, US News has good data:
"Cost figures vary by type of school, with public law schools charging an average of $28,046 or $41,549 for full-time students, depending on residential status, compared with an average of almost $50,000 at private schools, regardless of residential status."
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/the-short-list-grad-school/articles/most-expensive-law-schools
So, it's expensive. And the real question is: should you do it? For me, I went to business school instead, with deliberate intent to pivot into a job that was more exciting and paid more. I was fairly confident that my increase in salary would enable me to pay off six figures of school debt. It took awhile, but I got there. And most importantly, I preferred the jobs I could get with the degree in hand.
Unfortunately, not too many folks feel the same about law school. A survey of American JD grads found that "only 23% of law school grads say their education was worth the cost."
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/21/only-23-percent-of-law-school-grads-say-their-education-was-worth-the-cost.html
The US job market for lawyers has undergone structural changes in last 15 years. Law firm employment isn't growing like it used to. So if you're passionate about the field, by all means go for it. But it's no longer an obvious slam dunk.
Jason recommends the following next steps:
Desiree Giler Mann
Attorney
166
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Desiree’s Answer
There is a lot of information out there to help you understand the costs and benefits of going to law school (3 years in law school after 4 years of undergraduate study at university = 7 years total), so I encourage your to do some internet search and read up! The most cited statistic is that recent law school graduates have $145,500 in law school student loan debt (not counting whatever their undergraduate degree costs they had). You can read more about that here: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/082416/going-law-school-worth-it-anymore.asp
Many people take some time to decide if law school is right for them. You can take a few years to work in the "real world" after graduating from university and before going to law school to ensure that law school was the right career path for you, to save money to help off set law school costs, and to help ensure that you will be focused. It's a hard reality, but attending a high tier/top tier law school and getting really good grades at law school are the two biggest factors in getting a well paid job when you graduate. Just skating by may get you a degree, but it will be hard to find employment so law school really isn't for those who are half-hearted.
Also, consider what type of lawyer you may want to be and research the average salary ranges - big law firm, small law firm, in-house/corporate, government, and solo practices all have greatly different pay ranges.
Jason gave you good information in his answer, so be sure to read that, too.
Research Law School costs on line
Research Law School rankings on line
Research salary ranges for different types of lawyers
Many people take some time to decide if law school is right for them. You can take a few years to work in the "real world" after graduating from university and before going to law school to ensure that law school was the right career path for you, to save money to help off set law school costs, and to help ensure that you will be focused. It's a hard reality, but attending a high tier/top tier law school and getting really good grades at law school are the two biggest factors in getting a well paid job when you graduate. Just skating by may get you a degree, but it will be hard to find employment so law school really isn't for those who are half-hearted.
Also, consider what type of lawyer you may want to be and research the average salary ranges - big law firm, small law firm, in-house/corporate, government, and solo practices all have greatly different pay ranges.
Jason gave you good information in his answer, so be sure to read that, too.
Desiree recommends the following next steps: