Finding the Right Fit: A Guide to Law School for Older Students

The path to law school isn't always a straight line from undergraduate studies. Many individuals embark on this journey later in life, bringing a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the legal field. If you're considering law school as an older student, know that you're not alone. While the majority of applicants are under 25, a significant portion are 30 or older, with a smaller but present group over 40. This article explores the key considerations and advantages for older students seeking a legal education, providing a comprehensive guide to navigating the application process and succeeding in law school.

Why Law School Now? Addressing the "Why Now?" Question

Law schools aren't necessarily looking for applicants with meticulously detailed career plans. Career paths evolve as law students explore various legal fields through classes, clinics, internships, and extracurricular activities. However, admissions officers expect older applicants to articulate why a legal career makes sense for them, especially now.

In your resume and essays, clearly outline your past career trajectory, your motivations for pursuing law, and your specific postgraduate aspirations. Don't just answer "Why law school?" Answer "Why now?".

Frame your career change positively, emphasizing the future rather than dwelling on the past. For instance, a former teacher might express a desire to contribute to education reform or ensure access to classrooms for children with disabilities. They might even acknowledge that teaching was fulfilling but ultimately insufficient to support their family.

However, avoid sounding jaded or expressing dissatisfaction with past experiences. Law schools may be concerned if you seem burned out and eager for any escape, questioning your commitment to law school and fearing a potential dropout.

Leveraging Your Strengths: Life Experience and Prioritization

One of the biggest advantages you have as an older applicant is the valuable life experience you bring to the table. You've likely held positions of responsibility, navigated complex situations, and developed strong problem-solving skills. This experience can be invaluable in the classroom and in your future legal career.

You've had time to understand your priorities and how to manage your life effectively. Academia can be rigorous, but you've had time to prepare. Unlike traditional students who may struggle with work-life balance, you've already navigated the adult world and understand how to prioritize what works for you.

For instance, consider a situation where a professor unexpectedly moves up a project deadline. Traditional students might panic and cram. However, a non-traditional student, perhaps caring for children and supporting a partner, might recognize a conflict with their family time. They can then communicate with the professor, explaining their existing commitments and requesting a reasonable extension. This straightforward approach demonstrates an understanding of priorities and the ability to advocate for oneself.

Moreover, your prior work experience is often marketable to public interest employers and can be considered an asset. Law schools that prepare students for government and public interest work offer practical options for older students.

The LSAT: A Double-Edged Sword

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) can be a significant factor for older applicants. A strong LSAT score can offset lower grades from years ago, demonstrating your current academic capabilities. Law schools tend to give less weight to grades earned long ago. A high LSAT or GRE score can be the strongest evidence of your readiness for law school.

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However, many older applicants find it challenging to prepare for standardized tests after being out of school for an extended period, especially with competing priorities. If you struggle to maintain a consistent study schedule, it might be a sign that law school's demands will be even harder to manage.

Some law schools offer pathways for applicants without a standardized test score, particularly for part-time and online programs, but these options are limited.

Application Materials: Showcasing Your Academic Abilities

All law school applicants need to submit academic records and at least one letter of recommendation from a professor to the credential assembly service.

If you can't locate an academic reference, seek professional references who can attest to your academic skills and relevant personal qualities. Law schools generally don't expect applicants who have been out of school for eight or more years to submit an academic reference letter, but reaching out to former professors is still worth considering. Provide ample notice and offer updates on your life and details about your past performance.

Demonstrate your academic capabilities through work experience. Highlight examples of research and analysis skills in your resume, recommendation letters, and personal statements.

Your application is going to include your birthday, and admissions will be aware of your age and take it into consideration, it may mean that different things are taken into consideration or weight differently within your application. A holistic application review is very beneficial for this reason. Each applicant is approached as a singular application. If your GPA and LSAT score is a little lower or on the median for the school you’re applying for, but you founded a successful company that you’ve been running for the last 15 years of your life, those scores may be overshadowed. Although many schools require you to have an academic letter of recommendation, it may also not be considered as heavily during your application process because you were in school a long time ago. You should also make sure to look thoroughly at the application for an asterisk or note that says: “If you graduated more than X years ago, you don’t need to get an academic letter of recommendation.” When it comes to your resume, you may have heard that your law school resume should be one page, at most two. That’s true. However, for someone who has 20-30 years of work experience, it’s understandable that it may spill onto a third page. Your law school resume should still be a part of the cohesive narrative that you’re giving admissions as a part of your application.

Part-Time and Online Programs: Balancing Life and Law School

Older applicants often have more life responsibilities, making part-time and low-residency programs attractive options. Fortunately, there are increasing options for part-time and low-residency programs.

Multiple fully online J.D. programs and even more hybrid online programs allow students to earn a law degree fully or primarily from home.

Working professionals seeking to attend part-time law school in California have several options. California allows law schools to offer on-campus and online classes as well as accredited and unaccredited programs. California is one of the few states that allows unaccredited law schools to operate. Unaccredited law schools are often attractive to working professionals or those with family obligations because the LSAT entrance exam is rarely required, admissions standards are lax and the tuition is low. Unaccredited law schools can be divided into three types: Correspondence law schools that teach primarily through recordings and online bulletin boards, Distance-learning law schools that teach primarily through online classes and Fixed-facility law schools that teach primarily on campus. All students attending unaccredited law schools must take a state-mandated standardized exam called the First-Year Law Students’ Examination, also known as the “Baby Bar” after the first year. Although unaccredited law schools may seem far more affordable for working professionals, the State Bar of California cautions that prospective students should refer to the pass/fail statistics for the bar exam for unaccredited law schools. Graduates of unaccredited law schools notoriously fail the bar exam often. California is unique because it allows law students to attend either ABA approved law schools or state accredited law schools. ABA law schools are overseen by the American Bar Association and state accredited law schools are overseen by the State Bar of California. Graduating from either program will allow prospective attorneys to take the California bar exam, but only ABA law school graduates can take the bar exam in other states after graduating. State accredited law schools, known as Calbar schools, do not have to meet the stringent requirements of ABA law schools. For example, Calbar schools have lower standards for the hiring of professors, and many Calbar schools mostly hire part-time adjuncts instead of full-time professors. Calbar schools are not required to have career counselors and are not required to share their graduates’ employment rate. Calbar schools have fewer requirements for their law libraries. Most importantly, Calbar schools have a lower bar pass rate than ABA law schools. ABA approval is known as the “gold standard” accreditation for law schools. Attending an ABA program of legal education ensures students of quality education, proper student services and career guidance throughout law school. Working professionals who may be afraid of making the commitment will find that some schools provide convenient part-time programs to accommodate busy schedules. Western State College of Law in Irvine, for example, offers a three-night per week program in addition to a part-time day schedule. Although no public law school in California offers a part-time program, nearly all private law schools in California offer a part-time program. Most of these part-time programs occur during the daytime and mix part-time students into classes with full-time students. Unfortunately, those who are working professionals tend to work during the daytime and need evening classes. Another consideration is whether a law school allows new students to start classes in January as opposed to making them wait until August, the traditional time for beginning law school. At this time, only two law schools in California offer a January start date: California Western School of Law and Western State College of Law. However, California Western only offers a part-time day program, whereas Western State offers both a part-time day and a part-time evening program in January. Many working professionals have already graduated from college and therefore do not have to wait until August to start law school. A January start date can be a convenient way to start law school sooner. Traffic in California, especially Southern California, can notoriously affect commuting time. Although Northern California’s traffic is more predictable because it is often dictated by bridges and merging traffic, Southern California’s traffic jams can be unpredictable and occur anytime. However, due to Southern California’s sprawling interconnected freeway system, commuters can often reroute using GPS. In Northern California, there are no detours around bumper-to-bumper traffic jams on a bridge. Regardless, law school students can plan ahead because the regular ebb and flow of rush hour can make commuting more predictable. The typical part-time evening program at both ABA and Calbar law schools is spread over four nights per week. While part-time law school programs are available to working professionals in California, it is important to also consider the benefits of leaving a job in order to concentrate on law school full time. Attending school part-time while working requires discipline, commitment and excellent time-management skills for four years. Although it is true that ABA approved law schools offer the same opportunities to both part-time and full-time students such as career counseling, student services, extracurricular activities and co-curricular programming, it can be difficult to take advantage of all that a school offers if a student is also working 40 or more hours per week. Committing to law school full-time allows students to graduate in three years instead of four, allows students more time to concentrate on resume building activities such as externships or Moot Court and allows students more time to concentrate on attaining high grades in order to garner scholarships to offset the cost of attendance. In addition, although law school can be expensive, working is not the only way to help pay for a legal education. Regardless of whether working professionals attend law school part-time or full-time, opportunities abound in California at ABA accredited law schools. Working professionals seeking a career change or increased responsibilities at their current workplace can attain a juris doctor degree in a format that fits their schedule, timeline and goals.

Navigating Campus Life and Finding Your Community

If you're concerned about being an older law student, remember that many students feel atypical in some way. While your mindset might differ from younger peers, you're not alone.

Many law schools have associations of Older, Wiser Law Students (OWLS) for socializing, sharing advice, and support. Older students with children might consider Parents Attending Law School (PALS). Nowadays, law schools offer a range of resources for parents, from flexible schedules to lactation rooms.

Embrace your new community. Interacting with younger students can be fun and enriching. Many younger students appreciate having a "grown-up" around, valuing your experience and insights. You may have insight to things that your cohort can do together that are different from the typical things they would think of.

Another bonus about having younger classmates: You have new babysitters! Many of them will be excited to watch your kids and happy to help you out throughout the process. Plus, you won’t be alone. While a majority of law school students are between 21-26 years old, almost a quarter of law school applications come from people who are 30+ years old. Most law schools also have at least one dedicated student organization for non-traditional students like you. They typically have two categories: “Non-traditional students” organizations or “Older Wiser Law Students” organizations. There may also be parent groups. You don’t have to be a parent to join, and this might help you find people closer to your age or who have dealt with the same life experiences that you have.

Overcoming Personal Challenges and Highlighting Your Strengths

Some older applicants may be seeking a second chance rather than a midcareer change.

Law schools value students who have overcome hardships like addiction, incarceration, disability, or fleeing desperate situations. These students often arrive with greater motivation and direct experience of the legal system.

If your path to law school has been rocky, use your personal statement, optional essays, or an addendum to provide context. Clearly state your career goals, informed by your past challenges, and your readiness for the rigors of law school.

Stay mindful of your strengths as an older applicant. While you may face age discrimination in the legal field, you also benefit from greater life experience, more resources and connections, and higher clarity of purpose.

Choosing the Right Law School and Location

To find the best law school as an older student, you need to think even farther ahead. While age discrimination may exist in hiring practices, focusing on law schools with strong placement resources is crucial.

Law schools that prepare students for government and public interest work offer practical options. Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and other top schools offer government, policy, and public interest programs that may be appealing.

In addition to program quality, consider the location for your future practice. And if that doesn't work out, remember that a law school diploma can be used for a law practice shingle.

Is It Ever Too Late?

Not all law students are fresh out of their undergraduate studies. Some have already enjoyed successful careers before deciding to embark upon their journeys in the law. Ultimately, the decision to attend law school at an older age is a personal one. However, with careful planning, a clear understanding of your goals, and a willingness to embrace the challenges and opportunities, you can achieve your legal aspirations.

Demanding courses and big-time student loans can be daunting for older law students, however. Part-time, night time, weekend and online programs are a boon to older students and others. The American Bar Association granted William Mitchell College of Law -- a Mitchell Hamline predecessor -- the first accreditation for an online hybrid for coursework. Many other schools also offer flexible schedules that accommodate older students.

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