I would never discourage anyone from attending law school. Law school opened and continues to open doors for me that would not have opened without a law degree and law licensure.
Now with that said, I receive several emails each month from nurses contemplating law school, in law school, or who have graduated from law school.
Nurses contemplating law school want to know is it worth it? For me, yes it was worth every quarter paid and I will say the same for my nursing education. However, gone are the days where you attend law school because you don't know what you want to do. Law school is expensive and it will consume your entire life for a period of time. Also its tougher to secure employment after law school. Don't believe the hype about the $120,000-$160,000 a year jobs. Most lawyers don't make this type of money after graduation and usually start in the $40,000 to $50,000 range (I know this is less than what you make as a RN, but read on....)
See this article and the comments from the ABA Journal. http://www.abajournal.com/news/law_grad_32_dont_do_what_i_did
Your higher education is what you make of it and as a RN if you decide to attend law school:
1. Have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D related to your plans after graduation; start developing your business and marketing plan now and keep updating it;
2. Borrow the least amount of money as possible;
3. Work during the summers and school year if not in a paid position, in an externship or internship for the experience;
4. Take the Bar exam and get a law license even if you don't plan to practice law; you are more marketable. Personally when someone tells me they completed law school but are not licensed to practice law, I assume the worst. Take the Bar, pass it, and move on to something else;
5. If you are interested in healthcare law, you have alot of options as a RN to volunteer in legal settings. Think outside the box while you are in law school because the job market is tighter than a pitbull in size 2 panties;
6. Research what other nurse attorneys, RN-JDs, and health law attorneys do by reviewing the internet;
7. Plan D should always be hanging your own shingle; starting your own law or consulting practice. Develop a marketing plan for your Plan D while you are in law school. I jumped to Plan D after being miserable in Plan A;
8. Research your law school carefully. Knows the pros and cons of the school before you start, become best friends with the career placement folks, and study your ass off. Grades and class rank are extremely important;
9. As a non-traditional student with a previous career, use your career as a advantage. Attend Bar Associations meetings, network, volunteer in the community, etc. to get your name out there and meet attorneys and other legal professionals. Securing employment after graduation is a job in and of itself and you want to start thinking about this in your first year of law school, not the third year of law school; and
10. Keep a journal that you update once a week at least. I did this and when I need a pick me up, I read my law school journal. As I read, I think "you were nuts", "now this is stress", etc. It will also allow you to follow your progress and keep track of your employment leads.
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