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Message
Life as a Lawyer Advice Needed
Posted on 3/29/24 at 7:56 am
Posted on 3/29/24 at 7:56 am
My daughter was recently offered a full tuition scholarship at LSU’s law school.
The other two schools she is considering are South Carolina and Tennessee. Both of these schools have given her a 75% tuition scholarship which will leave her paying 35k in total for the three years.
At All 3 schools she would have to pay room and board and living expenses, and sadly I have two other kids in college so financially she is on her own and will have to take on loans to finance law school.
We live in North Georgia so USC and UT are only a few hours drive while LSU is over 500 miles away.
I know this is the money board but I am coming for advice on the law market in Louisiana.
She is a hard worker and an overachiever so I know she will graduate near the top of any class she attends.
1. What is the job market like for lawyers in Louisiana for a kid with good grades but no contacts.
2. What is life like for a professional living and working in Louisiana? Lawyers do ok money wise but nothing like doctors and they usually start at 60-70k a year. Is it pleasant to live in LA on 65k a year??
3. I don’t know enough to really ask the right questions so if you have any other insight that would be helpful please give it.
Thanks for any helpful advice.
The other two schools she is considering are South Carolina and Tennessee. Both of these schools have given her a 75% tuition scholarship which will leave her paying 35k in total for the three years.
At All 3 schools she would have to pay room and board and living expenses, and sadly I have two other kids in college so financially she is on her own and will have to take on loans to finance law school.
We live in North Georgia so USC and UT are only a few hours drive while LSU is over 500 miles away.
I know this is the money board but I am coming for advice on the law market in Louisiana.
She is a hard worker and an overachiever so I know she will graduate near the top of any class she attends.
1. What is the job market like for lawyers in Louisiana for a kid with good grades but no contacts.
2. What is life like for a professional living and working in Louisiana? Lawyers do ok money wise but nothing like doctors and they usually start at 60-70k a year. Is it pleasant to live in LA on 65k a year??
3. I don’t know enough to really ask the right questions so if you have any other insight that would be helpful please give it.
Thanks for any helpful advice.
This post was edited on 3/29/24 at 7:56 am
32
Posted on 3/29/24 at 8:07 am to Unsettled
If she's passionate about being a practicing lawyer, she should go to the best law school she can get into, in the best job market, without heavily factoring loans/costs (within reason).
If she's not sure what she wants to do but thinks a law degree is a good base education (which it is), then she should minimize her out of pocket costs and come out with as little debt as possible. That will give her the most freedom to pursue what she feels passionate about.
If she's admitted into those schools with substantial scholarship, there are certainly similarly ranked law schools based in major markets (Atlanta, DFW) that would probably give her the best chance at success. Specifically thinking about Georgia State in your instance.
If she's not sure what she wants to do but thinks a law degree is a good base education (which it is), then she should minimize her out of pocket costs and come out with as little debt as possible. That will give her the most freedom to pursue what she feels passionate about.
If she's admitted into those schools with substantial scholarship, there are certainly similarly ranked law schools based in major markets (Atlanta, DFW) that would probably give her the best chance at success. Specifically thinking about Georgia State in your instance.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 8:13 am to Unsettled
What is her GPA and LSAT? She should probably be aiming higher than those schools.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 8:20 am to Unsettled
quote:
Is it pleasant to live in LA on 65k a year??
If single she should be ok on this for a few years.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 8:35 am to Unsettled
Choosing LSU will be majorly -EV. LSU is highly focused on LA, which is a bad investment for someone's future. Tennessee and SC are 2 emerging markets and there should be options for reciprocity among the region. You also have the monster economies in GA and NC right there.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 8:41 am to Unsettled
Where does she want to end up and live? The money difference here isn't that great in the scheme of things. It pains me to say it, but Louisiana's medium to long term prospects are poor. I wouldn't advise any young person to start their lives and careers in Louisiana.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 8:52 am to Unsettled
Just about everyone in her class will be hardworking. It's not likely she will finish near the top of her class.
Law is a brutal profession. I would never want one of my kids to be a lawyer
Law is a brutal profession. I would never want one of my kids to be a lawyer
Posted on 3/29/24 at 9:08 am to Unsettled
In general, a lot of states are starting to focus on reciprocity agreements for lawyers giving more flexibility then before to become licensed in new states and live where you want. This is happening a number of ways, but the most important for a new lawyer is the Uniform Bar Exam "UBE" which SC (and I think Tennessee) offers. This will allow her score on the bar exam in those states to apply to becoming licensed in a other UBE state - for example of she goes to SC, takes the SC bar, and then a year after practicing decides she wants to relovate to GA, Massachusetts, wherever.
Louisiana is based on the Franch common law, which is substantially different then the other 49 states. They are not a UBE state and if you are licensed in Louisiana you'll essentially need to learn a whole new legal system to become licensed anywhere else.
The UBE has been fantastic for me - I went to SC law, took the bar in SC, and have transfered my score to also become licensed in Texas and DC. It's opened up far more career opportunities for me than just being licensed in one state.
Louisiana is based on the Franch common law, which is substantially different then the other 49 states. They are not a UBE state and if you are licensed in Louisiana you'll essentially need to learn a whole new legal system to become licensed anywhere else.
The UBE has been fantastic for me - I went to SC law, took the bar in SC, and have transfered my score to also become licensed in Texas and DC. It's opened up far more career opportunities for me than just being licensed in one state.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 10:06 am to Unsettled
LSU if Louisiana is where she wants to live after graduating.
USC if South Carolina is where she wants to live after graduating.
UT if she wants to live in Tennessee or anywhere else that is not Louisiana or South Carolina.
USC if South Carolina is where she wants to live after graduating.
UT if she wants to live in Tennessee or anywhere else that is not Louisiana or South Carolina.
This post was edited on 3/29/24 at 11:01 am
Posted on 3/29/24 at 11:44 am to Unsettled
Unless it is a top tier law school, things are somewhat regionalized. That amount of money is insignificant when comparing the disadvantage you might place yourself in by choosing the wrong school for your end goals.
With that perspective I would ask the questions:
1. Where do you think you will want to live and practice?
2. Is there a special niche you might be interested in that you could exploit using the network, location, etc. offered by a law school?
3. Is there some special quality, instruction, advantage that one or more of those schools offer in comparison to the others?
As many posters have mentioned, the long term outlook of Louisiana is not bright. Tennessee and South Carolina have certain business, geographical, and other advantages over Louisiana now and looking into the future.
I would put LSU firmly behind the other two options unless she has some reason she wants to live in Louisiana. Even then, as her parent you should start to discuss and help her understand topics like this. As a 22 year old you have no clue about what it means to actually live somewhere and put down roots and how that can affect your life and your future family.
With that perspective I would ask the questions:
1. Where do you think you will want to live and practice?
2. Is there a special niche you might be interested in that you could exploit using the network, location, etc. offered by a law school?
3. Is there some special quality, instruction, advantage that one or more of those schools offer in comparison to the others?
As many posters have mentioned, the long term outlook of Louisiana is not bright. Tennessee and South Carolina have certain business, geographical, and other advantages over Louisiana now and looking into the future.
I would put LSU firmly behind the other two options unless she has some reason she wants to live in Louisiana. Even then, as her parent you should start to discuss and help her understand topics like this. As a 22 year old you have no clue about what it means to actually live somewhere and put down roots and how that can affect your life and your future family.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 11:56 am to Unsettled
I wouldn’t choose LSU just for the free tuition. In the grand scheme of things 35k is not a big deal.
Louisiana’s economy is in the toilet, we have the highest sales tax in the nation and an extremely bad insurance climate. If you aren’t from here I certainly wouldn’t recommend voluntarily immersing yourself in this shitty state.
Louisiana’s economy is in the toilet, we have the highest sales tax in the nation and an extremely bad insurance climate. If you aren’t from here I certainly wouldn’t recommend voluntarily immersing yourself in this shitty state.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 4:52 pm to Unsettled
If she got into a T14, go to the T14. If not, don’t go at all.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 5:59 pm to Unsettled
First, a law degree is a bad investment. They have over produced for the market, hence all the scummy ambulance chasing commercials. That said, even in a bad field the smartest people do well. Also, if Louisiana has such a negative outlook, I would see that as a great opportunity if I was a lawyer since other lawyers won’t locate there. People who make the most money in many professions are often in unpopular markets were they have little competition.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 6:24 pm to Unsettled
Stay as far away from La as possible.
Posted on 3/29/24 at 6:43 pm to Unsettled
I simply can't recommend the profession unless you're going to go to a Top 25 law school and make law review (or you have a guaranteed family job in a legit big money firm).
Are there folks doing well who don't have those things going for them? Yes. Is it a complete and utter crapshoot? Mostly.
Are there folks doing well who don't have those things going for them? Yes. Is it a complete and utter crapshoot? Mostly.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 12:53 am to Unsettled
Unless she wants to practice in Louisiana DO NOT send her to LSU!!!
Posted on 3/30/24 at 1:21 am to Unsettled
quote:
Life as a Lawyer Advice Needed
quote:
Unsettled
name checks out.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 2:58 am to Unsettled
She could possibly hate her life having to live long term after graduation in BR/Nola. Not to mention having to raise a family here.
For the most part, only those that grew up around here is okay with it.
For the most part, only those that grew up around here is okay with it.
This post was edited on 3/30/24 at 3:01 am
Posted on 3/30/24 at 5:26 am to Unsettled
If she finishes in the top of her class at LSU she will make much more than 60-70k. Try 125k and as much as 225k in Houston.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 9:44 am to Unsettled
Everyone that has said only go to LSU if she wants to be in LA is correct. Also, just know that she will need to be top 20% at LSU to have a shot at most of the jobs that pay low six figures starting out. There is no guarantee she will rank that high, and it’s much more likely she won’t.
If keeping costs under control is a concern, I would look at Georgia State. In addition, if she’s getting that kind of scholarship money at UT, she could have an outside shot at getting into UGA. As others have noted, LSAT and GPA would be good to know here to assess this and other options. With in state tuition and proximity to the ATL legal market, I think these would be better options even without scholarships.
Another idea is that if she really likes UT or USC, there’s nothing wrong with contacting the admissions office and letting them know about your scholarship offers elsewhere. Some schools will play ball and up the scholarships, some won’t. The worst they can say is no. However, one of them could bite and up her to a full ride.
It’s smart to think about the cost savings at this point, but your daughter has already passed the biggest hurdle by not having to resort to a law school that will require 100k+ in debt. 35k in loans at the end of the day is not a killer even if she’s making somewhat of a modest 75K salary coming out.
If keeping costs under control is a concern, I would look at Georgia State. In addition, if she’s getting that kind of scholarship money at UT, she could have an outside shot at getting into UGA. As others have noted, LSAT and GPA would be good to know here to assess this and other options. With in state tuition and proximity to the ATL legal market, I think these would be better options even without scholarships.
Another idea is that if she really likes UT or USC, there’s nothing wrong with contacting the admissions office and letting them know about your scholarship offers elsewhere. Some schools will play ball and up the scholarships, some won’t. The worst they can say is no. However, one of them could bite and up her to a full ride.
It’s smart to think about the cost savings at this point, but your daughter has already passed the biggest hurdle by not having to resort to a law school that will require 100k+ in debt. 35k in loans at the end of the day is not a killer even if she’s making somewhat of a modest 75K salary coming out.
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