Changes in the legal world and society are driving all types of people to study law, including parents. In fact, many law schools have created clubs for the families of students to give them opportunities to socialize and help each other.
Nonetheless, as with everything else in law school, there are challenges with being a parent while working toward a JD. In this blog post, we at Stratus discuss how to best prepare to attend law school if you have children.
The Application Period
First, think about location. Can you move to a different area to attend law school, or would that disrupt your children’s lives too much? If you cannot move, how far can you travel locally? Thinking about these factors at the beginning of the application process can help ensure that your choice of school will create as few difficulties as possible for you and your family.
Also, consider your support system. If you have a significant other, can they help take care of the children when you cannot due to classes and homework? If not, can another family member or friend help out, or can you afford daycare or a caretaker? If none of these options are available, this does not mean that you must give up your dream of becoming a lawyer; you just might need to take some extra steps. For example, if you need daycare but cannot afford it, you can use loans to pay for it as part of your living expenses. However, doing so will cut into the living expenses included in the school’s allotted budget. With this in mind, you could try to get a scholarship to defer your student loan costs. You could also start searching for organizations that help people who cannot afford childcare.
After You Apply
If you know you will be moving to attend law school, it is best to start doing some preliminary work to tie up things in your city after you apply. Depending on your time frame and the number of schools to which you apply, you could also do preliminary research on housing as well as schools for your children in those areas.
If you are staying in your city, you could do similar research, if need be, on daycare providers and ask friends and family for personal recommendations.
Once You Are Accepted
If you have a choice of several law schools, you should weigh how attending each school will impact your family. One factor to consider is how easy it will be to get your children to school and other activities each day. This includes commuting time, the distance to their school, and how many times and places you need to bring and pick them up.
Second, consider your finances. Raising children is expensive, as is attending law school. Loans are often inevitable, and even students without children will likely have to balance their family expenses with repaying loans. However, being in law school with no income while incurring child-related expenses is a different situation. Consequently, it is worth considering taking out loans and scholarships for law school.
Finally, you should consider the culture of the law school. These days, the ages and types of students vary greatly. Some students will be coming straight from college and looking for three more years of partying, while others might be parents of adult children. Most law students will not have children, but some will. You don’t necessarily need to socialize only with people who have children, but you will likely want to avoid living like a college student. Therefore, getting to know prospective students at admitted students’ weekend, seeing if the school has a family association and reaching out to them, and researching the average number of years out of school each student is and/or statistics on people with families or in committed relationships can help you determine if the law school is a good fit.
Additionally, meeting with people from the school to learn about the culture can likely help you address other concerns you might have, such as budgeting, daycare, and commuting. Be it a staff member at the school or a current student who has a family, they can be resources. They might not have all the answers, but they will have valuable advice.
At the end of the day, you need to decide what is best for you and your family. Applying to law school and selecting one can be stressful, especially when you must factor in the lives of your children. However, do not let this overwhelm you. Many people with children successfully attend law school, and you can be one of them! You just need to plan ahead and think through these circumstances.
If you need help with navigating these issues or anything else related to the law school application process, consider reaching out to the Stratus team for a free consultation.