Should you go to law school in your 30s?
Asked by: Murphy Hansen | Last update: October 23, 2025Score: 4.4/5 (20 votes)
Older applicants should clarify their past career path, their reasons for pursuing law and specific postgraduate goals. It's never too late in life to apply to law school. Although most applicants are under 25, about 1 in 5 are 30 or older and a much smaller proportion are over 40.
Is it too late to go to law school at 30 reddit?
It is absolutely not too late for you. When I went to law school, I did not go right from undergrad - I worked for a couple of years, and I was expecting to be one of the older people in my class. The truth was just the reverse. Many people in my cohort were in their 30s and 40s; many had families.
Can I start becoming a lawyer at 30?
It's not too late to enter law school. Senior top notchers in the bar exam started their careers before entering law school. It's the same for everyone, regardless of age. As long as you have support from your family and are able to communicate, you can achieve your dreams.
How late is too late to apply for law school?
Most law school application deadlines tend to be in February or March, with some even being as late as April or May. While it is not a bad thing to submit your application for the final deadline, we do recommend aiming to submit your application by your school's early submission date.
Is a 3.7 GPA too low for law school?
The average GPA for law school is between 3.91. However, like LSAT scores, it's important to understand that the specific average GPA can differ depending on the law school and its level of competitiveness. Top-ranking law schools often expect higher average GPAs, typically ranging from 3.8 to 4.0 or even higher.
How Old Is Too Old for Law School | LSAT Demon Daily, Ep. 456
How rare is a 176 LSAT?
Less than 1% of test takers score a 176. It's a very hard thing to do. Don't let this sub skew your perception of what's realistic.
Is 2.5 a good law school GPA?
So generally, if you're trying to get into the top schools, a GPA below 3.6 will be considered low. But to answer the question what GPA do you need to get into law school, any law school, then the answer is at least a 2.5. That is realistically the lowest GPA you can have to get into law school.
Is 35 too late to go to law school?
Older applicants should clarify their past career path, their reasons for pursuing law and specific postgraduate goals. It's never too late in life to apply to law school. Although most applicants are under 25, about 1 in 5 are 30 or older and a much smaller proportion are over 40.
Is the LSAT going away in 2025?
The ABA's House of Delegates will vote on the Council's proposed change in February 2023. If the House votes to nix Standard 503, the standardized-test requirement won't go away until 2025. So, the LSAT isn't definitely going away, and it's definitely not going away until 2025.
How hard is the LSAT?
This process is not only time-consuming but can be very expensive as well. So yes, the LSAT is hard, and it is designed that way. It's not so much a test that requires a student to remember random facts, but instead, it is a test that showcases a student's thought process.
How hard is the bar exam?
The bar exam is hard. In fact, it may be one of the most difficult challenges you ever embark on. You must memorize numerous laws and consume a lot of knowledge to answer questions correctly. For many, it feels like trying to hold sand in your hands, knowing that you'll inevitably lose much of it.
What type of lawyer makes the most money?
Patent Attorney Salary
Patent attorneys are the highest-paid type of lawyers, with an average salary of $185,351, ranging from $119,88 to $285,530. Various factors contribute to a patent attorney's average salary, including experience, firm, location, and subject matter expertise.
At what age do most people become lawyers?
What is the Average Age of Lawyers in the U.S.? The average age of attorneys in the U.S. is 46.3, according to the same Zippia report. More than 67% of the U.S. attorney population is 40 years or older. Only 4% of the attorney population is 20 to 30 years old.
Is law school worth it in your 30s?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with starting law school at 30, and you definitely won't be alone. Your law school class will be filled with people of all ages and backgrounds in life, including those on their second (or third) career. There might even be one or two people in their 70s, depending on where you go!
What is the average age to go to Harvard law school?
I believe the exact statistic could possibly be found online, but in my experience, it was about 24–25 for a 1L (first-year) student. In other words, most first-year students had graduated from college and spent one or two years working or doing internships before starting at law school.
Are less people going to law school?
When first-year enrollment rises or falls in sequential years, those effects multiply. Today, overall JD enrollment has roughly stabilized at a level not seen in over 40 years. Compared to the peak in JD enrollment in 2010 (147,525 students), overall JD enrollment was down 20.8% in 2023. Line chart with 2 lines.
Is a 170 LSAT attainable?
170 score: Scoring a 170 on the LSAT is almost always considered a good score — that means you are in the 2-3% of test-takers. Still, it won't guarantee you admission at a top law school. Other parts of your application are still a factor.
Did Harvard get rid of LSAT?
Harvard Law School accepts either the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). We do not have a preference for either exam. Similarly, a candidate is not considered more committed by taking both exams or disadvantaged by taking the same exam multiple times.
Is the GRE easier than the LSAT?
For most test-takers, an elite LSAT® score is much harder to achieve than an elite GRE score. However, certain characteristics – stronger verbal skills and weaker quant skills, for example – might make the GRE a tougher test for you personally.
What is a good LSAT score?
With an LSAT score of 170, your chances of getting into any school you want are good. That includes some law schools in the top ten. Nearly half of the students in the best US law schools get in with a score of less than 170.
How old is the average person in law school?
What Is The Average Age Of Law Students? The average age of law students is 25 or younger. Only 20% of law students are 30 or older. While only a small percentage of law students are above the age of 40, there have been several successful older graduates.
Is 35 too old for grad school?
Most graduate schools will care less about how old you are and more about what you've been doing with your time since you were in undergrad — and like businesses, graduate schools cannot discriminate based on age. In fact, certain fields like business may prefer a candidate with some work experience.
Is a 3.0 too low for law school?
Considering students are generally advised to score a GPA of 3.5 in college to get into law school, a 3.0 is typically considered low. However, it all depends on the schools you're applying to! As discussed earlier, several schools consider a 3.0 to be within their competitive range.
How many times can you take the LSAT?
How many times may I take the LSAT? Five times within the current reportable score period (i.e., since June 2019). A total of seven times over a lifetime.
What are softs for law school?
Softs refer to everything in your application that isn't "hard" data.