Comments on Lawffice Space - Employment Law Blog: Failing Out of Law School

When I failed out of law school, they would not re...

2012-02-15T21:06:03.239-05:00

When I failed out of law school, they would not re-admit me, even though my GPA had improved dramatically from the previous semester. I reapplied to some other law schools, but they turned me down. Eventually, I applied to some graduate programs and they also turned me down based on the law school record. Even though I had a 3.5 GPA from my bachelor's degree! I've been told to just keep applying to graduate programs and beg them to take me. My advice to anyone is, if you even think you might fail law school, drop out before its too late. The failure on your academic record will haunt you for the rest of your life. You may never get into any other career! You won't get back into any other law schools, nor will you get into any other colleges or programs, except for (possibly) vocational schools. I would now love to be an elementary school teacher but the credential programs may not accept me because of being academically dismissed from law school. Once again, if you think you aren't grasping the material your first semester of law school, drop out and take some time to make decisions. Dropping out means you can always go back, but failing out means you can never go back.

Don't go back to law school, its almost imposs...

2012-02-06T21:43:56.641-05:00

Don't go back to law school, its almost impossible to get a job nowadays in the legal field. If this were 1980, I would give different advice. But times have changed.

wow, I just failed out of law school halfway throu...

2012-01-06T02:11:21.292-05:00

wow, I just failed out of law school halfway through. feels like i just got hit with a ton of bricks. my former boss prior to law school (who owned the company) died of a sudden heart attack. i have nothing to go back to. i was at a tier 4 school, and the expected income after graduation according to some publications is less than what i was making per year before law school. at least i know i don't belong there, i hated it the entire time. i guess i just didn't want it bad enough.

Thank you for the post! It's nice to see someo...

2011-11-30T19:07:46.518-05:00

Thank you for the post! It's nice to see someone provide constructive advice to those who have been dismissed and want to get back into law. I just wanted to know if anyone else feels the ABA "recommendation" that law students who have been academically dismissed must sit out for two years is arbitrary and capricious? Schools rarely give a 505 letter.

I failed out and was readmitted. Even at that I am...

2011-08-08T00:01:37.949-04:00

I failed out and was readmitted. Even at that I am still struggling to make do. At my school, grades are based upon one final examination in most classes and my memory is the worst. I have tried numerous methods of memorization and preparation but with a learning disability and ADD I am constantly struggling. I have little better than a 2.0 gpa. Every term ends with me hoping I get enough grade points to continue on in the next term. What bugs me most is that in writing classes, pre-trial skills, trial skills, etc. I do great. I am good at understanding and applying, but I just can't memorize everything for the exams, not even close. Studying past exams doesn't help much either. I read them, go through them, understand them, but get stuck again come exam time. I just don't think the methods used in law schools today or even for the bar are what makes a good lawyer or are determinative of a good lawyer. Well, this turned out to be more of a rant. I believe I will get through and graduate. I am now in my 3rd year and ever concerned with keeping my grades above the minimum, which is a nerve-racking process. Wish me luck, I wish you all luck too!

I just failed out of law school and I am in such a...

2011-07-30T02:22:51.032-04:00

I just failed out of law school and I am in such a state of depression that I can't seem to shake it. I was doing good and then I lost my uncle, 4 friends i've known for 20+ years and my boyfriend had kidney cancer and surgery all while I was trying to study for finals. I thought I was rising above it but when I took the exams, I lost it. It's been one devasting blow after another. How do you come back from all this...

I failed out of law school by .04 points in '0...

2011-07-18T06:13:04.707-04:00

I failed out of law school by .04 points in '07. I was crushed. I couldn't get any instructor to "give" me the extra points. Luckily, I was determined. I bugged the Vice-Chancellor by email and phone calls daily. After several (+10) face-2-face visits, I finally made some progress. I reapplied to the program in '09 and was accepted. I will graduate May '12. Keep your head up. Even though its really really hard, you have to stay in the game. Best of luck!

It's a tough job market, and (probably) an exp...

2011-07-15T08:49:11.338-04:00

It's a tough job market, and (probably) an expensive proposition. That said, if there's really nothing you want to do more that's something I would weigh pretty heavily. When I went to law school, I did it because i thought it would be fun and didn't necessarily even intend to switch careers (from IT consulting). Ultimately, it wasn't a financial decision, it was just a question of what I wanted to do with my life. Every person is different though - so balancing financial considerations and your personal interests is really up to you.

I am 43 years old and withdrew from a Tier 2 schoo...

2011-07-14T16:56:22.263-04:00

I am 43 years old and withdrew from a Tier 2 school while on academic probation and with substantial student loan debt, primarily because of health reasons. I very much want to return and finish what I started, and cannot think of anything I would like to do more. Is it worth it, and do you have any specific suggestions for me? Thank you.

"my passion is in public interest...know of a...

2011-06-18T08:03:03.897-04:00

"my passion is in public interest...know of alternatives to law school?"

I worked for a public interest firm in law school. Although they're usually non-profits, they still operate like any other business. They need accounting, HR, graphic designers, IT, legal secretaries, paralegals, marketing, event coordinators, researchers, etc. They also need "development" (money-raising).

Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou for this post Phillip...

2011-06-18T03:01:33.059-04:00

Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou for this post Phillip Miles!

i just failed out of law school and i'm trying...

2011-05-28T09:28:53.212-04:00

i just failed out of law school and i'm trying to decide...what next?! I know I am smart and if i had applied myself during the year, i wouldve done better - especially since a lot of my classmates who did make it, are not smarter than me, they just did more. I am trying to decide what to do because my passion is in public interest...know of alternatives to law school? how difficult is it to get a masters/phd now that you have failed out?

all joking aside, failing out with debt makes it h...

2011-05-13T22:22:50.425-04:00

all joking aside, failing out with debt makes it harder to repay that passing with more debt.

yes you have to work for it, but if you can't then how the hell did you get a BA and pass the lsat? Honestly?!?!?!

I just C- out of law school, and I am glad I didn&...

2011-01-08T01:48:54.495-05:00

I just C- out of law school, and I am glad I didn't keep going. The majority of recent graduates at the tier 4 degree mill school where I went are unable to find jobs anyway. However, I'm only on the hook for about $40k (as opposed to $150k). With the prisons being overcrowded, I think selling illicit narcotics may be my ticket back to the "road to financial freedom." In the meantime, Good Luck Sallie Mae! F^€< Off!

just get out of law school while you can. it is no...

2010-08-07T05:43:01.713-04:00

just get out of law school while you can. it is not worth sh..t anymore and will only decline in the future...there is no more high salaries with a j.d...cut your losses...i went to ivy league law school and passed the bar 2 years ago with 200k in debt from all that sh..t no real stable job....so mba or b.s. in something technical or don't do it at all.

The good news is that practicing law involves diff...

2010-03-23T11:19:24.699-04:00

The good news is that practicing law involves different activities than law school. The bad news is that law school hazing (let's call it what it is) prepares you to practice. Depending on what you do, there will probably be a lot of reading; every area is filled with "anal and particular" people; and there will always be competitors with more experience and/or better credentials than you no matter what you do. That said, my school curved to a 2.9 so Bs would be above average. It sounds like you're doing fine. Law school is designed to produce highs and lows. It's up to you whether toughing out the lows is worth it.

I am in my first year of law school in Louisiana a...

2010-03-22T02:02:20.801-04:00

I am in my first year of law school in Louisiana and I am over-whelmed by all the reading in casebooks. I am smart enough to understand my civil codes and can apply them well, but failure still feels imminent because all of my professors are so anal and particular about everything. The biggest problem I have is anxiety about failing. My classmates have professional jobs, some work in law firms already, and a few are in broadcasting, etc. I have nothing to go back to if I fail. It seems like that should inspire me, but I just feel even more inadequate and undeserving. I got my grades from last semester and I was dissappointed. I got a B in both Criminal Law and Contracts, and a C- in my Legal Writing class. Any advice for a first year student?

mitch, I am not an expert on law school (re)admiss...

2010-01-06T20:31:03.575-05:00

mitch, I am not an expert on law school (re)admissions but it sounds like you have identified some positive steps. I'm sure admissions offices appreciate students with passion, you just need some way to demonstrate your desire. If you have contacts at your current school be sure to keep in touch with them. If you have the time, identify law-related activities and get involved to show future schools your passion. This article has some advice on readmission that may be useful: http://www.lawcrossing.com/article/1346/Coping-with-Law-School-Dismissal/ Good luck!

i just recently failed out of law school, but i lo...

2010-01-06T19:48:59.163-05:00

i just recently failed out of law school, but i love the law and know i ahve it in me to do well, i have been working on my problems with the head of the department of my school and studying even after i was denied re-admission. It is just very hard, i have wrote a 505 letter in hopes that maybe i can start in the fall of 2010 rather then wait two years. I am taking another lsat with hopes of improving my score and am looking into maybe going to get my MBA or paralegal degree. I love the law and want this. Do i have a shot of getting back into a law school soon? I went to a low level school and i understand that looks bad my desrie and passion to suceed has to standout and be noticed!

thanks. first year finals are upon us and failure ...

2009-12-02T03:24:12.257-05:00

thanks. first year finals are upon us and failure seems like a distinct possibility. law school is much harder than i expected.