Applying to Law School When You’re Over 40

Is law school out of the question if you’re over 40? Is it harder to apply? Are you going to have friends? Are people going to judge you based on your age? 

These are all valid questions if you are considering applying to law school once you’re past the “typical” student age! In this blog post, we’re going to be talking about what it looks like to apply to law school if you’re over 40 and answering all of your questions! 

Would you rather watch this blog post? Check out our recent YouTube video by Associate Law School Consultant Alice Foley! 

It’s Never Too Late

You absolutely can go to law school and be very successful if you’re over 40. It’s never too late! 

First, and most importantly, you have had time to get to know yourself. You have gained perspective and know what is important to you. You know how to make your life work for you, and you know how to prioritize well enough to keep yourself on track. Academia can be rigorous, and you’ve had the time to prepare. 

When you’re coming right from undergraduate or graduate school, you often haven’t been in an environment where deadlines are strict. You also may not have been in an environment where the things you were doing relied on a paycheck or supporting your family. This means “traditional” students can sometimes have a very difficult work-life balance. 

You, on the other hand, have already had the chance to be in the adult world and understand how to prioritize what works for you. If you’re not quite sure how to prioritize, you may also be more familiar with how to ask for the help you need and get organized. 

Here is a real-life example: 

With little warning, a professor makes a deadline for a project earlier in the week. Students have to now juggle their current workload while fitting in this project that they didn’t plan for. However, the professor left one note that said that if you can give them a reason to extend the deadline for you, they will. 

Traditional students in this example panic, cram, and try to figure out what to do the day of. A non-traditional student who is caring for two children and supporting their partner saw that there was a conflict with their family-time on their calendar. They went to the professor, explained the schedule they already had in place, and explained that they could get it done a day or two later. 

It is a straightforward conversation that they had where they explained to the professor that, while law school work is important, it was not more important than the time they would have to take from their family. The professor was completely fine with the adjustment, without any panicking. 

This is just one example of how a non-traditional student may be able to understand their priorities and address professors about situations that are difficult in their life. 

On the other hand, and something that can help in these situations is that as an older student you may feel more comfortable addressing issues like this due to being closer in age to the professor themselves. You’re less likely to be intimidated by professors to ask questions than traditional students may be. 

Your Valuable Life Experience

Most of the time, you’ve done something pretty school in the meantime since you graduated from college. You have an amazing story to tell and experience to bring to the table. 

Whether you’ve had a military career, started your own business, or did something completely unrelated to law, your experience is interesting both for admissions and in the classroom. 

The things that you will add to the conversation are so valuable. You are more likely to also have had interactions with the law, whether through a specific case or regulations, that you will be studying in class. It will be helpful for you, but also for your peers to hear from your real-life experiences. 

Differences in Applications

Before we go into anything, your birthday is on your application. Admissions is going to know the year that you were born, and at the end of the day it will be taken into consideration. That is part of the context that is being considered, and it may mean that different things are taken into consideration or weight differently within your application. 

A holistic application review is very beneficial for this reason. Each applicant is approached as a singular application. If your GPA and LSAT score is a little lower or on the median for the school you’re applying for, but you founded a successful company that you’ve been running for the last 15 years of your life, those scores may be overshadowed. 

Although many schools require you to have an academic letter of recommendation, it may also not be considered as heavily during your application process because you were in school a long time ago. You should also make sure to look thoroughly at the application for an asterisk or note that says: “If you graduated more than X years ago, you don’t need to get an academic letter of recommendation.” 

When it comes to your resume, you may have heard that your law school resume should be one page, at most two. That’s true. However, for someone who has 20-30 years of work experience, it’s understandable that it may spill onto a third page. 

Your law school resume should still be a part of the cohesive narrative that you’re giving admissions as a part of your application. 

Finding Your Community

The best advice is to embrace your new community. Yes, this may mean interacting with people that are very much younger than you, but they can be a lot of fun and teach you interesting things. 

A lot of those students also find it nice to have a real “grown-up” around. You know things that they don’t, and they enjoy that. If you’re interested in going to law school parties, go for it, but there are also students that aren’t interested in partying. You may have insight to things that your cohort can do together that are different from the typical things they would think of.

Another bonus about having younger classmates: You have new babysitters! Many of them will be excited to watch your kids and happy to help you out throughout the process. 

Plus, you won’t be alone. While a majority of law school students are between 21-26 years old, almost a quarter of law school applications come from people who are 30+ years old. 

Most law schools also have at least one dedicated student organization for non-traditional students like you. They typically have two categories: “Non-traditional students” organizations or “Older Wiser Law Students” organizations. 

There may also be parent groups. You don’t have to be a parent to join, and this might help you find people closer to your age or who have dealt with the same life experiences that you have. 

Final Thoughts

To sum up, if you want to go to law school, go to law school! 

You can absolutely have a fun, great experience in law school and be a successful attorney no matter how old you are. There are a handful of application components that may be slightly different, and they will be approached differently than a younger application. And finally, once you’re in, make sure to make the most out of it while you’re there. 

If you are a non-traditional student looking for support throughout your applications, we have a variety of services at every price point to help you on your law school application journey! The team at Barrier Breakers® Admissions Advising is here to support you through this law school application cycle! Whether it's through discounted advising for BIPOC, first-generation, and LSAC Fee Waiver applicants, our essay review services and courses, or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School, we're here to help make this process easier.

As always, feel free to reach out to us at hello@barrier-breakers.org with any of your questions! You can also submit a question to be answered on our weekly Break Into Law School® Podcast, streaming wherever your favorite podcast service is.