In the first month of law school, one of the most frequent questions my fellow 1Ls keep asking is “how do you make money in law school?” With average law school tuition climbing higher each year, it’s understandable that law students are concerned about making money while studying in a full time program. But how can you balance a full-time course load with a part-time job? In this article, I’ll explore different ways to make money during law school.
Firstly, You Don’t During 1L
Seriously, if you’re going into a full-time program, you will not have the time to work during your first year. Law School is a different beast than undergrad. While it may be tempting to work during your first year of law school, don’t do it.
Law school is a time-consuming and demanding experience. The workload is heavy, and the material is complex and difficult to master. I’m one month in, and I feel that my brain has been fried between my ears. I’ve had to reread one case 6 times to partially understand what’s going on with it. And it’s on my to-do list to reread AGAIN this weekend… Trust me, you will not have time to work during your first year. You can no longer breeze through the course work the way you could when you were in undergrad. This change is *the* story I’ve heard from everyone who has been through their first year as well. You aren’t superman. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
You need to focus your attention on performing well in your first-year classes, maintaining your mental and physical health, and taking advantage of office hours. You won’t be able to do all of that while working. Your first year will consist of reading, studying, class, commuting, sleeping, eating, and struggling to keep sane. Instead of working, you can devote your time to your studies, allowing you to focus on achieving great grades. This focus will also give you a strong foundation for the rest of your legal career.
Determine If You Want or Need The Money
Now, some people work because they had no other choices. For some, their financial aid didn’t disburse until finals week or ever (like me!). For others, they did not budget their financial aid and savings correctly to last throughout the semester or school year.
You can reduce the mount of money you need to make during law school by keeping living expenses low and sticking to a budget. And you know better than to go into law school without at least a semester’s worth of savings on hand. So you won’t have to worry about making money to meet your daily needs and bills. If you’re attending Zoom School of Law or some hybrid variation, you may have opportunities to save more. Ultimately, if after you have created a budget, you determined that you need to make money during your upperclassmen years of law school, here are some tips to make money during law school..
Get a (Paid) Legal Internship
You want a paid legal internship to build your legal resume for your career after your graduate. Internships are a fantastic opportunity for students to gain experience and build their skills in the legal field. In addition to making money, internships are also a great way to get your foot in the door with law firms and legal organizations. Internships also provide a unique opportunity to network with professionals in the field. By taking advantage of internships in the legal field, you can set yourself up for success and gain valuable insights into the industry that will serve you well throughout your career.
Once you finish 1L, you will have a lot more time and time management skills to balance school and an internship. Because you have survived 1L and know the pressures of law school classes, your second year classes aren’t as demanding.
You can apply for legal internships all year-round. Also, you can (and should) apply to a variety of positions across different regions to increase your chances of securing an offer.
You should utilize your Career Services department at your law school. This department has year of experience placing students in their desired internships, clerkships, and jobs. They may even distribute surveys to assess your interests, desired geographic location, and other relevant information to present you with best paid opportunities.
Also take advantage of your alumni network. Your law school has thousands of lawyers working in-house, at law firms, their own businesses, and other jobs. Some of them are hiring at any given moment. And plenty of them would be happy to help a student from their aluma mater.
Get a (Paid) Summer Job
The summer is the most typical and easiest time for law students to make money because most law student are not taking summer classes. Further, many firms, government agencies, and other employers have paid summer programs open to law students.
A straightforward, but definitely not easy, way of securing a paid summer job is to get great grades. If you score within the top 20% of your class, you will be more sought after by “BigLaw” firms who recruit from top of law school classes. Also, Your high grades will make you stand out from the thousands of other law student applying for similar positions in local law firm and other legal organizations.
However, if you do not get high grades, you still can get a decent summer job. Apply far and wide, and *ask your professors and Deans* if they know anyone hiring. If you build a relationship with your professors and Deans, they will more likely help you get a job when you ask. The staff and faculty at your school have connections that they have been cultivating over their careers that you can leverage to your own benefit. Got to office hours so your professors know your face and go to events with your administrators so they are familiar with you as well.
Also getting involved in student organizations and other groups that reflect your interests in your desired practice area will show that you are genuinely interested in pursuing the type of work that employers are hiring you to do during the summer. Many places use their summer programs as a recruit pipeline to secure first-year associates and positions so employers are looking for students that they believe will eventually accept positions with them 1-3 years later once those student graduate.
If you are interested in pursuing public interest, you law school and other organizations can sponsor you, providing you a stipend so that you can work in a public interest summer job that wouldn’t ordinarily provide a wage for your time.
Get an On-Campus Job
On-campus jobs can be a great opportunity for you to earn money while still being able to focus on your studies. Additionally, these types of jobs offer unique benefits that can help students in a variety of ways. For example, working at the library or as a teaching assistant (TA) can help you build connections with faculty and staff. These connections can lead to mentorship opportunities, research positions, and even job offers. Furthermore, you can study while working at the library and TA’ing can help you review courses tested on the Bar.
Moreover, on-campus jobs can provide students with important skills and experiences that can be used later on in their careers. For instance, working as a research assistant can give you opportunities to publish and develop a deeper understanding in a niche area of law. Overall, while on-campus jobs may not pay as much as off-campus jobs, they can provide you with a unique set of experiences and benefits that can help you during and after law school.
Start a Business / Freelancing / Side Hustling
This one is a bit controversial. Starting a business isn’t easy. Trust me. I’ve done it twice. It takes a lot of money, time, and effort to start up and build. However, some businesses are easier than others when you are a student and have existing skills sets.
This route is a great idea for you if you can monetize a hobby. For example, if you are already creating products as a hobby, you could sell your goods to make some money. However, do not start a business that requires you to devote your time to the business at specific times. You need flexibility in your schedule to study, go to office hours, attend study groups especially as finals approach. A business with specific hours requirements may distract from your main goal: getting 1L good grades.
A “side hustle” is a more appropriate style of a business that I think a law school student can utilize. You may not be able to start a full-time business, but you can earn spending money and offset expenses.
Not only is freelancing a great way to earn some extra cash, but it also allows you to work on your own schedule and take on projects as you see fit. There are many different types of freelance work you can do, such as writing, editing, or tutoring. By taking on these types of projects, you can develop important skills that will be useful in your future legal career. For example, if you offer your services as a freelance writer or editor, you’ll likely be working on legal documents, which will help you become more familiar with legal language and terminology.
Similarly, if you offer your services as a tutor, you’ll be helping other law students with their coursework, which will help you stay up-to-date on the material as well. Additionally, the experience you gain through freelancing can be added to your resume or LinkedIn profile, which will make you a more attractive candidate to potential employers.
Monetize Your Social Media
This one you’re probably familiar with. Everyone, it seems, is monetizing their Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and other profiles. Why should you miss out on this avenue of riches?
What other interests do you have besides the law? You can monetize your social media following by focusing on almost anything. There is an audience for anything. If you can produce content about that topic without getting bored, you can make money off it.
Setting up an amazon affiliate account take less than 2 minutes. Next time you post about a project or a product, include a tinyurl link of an affiliate link so you can make some money off clicks. Or sign up for social media influence representation companies who will funnel sponsorship your way especially if you like fashion and beauty.
