Is it Ever Too Late to Pursue a Law Degree?

Do you ever wonder if it’s too late to pursue your dream career? Everyone wonders about this, and there’s a good chance you’ll wonder about it at some point in your life. After all, there is no “right time” to begin a new one when it comes to careers. It depends on your circumstances and the job market in your area. One career it is never too late to train in is becoming a lawyer. While the average age to start training is 24-29, more and more people aged 30+ are pursuing their goals and training in law. Read on to find the advantages of training as a lawyer later in life.

Maturity

Some people may be surprised to find that mature and experienced people have the advantage of being wiser. This means you could bring a new perspective to legal matters, which is advantageous for cases. 

Life Experience

• What have you overcome in your life?
• What experiences have shaped who you are and how you have gotten to where you are today?

These are the questions you can answer and then use these answers to help you shape yourself into the lawyer you want to become.

Not forgetting, your previous job roles will have helped you pick up different skills and knowledge that can be applied in law and will help to give you an advantage.

Working in the legal sector, you will encounter various circumstances, from your run-of-the-mill divorce to child custody fights to murder, tax evasion, etc. Bring your life experience to how you develop your legal skills and support your training to help you think outside the box and navigate tricky situations and cases.

When it comes to what you have experienced in life, this will only be a good thing when it comes to helping you pass the bar and become a fully certified lawyer.

Confidence

To be a successful lawyer, you need to be confident in your abilities to practice law and do the best for your clients, be it knowing the Child Custody Guide for family law, knowing the real estate market and legalities for real estate law, or being confident representing criminals in court. Clients require confident lawyers they can trust to help them as best they know-how, and your confidence is vastly different in your 30s than in your 20s.

Whatever area of law you choose to specialize in, you need confidence, and as you get older, your confidence levels in yourself and your abilities will grow, which can help you become a better lawyer.

Determination

As you get older, you understand the level of determination needed and what is at stake when you fail. Chances are, you may have a mortgage to pay or a family to support, and failure isn’t an option. Maybe you want to change your life for the better, and your determination to do so pushes you through. Plus, you will have already developed a strong work ethic and will have your priorities in order by now.

Whatever your reason for training later in life, chances are you will be more determined than fresh-faced youngsters right out of college.

Passion

Does anyone truly know and understand the gravity of their career choices right from school? Training at an older age means you have had the time to really think about what you want and how much you want it. And when you decide to go for it, chances are you have that desire and passion that will drive you through your training and determine the area of law you want to practice.

Contextual Understanding

Contextual understanding is something you only get as you experience life. For youngsters with little life experience, they may only have experienced situations via the pages of a book.

However, as you age, you get to live different experiences, learn new things, and develop skills that cannot be taught. This will have formed who you are and how you see the world and give you the know-how to broach different scenarios and situations with a greater understanding of what is going on and even more empathy for what clients are going through.

This understanding is vital and will help you become a good lawyer and support your clients the right way.

In reality, changing careers at any age can be challenging, but age shouldn’t be a barrier to changing your career and finally getting the job of your dreams, whether you’re 25, 25, or even 65. If you want to pursue it, you should follow your dreams and go for it.