I’m a solo practitioner. I went to law school after 9 years in the Navy. You can make a very good living as an attorney regardless of the school you attend. I chose to go to law school because I wanted/needed a marketable skill that would pay the bills. That, and I knew I had an aptitude for it. I went to Cal Western (downtown) in 1997. I wasn’t thrilled with the school, but that’s just me. It was simply a means to an end – passing the bar exam. If you have high enough undergrad grades and a high LSAT score, any of the 3 local schools may give you a scholarship. Cal Western offered me more than USD, so I went with them. Cal Western also allows you to go full time, straight through. You can knock it out in 2 years. They have a good reputation locally. However, if I had to do it over again I’d go with USD.
The advantage of going to school in the town you want to work is that you make connections in the legal community while in school. You can work as a law clerk and also as an intern. This could result in a job for you when you graduate. You also make friends while at school – most of whom end up practicing in the same city. They can potentially become a great source of future referrals and/or jobs.
As far as firms go, I’ve never worked for a firm and never will. I know people who do. They work an insane amount of hours to make someone else wealthy. With a wife and a child your time is probably worth more. I nearly starved for the first few years of practicing. Things finally turned around for me a couple of years ago. The key is getting clients. Your sales background may be of help there. If you have the clients, you can make more money working less hours than you could with a firm. For example, if you bill 40 hours a month at an hourly rate of $250, there’s $120,000/yr. That’s why firms have such high billable hour requirements. Keep in mind that billable hours and hours worked are not the same. You don’t always get to bill for everything you do.
I had the luxury of spending the time and money on law school because I’m single. You might not. If you go full time, you probably won’t work (other than as a law clerk) and won’t generate any income for your family. It will be stressful. Not everybody is lucky enough to have a job that is profitable and tons of fun. I enjoy some parts of being a lawyer more than others. Either way, I know that I will always be able to make a living because I have a law license.
