A big reason many people do not stay on the path of becoming a civil rights attorney is simple: money. And no, I don’t mean that people are both interested in civil rights and yet looking to make the big bucks.
Law school is exorbitantly expensive, so much so that by the time you leave most people are facing crippling debt. One close friend of mine graduated from law school with a quarter million dollars in debt. Yep. That’s right. A whopping $250,000 to pay off.
For many of us, law school does not leave us that severely in debt. Yet, the numbers aren’t pretty. On average, I would say people I know – including myself – have monthly loan payments of somewhere between $1000 and $1500. Double that amount to account for rent and utility payments, and suddenly we realize we can barely – if at all – subsist off a $45,000-$60,000 per year salary. And yet, that’s what most civil rights organizations and firms pay as starting salaries.
So, how can you make it work?
If at all possible, I would try to start the process by attending a law school with loan forgiveness programs. That’s certainly a luxury in and of itself, but if the option presents itself, here’s what to look for.
But for those of us who are already in law school or have graduated, how can we work out these financial hurdles? Set a very clear budget for yourself, and stick to it.
Personally, I like using apps for this. I know others who prefer using personal spreadsheets and keeping track of their bills through manually entering receipts. Do what works for you.
I have used Mint for a long time, though I believe there are many competitors out there. (I in no way endorse Mint or suggest using it over another app. I’m just not very tech savvy, so once I have something in place, I stick to it.)
To begin any budget, plug in your fixed costs: rent and monthly (minimum) loan payments. Then, plug in how much you want to save per month. Yes, save. That is your cushion, your safety net. When I first graduated from law school, my monthly goal was $500. I wasn’t always perfect, but overall I think I saved about $5,500 per year, or 11 months at that savings point.
From there, plug in your variables: utilities (try to get to a general average), eating out, drinking (yes, I separated the two), groceries, entertainment (ex: movie tickets, concerts), travel, and miscellaneous expenses.
Many budgeting apps today allow you to budget over time for certain categories. I think my initial entertainment budget was $20 per month. So basically a single movie ticket with no snacks, and certainly no date. As you can guess, I saved that up over time to afford things like a ticket to a Red Rocks show in the summer.
Now comes the hard part: stick to your budget.
As people who know me will tell you, I am not a big cook. Yet, when I first moved to Denver I really didn’t know anybody, and I lived alone. And I was a clerk with an 8:30-5:30 schedule. So I had a ton of time to cook.
I started cooking these massive meals (fell in love with Smitten Kitchen, who I will endorse because I find her recipes to be incredibly approachable while also complex and delicious – a nearly impossible combination to find), and I would make meal preps for the week that I would bring in for my daily lunch.
(Note: one way to achieve this goal was that I asked for a specific set of cookware that cost around $100-$125 as a graduation present from my family. Some family friends got me some important, larger utensils, and I laid out the funds for the first set of spices.)
I can recall only once in 18 months going out to lunch with fellow clerks, and I almost could not stomach spending $10+ on the meal given I had a $180 per month restaurant budget.
Did declining so many offers to go out to lunch make me feel like I was missing out? Definitely. But was it worth it? That’s not really the right question. I knew I couldn’t afford it. What I did do, however, was try to go to the weekly clerk’s lunch – where many of us would bring our meals in – and get to know people that way.
When friends would invite me out to drinks or dinner, I would be honest if it was something I could not afford, and I would invite them over to my place for a home-cooked meal and beer or cocktail instead.
One friend of mine really enjoyed fancy dinners, and he had the finances to pay for them. Sometimes he would invite me out (being very clear he was paying the bill), and I would accept, knowing he enjoyed the company and was happy to pay. In exchange, I would make him promise to do some activities with me that were low-budget or absolutely free, like spend time walking around town on a weekend. (In fact, I once saved him over $100 with my Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons, which he acknowledged he would have never used. And he took me out to a nice meal to thank me, which seemingly defeats the purpose.)
Okay, so let’s say you budget everything and still the finances don’t work out. Well now you need to look at some other compromises. For example, if your budgeted rent is too high, can you move somewhere else? Or move in with roommates?
For me, it was really important to be able to live alone when I first left law school, but I saw how untenable it was, and just a year and a half later I moved into an apartment with a friend. My rent was cut by $600+ per month. It was totally worth it.
Or maybe you have a car but live in a city with decent public transit. I’d say Denver is pretty mediocre on the public transit front – at least compared to the time I’ve spent living in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and DC – and yet I still don’t own a car here. Do the math, and if it’s cheaper to do ride shares and public transit, ditch the car. Or if you don’t have a car but ride share every which way, start factoring in some time to use public transit, bike, or walk.
Finances still not working? Use your budgeting to compromise with your employer. Explain that you’ve run the numbers and their salary just isn’t going to work. Use some specifics to show why.
Perhaps your employer tells you they aren’t willing to increase your salary. Maybe everyone at your level makes the same, and if they increased your salary they would need to do the same for others. Negotiate the perks. Ask for a firm credit card with a food and drink budget, since a lot of those meals and drinks out are probably going to be for networking purposes. Or ask them to reimburse your gas or ride-shares.
I’ll follow this up with a post about negotiating salaries later, but for now, just know that with a budget, most of these salaries are possible, even with large loan payments.
They key is being vigilant about sticking to that budget. You can do it – trust me. And over time, your salary (or bonuses) will increase. This won’t be forever, just a few years.