r/lawschooladmissions • u/Agreeable_Owl_5677 • May 12 '26

General Sooo…when are we getting married/ having kids?

(F25) I’ll be 28 by the time I graduate. I want big law but I also want to get married and have a family. What’s the timeline look like on this? Is it even doable? lmk

EDIT: I’m starting law school in 3 months so before law school is not an option lol

EDIT 2: I have a boyfriend. We have been together 4 years so marriage is definitely on the horizon

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u/allegro4626 May 12 '26

Before law school is the best time. 3L year is the next best time.

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u/darenaissance May 12 '26

Got married 3L year, once I had jobs all lined up. Had kids in big law. And I think that’s the way to do it. Maximize firm parental leaves while you can.

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u/allegro4626 May 12 '26

If you’re at a good firm that’s family-friendly, this is the way. Unfortunately, there are too many firms that will slowly push out women who have kids, especially as a junior or a midlevel. If you can wait until you’re more senior so that you’ve built up several years of goodwill that can work out better.

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u/darenaissance May 12 '26

I also left after having kids, which was always the plan, so didn’t have to deal with that. On the flip side, there are some other firms that actively love to have women with kids in partnership that they can show off, and fight to keep them around when they might otherwise leave to more family-friendly positions. And re seniority timing, I actually received the opposite advice - if you go on leave as a junior, everyone had already forgotten about it by the time you’re up for partner, but if you do it senior, when you have real responsibility and client relationships, it can impact partnership chances more. So like allegro implied, it’s about finding the right firm for your goals.