Best Time to Get Married During Law School

From the annals of law school posts, we perused dozens of student missives about when is the best time to get married during law school.

The consensus answer was to do it during a winter break or early summer, but definitely not before finals or taking the bar exam. Of course, a few said there is no good time during law school to get married.

And then there were some gems, which say more about how prospective lawyers think than anything about the romance of a white wedding.

Winter, Give Me a Break

While winter was the first choice for law school weddings, some guys just don't know how to close the deal.

"I think the best time to get married would be during a winter break because you are less likely to be employed during the winter break than you are over summer break," said one student who got engaged before starting law school. "My reasoning was getting the wedding over before studying for the Bar full time in summer."

"Getting the wedding over?" Give me a break, Romeo. That's about as romantic as an evidence exam. Objection, speculation, because your fiancée may change her mind when she sees that post.

Of course, he's not as bad as the wannabe who figured the way to a woman's heart was through a dating contract.

The Money Issue

Something about starving students turns sour when they go to law school. One hapless romantic said he made a mistake getting married in law school because it cost him free money.

"I don't know where you're going to school and if you have fin aid, but if your fiancée has any assets or makes a significant amount of money and you are on fin aid, wait until after law school to get married," the economist said. "If I weren't married I'd probably be getting about $20k/ year extra in fin aid."

It was an older post, so that marriage may not have survived the final semester. Does love even survive law school, anyway?

The Lawyer Personality

The problem with law school weddings isn't law school; it's the people in law school. More than a few said nobody should get married during law school.

That's partly because law students learn how to argue -- not a great skill to bring into a relationship. A successful marriage as a law student or lawyer requires a strong ability to suppress that training.

One student advised another to get married before the disease sets in. "Marry her before she realizes how much of a dick law school makes you," he wrote.

Class dismissed.

Related Resources:

• 6 Tips for Finding Love, or Just a Lover, as a Lawyer (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
• Entering the Ring on the First Day of Work (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
• Why It's Important to Make Friends in Law School (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)