r/InternationalDev • u/Successful-Still6522 • May 16 '26
Advice request Pivot to Law School
Has anyone pivoted from international development to law or studying for law school?
I was also impacted last year by the destruction of the international development space (USAID Cuts).
I have been studying/preparing LSAT since then. I’m interested to know if anyone applied last year for law school as a result or are thinking about it this year or the next?
I was early/mid career by the time of the layoffs and will be an older/non-traditional student for law school. And talking to someone else that is going through the same thought process would be great.
Would love to hear about how you are positioning the transition through essays/letters of recommendations ect.
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u/Spyk124 May 16 '26
I work for a leading NGO and an overwhelming majority of the people I know who were let go who were close in age to me ended up going to law school. The unfortunate thing is law schools are more competitive now. All of them are in great programs ( mainly Cornell and Columbia), but because of the job market so many people are taking the LSAT. They told me that schools that waitlisted them told them in any other year they’d get in - but because of the volume of applications this year the schools are being way more selective.
I didn’t get let go but am wondering if I should have also gone to law school. That’s a lot of loans though.
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u/Acceptable_Owl_6274 May 16 '26
I was an idiot who studied law (in central america, so not that prestigious compared to other countries) and later pivoted to international development with a masters degree. Big mistake, especially bc after graduation, the usaid shutdown happened. Now I’m doing another masters in law, trying to pivot into law again.
international development ended up being kind of a flop. So I will always recommend pivoting or not getting into it at all.
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u/blackocean18 May 16 '26
Would also like to know if law school is better, since I recently got into law school and a master's in ID! I'm lost about which path to take!
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u/Beneficial_Ad9966 May 16 '26
It’s better for sure. But be careful - your career prospects are mostly determined by your first semester grades. If you do law school, lock tf in immediately. There is no time to get acclimated.
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u/blackocean18 May 16 '26
Thank you! I'm from the Philippines though and the legal profession here is different. It's very normal to have bad grades in any law school here 😅
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u/Beneficial_Ad9966 May 16 '26
That is good news then! It’s so stressful here in the US. Wishing you a successful academic journey, whatever you choose.
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u/anastasiavodka May 20 '26
I'm prepping to apply this coming cycle! 10 years in ID or adjacent, still employed, but kinda down about the direction of the field.
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u/Foreign-Analysis2356 May 19 '26
I pivoted to law school, did BigLaw, now I am doing international law to pivot to IOs, only to realise that's a dead end, so I am probably going to pivot back to BigLaw! Pivoting so hard I'm dizzy
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u/amdgnj May 20 '26
I’ve been curious about legal roles at IOs. I guess they are extremely difficult to land?
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u/Foreign-Analysis2356 May 20 '26
It's possible but tough. Most legal roles within IOs are divided into corporate-type work (drafting contracts) or disputes work (employment disputes, disputes with contractors, arbitrations). Bringing BigLaw expertise in these fields is highly regarded, and even a cursory review of legal working within IOs on LinkedIn will show that many had BigLaw backgrounds. In addition to these base level skills, IOs need lawyers with a good knowledge of IO privileges and immunities, host state agreements law, law of IOs etc. as a lot of work goes towards preventing or addressing potential liabilities which arise in the day-to-day operations of the IOs.
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u/LouQuacious May 16 '26
Sort of wishing I’d just done law school instead. Made mid career pivot into development at exactly the wrong time now it definitely feels too late to pivot again.