Advice for people considering law school
I went to law school ten years after college. Many people have reached out to me when they consider a career change, often after spending years in the arts. Here is the advice I generally give:

• Do not go to law school unless you want to practice law. 
• Consider other paths to having your needs met. An art professor once told me that it was crushing to expect an art career to meet your emotional, intellectual, and financial needs. What needs are not being met by your current work that would be by becoming a lawyer?
• You cannot change who you are. Going to law school will not make you someone you aren't already. If you enjoy being time rich, you will not be happy "making lots of money" in a job you are not well suited for.
• Law school is very expensive. It is three years of not being able to work full time and summers that may require you to work for free or low pay. Opportunities may require travel and moving to another city. Consider how much change and cost is feasible for you.
• Consider if there is another degree that could get you to where you want to be, such as a public policy or planning degree, MBA, or social work degree that would be less financially and emotionally painful.
• You do not have to be a lawyer to "be a good person" or "help people" or "connect people to resources". You can do all of those things volunteering, and/or organizing with organizations in your local community. Think about why you have to be a lawyer to help in the specific way you want to.
• Read "For Those Considering Law School" by Dean Spade.
• If you can, take time off to study for the LSAT and take it once if possible. Every step of the process of becoming a lawyer compounds privilege. You will be at a disadvantage if you must work and study at the same time. Try to set yourself up for success in the process of negotiating your financial aid and scholarships by paying more upfront and staying with family or friends while you study for a shorter amount of time. The difference between a full scholarship and a half scholarship to law school can be as little as five points -- it really matters. 

Advice for current law students and recent graduates

• Get a hold of your finances. You will have the most control over your stress levels and life if you are honest with yourself about the day to day lifestyle you want to live.
• If you are interested in public interest, learn to keep your living expenses relatively low. Try to get a rent stabilized apartment in the city you want to live and work in as soon as possible. 
• Keep a folder of things to remind you of why you want to the work you want to do, and nice things people have said about you. This folder is so helpful when you're confronted with the challenges of doing the work.
• Start efforts to make your work sustainable as soon as possible. Commit to your physical and mental health, to maintaining a social life, and to being a whole person. The more self-knowledge you have, the less worried you will be about what others are doing.