(Original stock photo by Getty Images)
You did it! Got accepted to your (dream) school, achieved a JD, and are practicing law. Or something. Your friends and family are super proud of you. Unfortunately, Sallie Mae wants what is hers.
What now? How are you juggling your adult gig with the debts you started as a teenager? I would like to know. If you would like to share your experiences dealing with debt, strategies to overcome it, or favorite ways to ignore it, I would like to ask you a few questions. Send me an email at [email protected] with the subject line “Debt Testimonial” if you’re interested. Expect me to ask some advice you would give to 1Ls, graduating 3Ls, and new hires trying to hit a net worth of zero and beyond. All information that is read and shared will be anonymous unless requested otherwise.
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It’s like having a junior associate who’s never off the clock.
(In the spirit of transparency and trust building, I have ~$213k in debt, all school-related: ~$30k from undergrad and ~$160k for the JD. I know I am not the only one in this boat. Let’s figure it out together. )
To participate in this series, you must meet these criteria:
- You did not receive a full ride, non-merit scholarship to your law school of choice. Partial scholarships are fine. Full-ride merit scholarships are not, unless you lost it at some point in your law school experience.
- Receiving gifts does not play a large role in your debt payback plans. This means no homes as graduation presents or small loans of a million dollars.
- You are in control of your own income. #FreeBritney
- You must be at least five figures in debt and have a JD. I don’t care if the debt is from school, GME shorts gone bad, or the like. You just have to be down bad.
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Juno has consistently secured the best private loan deals for students at the Top MBA programs since 2018—now they’re bringing that same offer to law students, at no cost. Students can check their personalized offers at juno.us/atl This article is for general information only and is not personal financial advice.
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. Before that, he wrote columns for an online magazine named The Muse Collaborative under the pen name Knehmo. He endured the great state of Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected].