Opening Arguments

I always thought I would go to law school -- just not at the age of 33. But, here I am, preparing to take the LSAT more than 12 years after graduating from college. I would never have imagined taking the law school route at this stage in my life, but it seems like circumstance has made this path almost unavoidable.

While I had been a very serious, resume-oriented student back in college, I had always felt family was my life's top priority. A week after graduating college, I married my sweetheart and found a job to support our little family while he completed his schooling. Ten years later -- long after my husband had completed his college degree as well as an MBA -- he accepted a job at a Fortune 100 company. I was a stay at home mom to four amazing children with a small freelance writing and editing business on the side. We lived in a beautiful home in the suburbs and life was great.

Then came the doctor's appointment that changed our lives. It started out as a routine checkup for our three year old. The doctor was concerned about some aspects of her development and referred us to a specialist for further testing. After a series of evaluations, we learned that our daughter had developmental Apraxia, a neurological condition affecting her gross motor and speech production abilities. We found ourselves researching every aspect of this disorder and set up an intensive therapy schedule for our little girl using both medical providers as well as the local school district.

It wasn't long before we discovered just how challenging it can be to work with the school system to meet a child's special needs. In fact, dealing with the school district was a nightmare. After trying to go through the usual channels to work with teachers and administrators, we ended up in a long, drawn out mediation in order to secure an appropriate placement for our daughter. As my frustration level grew, I decided it was time to revive my old law school dream and I registered for the LSAT.

This blog will chronicle my journey through all phases of law school -- from the application process to graduation. My hope is that by the end of my schooling I will have gained the tools I need to be a successful advocate for the young and vulnerable. I want to help other children like my daughter who are caught up in a system that is stacked against them. I want to be the voice of the voiceless and hold the schools accountable for the education they provide to special needs students.

In the mean time, my focus is on doing well on the LSAT so that I can attend law school. I have been studying as much as possible for someone who is responsible for four kids and small business. It's hard to find the time, but now that the deadline is approaching I'm going to tighten up my schedule so that I can add two more hours of study time each day. My first practice test I scored a 160. My second was a 158. I've been reading a few Powerscore study aides and am anxious to take another practice test...maybe tonight. I'll post the new scores soon.