Migraine

Glad to see you posting here, Cori! Let us know if you have any questions.

Hi! I am not much help about law school because my migraines didn't start until after law school. I've been incredibly lucky; the places I've worked have been very understanding about my migraines. Now, I don't get them that often (once a month, or maybe once every two months), so I don't have to miss much work. Also, one of the other attorneys I work with also has migraines, so there's a pretty good understanding here about them. And usually I can work through them with my medication (although I generally collapse as soon as I walk in the door!)

Looking back at law school, I think it's really going to depend on your professors. I think if my migraines were occurring during law school, I would have been more likely to send a tape recorder to class or have someone get me their notes, without talking to a professor. I just don't think many of my professors would have cared much or been very sympathetic. Now, if you think you are going to miss many classes a semester, I would suggest you do talk to them ahead of time. Some professors may take attendance, and if they still do the Socratic method (which I can't imagine they don't), your professors are going to notice you are missing a lot and it could work against you.

If you think your might miss a lot of classes, you should probably deal with it ahead of time and let them know you are proactive about it - you are sending a tape recorder or you are having a specific person take notes.

I have to say, I'm not sure you will get much leniency with professors about exams.

It's a tough call. Law school professors can be intimidating, and I really think it's going to be up to you depending on the severity, length, etc. of your migraines. Most law professors take the attitude that they are preparing you for a tough profession, and some may not be very understanding.

I suggest you pay close attention to getting enough sleep and eating right, expecially your first semester when you are just getting used to it. Good luck!

Hi Cori

I've been practicing as a lawyer in Australia for 6 years both in topr tier and small firms, but only with migraines since the start of this year.

I am an M&A lawyer which means that my practice is very up and down. When it's on it's on in a major way and when it's not it's very boring (hence my ability to post today). I am also Mum to a fantastic little 3.5 year old girl and that is a whole other type of demanding!

In my experience, don't expect a lot of sympathy from your colleagus or clients if you have to take time off for a migraine (or for that matter to look after an ill child) in the middle of a deal. The very best thing that you can do is make sure that you have the ability to take your work home with you so that you can pick up what you are doing when you recover, or do it in patches if reading or drafting documents is too hard to do in one go. The other thing that you must do is communicate with your PA and any lawyers you are working with so that they can help you out when a migraine hits, then you don't need to worry about issues being missed because you are not there.

Realistically, every job has its pressures and people who will just not understand what you are going through. Its up to you to find a way to make it work and if you are studying/working at a career that you want you will find a way to make it work.

Good luck.