By day, they are physicians, corporate executives, city officials, Hall of Fame athletes. When the sun sets, they become future lawyers, working to enhance job performance or launch new careers.

    Evening law school students are an eclectic group, ranging in age, background and life experience. But they all are betting on the same hunch: that the study of law holds the key to mid-life professional advancement.

    "Business is less and less done on a handshake basis," says Robert Gleason, chief financial officer for Evans Hotels and a third-year University of San Diego evening law student. "Legal issues are more and more critical to the operation of any business. For that reason, a legal education has become an important job skill."

    Juggling law classes, studies and a full-time job is a marathon challenge. But the payoffs are considerable. They begin when evening law students arrive for class — campus parking, always a headache during the day, is less stressful after hours.

    Evening students have a relatively easy time taking out student loans, thanks to their employment status. And they borrow less than half what daytime students borrow because their salaries cover housing, meals and living expenses.

    While evening students are taught the same curriculum as daytime students, they enjoy greater access to adjunct faculty. Many distinguished jurists and attorneys who work by day are only available to teach law at night. California Court of Appeals Justice Richard Huffman is a long-time USD adjunct law professor. His classes take place after 5 p.m., and evening students have priority enrollment for those coveted seats.

    Law professors often find that the maturity and seasoning of evening students makes for livelier classes.

    "I’ve spent 25 years in legal education," says USD Law Dean Kristine Strachan, "and teaching students in the evening division is the most challenging, and at the same time, the most satisfying teaching I’ve ever done.

    "Unlike the average 22-year-old who goes to law school right out of college, evening students bring real life experience into the classroom," Strachan continues. "They are able to ask important questions, and they often contribute real insight to the problem-solving process, which is at the heart of legal education."

    Evening students typically enroll in law school for one of two reasons: to make a complete career switch, or to strengthen an existing career by knowing the laws that govern a profession.

    Kellen Winslow falls into the first category. A former San Diego Charger, Winslow is a member of the National Football League Hall of Fame and has had a successful career as a broadcast sports analyst for NBC, ABC and ESPN.

    Evening law school was Winslow's ticket to a third career, this one in the corporate world. Three years after earning his juris doctor at USD in 1993, Winslow is the director of business development for Enova Energy, parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric.

    In a recent interview in The Advocate, the USD School of Law alumni magazine, Winslow recalled how he had felt at ease in evening law school. "I liked the fact that there was a diversity of students in the evening program, including others like myself who were returning to school after years of professional work experience."

    Gleason is an evening student who studies law to augment his current position. "I had thought about going to law school full time," he says, "but I love the company I work for and I didn’t want to leave my job. Evening law school was a perfect solution. Starting in my first year, I found that my work experience put the legal framework of my studies in context. And the information worked both ways. On the job, what I learned in class helped me ask the right questions when dealing with outside counsel."

    Faculty, alumni and current students have this advice for anyone who might want to pursue a law degree part-time:

    — Plan ahead. "No matter how much people warn you about it, no one is prepared for the extent to which evening law school consumes your life," says Gleason. Prospective students should keep in mind that weekends and vacation time will be taken up with studies. Spouses and other loved ones should be brought into the planning stages early.

    — Approach your employer for help with tuition. "Sometimes a company will pay for an employee to take a particular course that might be especially valuable in the workplace," says Carrie Wilson, USD's assistant law dean for student affairs. "Evening students often tell us, 'Oh, my employer is covering my tuition for two units of patents and trade secrets or for three units of intellectual property.'"

    — Learn to set priorities. "Evening law students quickly learn efficiency of scale," says Wilson. She speaks from personal experience, having earned her law degree as a part-time student who continued to work full-time as a biologist.

    "One time, I missed an evening class, and I had to make it up by attending a day class," she recalls with a smile. "The day class just seemed so flat. The evening classes were much more fun." v

    Kate Callen is director of the USD News Bureau.