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Monday, December 14, 2009

Law - "A J.D. used to mean a first-class seat on the gravy train. Now? Not so much. Critics say law schools have a duty to warn" [Updated]

"Going to law school? Proceed with caution" is the headline to this story today by Karen Sloan of The National Law journal. A quote from the long story:

On the Internet and in academic circles, debate is flaring over the value of a juris doctor, and whether the degree is a wise investment for many of the thousands who flock to law schools each year. Law schools have always had detractors, but the rising cost of legal education and the dearth of jobs available to new graduates is prompting more people to urge prospective law students to think twice before they write their first tuition check.

This message of caution doesn't appear to have hit home just yet. Applications to law schools accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) increased by 5% for this year's incoming class, according to the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), and the number of people taking the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) this October shot up by nearly 20%, meaning admissions officials are in for a busy year. Still, the recent growth in people applying to law schools falls short of the 17% surge during the last recession in 2002.

Those would-be lawyers should take a hard look at the benefits and drawbacks of spending three years and upward of $100,000 to get a law degree, the law school skeptics warn. Law schools should provide better statistics on student debt, career prospects and earning potential, according recent graduates and law school faculty. Potential applicants, they say, should not be blinded by the promise of $160,000 starting salaries — which only 23% of the class of 2008 secured, according to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP).

Even a committee of the American Bar Association has concluded that law school applicants need a dose of reality.

"Far too many law students expect that earning a law degree will solve their financial problems for life," reads a recent message posted on the ABA's Web site from the organization's Commission on the Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Profession and Legal Needs. "In reality, however, attending law school can become a financial burden for law students who fail to consider carefully the financial implications of their decision."

The story also links to, and discusses, this YouTube video: "A Law School Carol, which was produced by a 2009 graduate of a second-tier law school who has not been able to find a legal job and now is looking for work in other fields."



[Updated] The WSJ Law Blog has posted this entry about The National Law Journal story, including:
Much of the problem, in the opinion of Indiana’s Bill Henderson, lies with law schools themselves, which often fail to provide incoming students with accurate information about job prospects of recent graduates.

“The realities haven’t trickled down to the students,” Henderson said. “They all believe they are going to be in the top 10% of their class, and they have this vision of the profession that doesn’t exist. And law schools don’t try to dispel those myths to potential applicants.”

Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 14, 2009 09:12 AM
Posted to General Law Related