Law School Applications in Downward Spiral

Blogs like Inside the Law School Scam launched by "LawProf" seem to be having an affect because law school applications are apparently down nearly 17% over last year.

Marketplace forces at work.

There is increasing evidence that law schools have gamed their placement statistics to hide an imploding legal job market. Meanwhile law school graduates on the hook for huge tuition bills are facing years of "debtor's prison."

LawProf's blog makes for compelling reading and repeated visits. LawProf is also reporting that today 12 law schools have been hit with a class-action lawsuit for misrepresentation.

We do respectfully disagree with one contention on the blog. LawProf and the many active posters vehemently reject the premise that a law degree can open doors to alternative careers.

For what it's worth, a law degree has been extremely helpful to us in the writing/editing field, but admittedly the degree may no longer be a viable credential in today's marketplace.

Unlike a lot of the folks on that blog, we have no regrets about obtaining a J.D. perhaps because we attended law school at night (thanks to employer-provided educational benefits) while working full time and had significantly different expectations than those going full time right out of undergraduate college.

The work/school schedule was a long slog. How did we get through it? During lectures we looked forward to attacking the refrigerator after getting home from class and watching reruns of Tom Baker (shown above) portraying Dr. Who in the British science fiction series.


In 2012, in general based on available data, is a law degree worth pursuing? In a word, no.

Do You Really Want to Go to Law School?

Last October, a Boston College law student worried about paying back huge educational loans made headlines asked for a full refund if he dropped out. Unfortunately for him, the school had a "all sales are final" policy. Since then, there have been allegations that law schools in general are cooking the books in terms of job placement, and there are even some lawsuits pending against them from disgruntled students.

Against this backdrop, a tenured law professor has started a blog called Inside the Law School Scam which has captured a lot of attention from students, lawyers, and faculty alike. Although we're oversimplifying, "Law Prof" (who has since revealed his identify) argues in part that law school is way too expensive given the dismal career prospects in the current and future economy. He has caught a lot of flak from other academics who are of course quite satisfied with the cushy status quo.

Are law school administrators running a bait and switch? Consider the following issues which are explored in the blog:

• tuition is sky high
• student loans have become unmanageable
• lawyer unemployment is rampant
• professors are overpaid and underworked
• law schools provide minimal vocational training
• Full-time professors themselves have limited practical knowledge
• Individual law schools are manipulating/glorifying post-graduate employment statistics
• the taxpayer will ultimately be stuck with the tab for defaulted student loans

As one of the commentators wrote, "In law school, you 'do not' learn how to actually practice law, draft motions, pleadings, even a simple entry of appearance." 

To make matters worse, some lawyers from fancy schools who have snagged a high-paying job with what the site calls "BigLaw" are nonetheless unhappy with their career choice.

The postings and comments make for compelling reading. Check it out.