JAMES J. DIAMOND — U.S. students are losing confidence in the value of a legal education. The ABA recently reported that first-year enrollment at U.S. law schools fell by a staggering 11%, 5,000 less students than 2012. According to the ABA, law school enrollment levels haven’t been this low since 1977. The Law School Admissions Council’s latest data shows a similar trend in terms of the number of law school admission tests administered in 2013.
Should students really be so reluctant to obtain a legal education? Is the stress, time, and expensive tuition of law school worth it anymore?
Many argue that law school simply is not worth the trouble anymore. They point to the fact that many law students graduate $150,000 in debt, that the percentage of law graduates employed in full-time jobs requiring bar passage is only at 58.3%, and that the national median salary for an attorney is nothing to call home about—$61,245. Many of the lower-level legal tasks that firm associates used to perform, such as document review, are increasingly being outsourced at a cheaper price to legal outsourcing companies and contract attorneys. According to a recent CareerBliss study, which compiled a list of the 10 happiest and unhappiest jobs based on analysis from more than 65,000 employee-generated reviews, associate attorneys ranked the unhappiest of all!
Still, others adamantly believe that for the aspiring attorney, now is a wise time to apply to law school. In response to the shortage of students, many law schools have lowered admission standards and are giving out more scholarships. Some schools have cut class sizes, which translates into more individualized attention for students who do enroll. While stipulated that the job market for graduating law students is not quite flourishing, proponents of applying to law school argue that the shortage of students will translate into more job opportunities for up and coming lawyers in the years to follow.
Other proponents advocate the non-monetary benefits that a law school education offers. University of Michigan law professor Sherman J. Clark argues in his new paper that a legal education “gives students tools of inquiry that will ultimately help them lead a richer and more meaningful life.” Similarly, Lucy Jewel, Associate Professor of law at the University of Tennessee asserts in her new paper that the “cultural capital” associated with a law degree provides the recipient of the degree with an invaluable power to bring the power of the State to bear.
The moral of the story is that if you are now thinking about applying law school, don’t expect that your law degree will be an automatic ticket to success. The job market is rough, law school is very stressful, financially burdensome, and is not designed to make you a “practice-ready” attorney. However, if you have a passion for the law, a strong work ethic, an ability to think independently, and are willing to remain open-minded in terms of your career path, then I strongly recommend law school for you.
