Thursday, March 28, 2024
 
Too Many Lawyers? Latest Report Blames Too Many Law Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C. June 17 (DPI) – The latest report on overcapacity in the legal profession focuses not so much on lawyers themselves but on the number of law schools in America, many of which are producing every year hundreds of second-rate graduates who can’t land even entry-level jobs. To make matters worse, many of those newly minted lawyers have been saddled with lifelong debts.

Two readers – whose comments were among  the most popular on nytimes.com this afternoon — placed the blame on the American Bar Association, which they say has accredited too many law schools. Among the most popular comments:

I am a lawyer in practice for 25 years. Make no mistake, the American Bar Association created this mess. The ABA has certified too many law schools and has placed ridiculous standards on these school thus driving up tuition to back-braking levels. Now law schools are admitting unqualified students to keep their numbers up. It is scary to observe many of these recent graduates. They are poorly read, lack critical thinking skills and are loosely educated. You better believe there are dozens-yes dozens of law schools that need to close.

It’s past time for most of these schools to shut down. The jobs are not there and it’s unconscionable to keep taking the students money. Where is the ABA in this mess?

I graduated Georgetown in the 80s and worked at top firms in NY but transitioned out in the 90s in order to see my children on occasion after my high salary allowed me to pay off my student loans. Once removed from that environment I started coming in contact with lawyers from lower tiered schools and was shocked by their stories and debt, even in the late 90s. These lower tiered schools are a disgrace and nothing more than a money making scam carried out by profit hungry colleges or stand alone institutions. The schools have little in expenses (see comment below comparing medical schools): physical plant, library and professors. Students buy the only “equipment”: texts and laptops. They sell a fantasy to generally naive college students frightened about job prospects without a graduate degree. If the government doesn’t guarantee the loans, the schools will disappear as they are not going to assume the risk of their graduate’s success or lack thereof. Nonetheless, I had a family member gain admission to the Charlotte law school mentioned in the article, I clearly explained why it was a terrible, life altering mistake, for an average student to go deeply into debt to attend a subpar law school. No matter, he went and dropped out after first year with no degree but plenty of debt. Actually, the best decision he could have made. It takes two to get conned.

 

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