- Which Law School Can Get Me a Job? Amid rampant concern regarding job opportunities post-law school, Forbes highlights the career prospects ranking in the Princeton Review’s recent guide, The Best 167 Law Schools. Both data from the schools themselves and student surveys were used to formulate the rankings, including percent of students passing the bar the first time, those employed nine months post-grad and their average starting salary. The surveys asked students “how much their law schools offer and encourage practical experience, how students rate their schools’ opportunities for judicial externships, internships and clerkships, and how prepared the students feel they are to practice law after graduating.” Northwestern University School of Law topped the career prospects category, with University of Chicago Law School and Columbia University School of Law in second and third place.
- Yale to Start First Amendment Institute- As reported by The National Law Journal, Yale Law School has received a donation of $3 million by First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams to create an institute concentrating on freedom of speech. The institute “will include a law clinic through which students will litigate cases, draft proposed legislation and advise policymakers regarding freedom of speech and informational access.” It will also focus on new media, and issues pertaining to the Internet and privacy and intellectual property.
- Junior Associates Not Worth the Price- In case law students and recent grads didn’t feel helpless enough, the WSJ Law Blog reveals that over 20% of corporate clients are unwilling to pay for work done by first- or second-year attorneys. This development seems to be motivated by the economic downturn and increasing rates for junior associates. Elie Mystal at Above the Law finds law schools at fault, for, “ If law schools aren’t pumping out people who can convince clients to pay for their work, then what are law schools doing really?” He notes that a shift to the apprenticeship system, as in the U.K., is not so straightforward, since law is only studied in grad school in the U.S. and tuition is much higher.
- Someone Actually Endorsing Law School- On a more optimistic note, Aaron N. Taylor lists the benefits of a legal education in the National Jurist. While he admits that the recession has impacted the legal sector, Taylor points out that the profession has fared much better than most others. Most lawyers still earn relatively high salaries, and even law grads pursuing jobs in other areas have an advantage over those without a J.D. Taylor also touts the pros of student loans, particularly federal loans with generous repayment plans. He notes that with all the “bad publicity,” now is a more favorable time to apply to law school, since applications are down and more thorough employment data will become available. As he concludes, “in terms of providing career and financial stability, few educational pursuits compare. And in an economy where workers are increasingly required to think, adapt and thrive in changing work environments, the flexible nature of legal training arguably makes it a better investment than it was 20 years ago.”
- The LSAC Steps Up- Although the Law School Admission Council had declined to get involved in the past, the LSAC is now considering policing the GPAs and LSAT scores reported to the ABA by law schools, The National Law Journal reports. It seems that the recent scandals at Villanova and the University of Illinois may have augmented the pressure on the organization to intervene. If the council finds that it can confirm the reported figures in a reliable manner, then it will do so in the future, but not for the data reported this year.
- The Early Bird Application Doesn’t Always Catch the Worm- For those trying to rush in their law school applications, Most Strongly Supported cautions: it is worth taking your time on your application even if it takes a bit longer to send it in. If you’d like to retake the LSAT in December for the chance of improving your score, make sure that the rest of your application is done so you can send it in as soon as you get your score. Regarding specific dates, “applications submitted by November 15 are early, applications sent in early October are super early, and you are usually at a disadvantage if you get in your applications after January 5.” Considering early decision? While it may up your chances of admission to that particular school, you are then locked in regardless of the amount of financial aid you will receive (and the amounts offered by other schools can’t then be used as bargaining tools).
Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best
Read the full article: Law School News Roundup
