Finally, some progress on the transparency issue. The Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association has recently adopted the Truth in Law School Education resolution: “a six-point resolution urging law schools to beef up the availability and accuracy of information on the cost of legal education and the job and salaries of graduates,” as reported by New York Lawyer.
The resolution urges law schools to present median salary statistics for various employment categories, versus the single median that had been presented previously. Schools are also encouraged to designate in acceptance letters and on their Web sites percentages of graduates in temporary, part-time, and full-time positions. Plus, the schools are called upon to share the “actual” cost of legal education—average living expenses and per-credit costs.
The resolution goes even further, pushing for law schools’ compliance with the conditions to be a requirement by the ABA, and having its annual survey include more detailed job information. Although the resolution won’t be heard by the ABA’s House of Delegates until August, the annual questionnaire is being overhauled in the meantime.
While the ABA seems to be stepping up in the fight for transparency, Law School Transparency is facing a setback. According to The National Law Journal, Ave Maria Law School has decided not to share their employment info with LST. The only school that had agreed to participate in LST, Ave Maria has now gone back on their word. As Dean Eugene Milhizer explained, “Since our earlier indication that we would provide data, the ABA has undertaken concrete action to address this issue, and we are satisfied that meaningful steps are in motion.”
Undiscouraged, LST remains steadfast in its push for transparency. Besides appealing to schools to complete its employment survey, LST also encourages schools to make their standard employment stats accessible earlier, so that students are able to consider the info before committing to a particular school.
And, in recent news, it looks like U.S. News is finally coming around on the issue as well. As Robert Morse reveals in his Morse Code blog, the magazine has changed its calculation methodology for employment rates used in the upcoming law school rankings, and the website will also disclose more detailed employment data. More specific information is not provided, but the 2012 Best Law School rankings will be released on March 15, 2011.
As U.S. News editor Brian Kelly wrote in a letter to law school deans: “Whatever the ABA’s ultimate decision, we would urge you to make sure that the information your school is reporting is as accurate as possible, and to consider going beyond the current industry standards. Perhaps we need metrics besides total employment rates to evaluate a successful law program. More data—on employment or other topics—is a positive factor for our readers and your students.”
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Read the full article: The Rocky Road to Law School Transparency
