A very good starting point for this discussion should be read by ALL law school applicants. (Yes, even YOU.)
On the ABA blog, see this article about whether law school is worth the investment. And, as an added bonus you MUST read the comments. Usually I hate the comments to these articles because they are written by disgruntled, rude, unprofessional people. However, these comments are (for the most part) an extremely valuable part of the discussion.
Please take 5 minutes to read this. And then add a few schools to your list where you might be considered for scholarships and/or where you might be able to live on the cheap.
I look forward to your comments and feedback on this one!
4 Responses
Is there somewhere that provides honest information for the other side of the argument, to allow for a fair evaluation? If I am only exposed to the sentiments expressed by these commentators I would be wiser to stay with my current employer for job security and some guarantee of a salary beyond that of an entry level employee. However, I can’t imagine that law schools would continue to receive applicants if it was not a fulfilling and promising opportunity for many people.
Great point, Whitney! This is an old debate made new by current job market conditions and I’m actually going to refer to a post I wrote in 2007: http://www.lawschoolexpert.com/blog/2007/09/26/why-going-to-law-school-is-worth-the-sacrifice/
I hope you’ll think I make the case. I don’t agree with a lot of the negative and unproductive discussion on this topic on Above The Law (it always reads like young lawyers who are scared of some competition in the job market) so you won’t see me linking to those articles. But this one is the ABA, and worth at least thinking about before committing to attend law school.
My hope is that the result of the discussion is that more people begin to prize scholarships to law school over rankings. Especially since the big money Biglaw jobs were the first to go during the recent economic crisis (in the legal field, anyway) and anyone banking on those jobs to make the loans work out is less likely to be successful in this endeavor.
Ann
I read the article and quite a few of the arguments and most of them come off as just disgruntled. While the argument that supply far exceeds demand in law, (especially considering the ABA and state BAR associations are publishing free materials for pro se litigation) it’s still up to the lawyer to find his niche, market, and location to exploit his services. As a student who hopes to make it to Columbia, I’m fully aware that I’ll be in hundreds of thousands of debt; I’m also fully aware that by working for the state, you can have them forgiven.
That said, I do believe there should be higher regulation standards from the ABA on lawyers in places such as entrance, and punishment for those who do the notrious “double-billing.” However, the ABA should not make the law readily available. Attorney is supposed to be a revered position; feared, but respected. To let the lay man and an online graduate partake in law in such abundant ways is derogatory to the profession, and contributes to the view that lawyers are just a bunch of circus animals jumping through hoops on command.
Thanks for the link, there is a very interesting and entertaining discussion going on there. I think that in this economic climate, it’s very important to weigh some of these issues and wonder about the major investment that law school requires. I think that if one is starting out now, that the investment is worthwhile because by the time these new students are done with school the economy should have rebounded and summer associates and future jobs should be more available.