Law school enrollments are plummeting. What happens next?
This will have a few knock-on effects worth thinking about. The first thing to consider is that law schools have opened at such a big clip in part because they are cash cows for the schools that operate them. You don’t need a bunch of expensive labs, just some classrooms and some law professors. Yet students pay tuitions much higher than that of other graduate programs. Shrinking or closing law programs will put financial pressure on other departments.
Another thing to think about is what happens to departments like English and Political Science. When I was an English major, law school was the obvious backup plan if you couldn’t get a job–indeed, more than a few kids chose it in order to ensure that they had the best possible GPA for their law school applications. If it becomes clear that this is no longer a sure-fire rescue plan, do kids start rethinking the interesting-but-non-remunerative departments?
But the largest knock-on effect is, obviously, more unemployed law professors. Ideally, this will happen mostly through attrition–people who simply never get hired into the legal academy (note that this worsens the job outlook for law grads at least slightly). But when an entire school shuts down, its professors are going to be thrown on the job market. And it’s going to be pretty hard for them to find another teaching job, given those enrollment numbers.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
The tears are welling up in my eyes as I type this.
Let the lawyer jokes begin!
Q: What’s wrong with lawyer jokes?
A: Lawyers don’t think they’re funny and other people don’t think they’re jokes.
sharrukin on January 19, 2013 at 10:19 PM
Finally some good news for a change!
IrishEi on January 19, 2013 at 10:19 PM
Hopefully, what happens next is we have less lawyers.
petefrt on January 19, 2013 at 10:23 PM
Yeah, are we supposed to feel bad about all this?
Best case scenario: we’ll have fewer lawyers for all these idiotic, frivolous lawsuits and maybe they’ll start drying up!
And I have NO problem with professors of ANY field finding they are unwanted and unnecessary! “Professors” are one of the reasons our nation has fallen.
Warner Todd Huston on January 19, 2013 at 10:32 PM
And there was much rejoicing!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
SagebrushPuppet on January 19, 2013 at 10:33 PM
/worldstinestviolin. My heart bleeds. Too bad, so sad (I’d go on, but there are only so many euphemisms).
nobar on January 19, 2013 at 10:34 PM
If there was one “race” I’d like to see genocide committed against it would the the “lawyer” race.
wildcat72 on January 19, 2013 at 10:35 PM
Oh, dear ….
What a shame ….
Never mind!
OldEnglish on January 19, 2013 at 10:43 PM
We celebrate.
The Rogue Tomato on January 19, 2013 at 10:43 PM
Is that a trick question?
Splashman on January 19, 2013 at 10:54 PM
You jest, surely?
CorporatePiggy on January 19, 2013 at 11:00 PM
Supply & demand, bub. Our perverse legal system is loaded with incentives for frivolous legal action. Shoot all the lawyers today, and there will be a replacement crop before you could reload.
Splashman on January 19, 2013 at 11:02 PM
No dumbass — obviously more lawyers competing for local market-share of low-end case work. Any lawyer struggling to make ends meet is not one you should be hiring anyway. If you hire an attorney and don’t ask about their finances YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG.
Once one passes their state bar there is no excuse for being out of work. This applies doubly in states with notoriously difficult BE.
Most people here complaining about frivolous lawsuits have considered filing one. I bet there are people here who actually had a good case but were unwilling to file because of the filing-stigma. Everybody is a critic until they need one. If you never need a attorney you’re either dead, have no responsibilities and/or zero-assets.
Legislators pass laws. Lawyer operate within those bounds. If you don’t like the rules of the game hire different legislators.
Seriously? You buffoon.
Your blog (or the blog you have linked to your username) tells a lot about you, genocidal inclinations notwithstanding. The following list of stereotyped-suppositions are based on episodes of Breaking Bad, BUCKWILD and Faces of Meth.
1) You have no degree.
2) If you did attend college you have not completed any upper division coursework.
3) You are precisely the type of buffoon that thinks Rand Paul will beat Chris Christie and be the next candidate.
4) You have been in court more than once…not as an attorney.
I have no problem pointing to the rubes in my party and saying STFU. You probably walk around your neighborhood open carrying with no ammo too.
Clown.
Capitalist Hog on January 19, 2013 at 11:13 PM
Less than ___________?
Second look at English-only.
Capitalist Hog on January 19, 2013 at 11:17 PM
Now you see how I feel when the idiots here take a dump all over Hollywood. Let’s lump everything together and smear it.
I have no empathy for the John Edwards of the world — the dishonest ambulance-chasing trial lawyers. But divorce and intellectual property lawyers? A godsend.
John the Libertarian on January 19, 2013 at 11:20 PM
Pour yourself another big tumbler of Kentucky Deluxe, grab some more kleenex, and knock yourself out.
When you’re done, do let us know what your really think.
CorporatePiggy on January 19, 2013 at 11:22 PM
Fewer layers.
Fewer Judges.
Fewer liberal, Democrat politicians.
Where exactly, is the down side?
Jack Deth on January 19, 2013 at 11:45 PM
Oops!
Should be:
Fewer lawyers.
Jack Deth on January 19, 2013 at 11:46 PM
Intelligent lawyers who can’t continue in their profession will adapt themselves, retraining in welding, kelp farming, lingerie design, and so forth, in that pattern.
Scribbler on January 19, 2013 at 11:49 PM
Just imagine!
Transpo on January 19, 2013 at 11:51 PM
Few things are more pathetic than the smug self-importance of a shyster like you. How many times must you trot out the cliche “everybody hates lawyers until they need one” before you realize we all get it, we just don’t happen to think you’re as GD special as you think you are? Your primary virtue is that for a healthy fee you can try to prevent one of your occupational brethren from attaching to an even bigger fee. You produce nothing of value, you simply consume the value produced by others. Get over yourself, you’re overhead, nothing more.
fitzfong on January 19, 2013 at 11:51 PM
Obama has rendered most of the Constitution null and void for Whitey anyway, so it isn’t unusual that there would be a downturn in teaching the law. It is far more like feel-good debate rather than law.
Holder accuses banks of not making loans for Africans-in-America and the banks deny everything, and then they meekly settle for $500,000,000 in loan guarantees using money from the Federal Reserve to make “Black and other Minority loans” available.
Wchovia bank analyses the data and proves that American banks were only unwilling to make loans against people with bad credit (no racism involved) and Holder suppresses the report and settles out of Court for the above figure.
You don’t need “proof” or “law” anymore, just Jessie Jackson, AL Sharpton and corrupt Bureaucrats like Holder with power.
Bulletchaser on January 20, 2013 at 12:19 AM
Thanks. I venture to say I help more people and donate more of my time to those who are getting screwed than you do. I never meet people on their best day. My life is consumed with people who need help and I lose a lot of sleep worrying about them. I don’t file frivolous lawsuits nor do I go looking to sue. But if killing me makes you feel better, then feel free to help those who need it in my absence.
HawaiiLwyr on January 20, 2013 at 12:30 AM
What happens next is fewer unemployed lawyers. Only half of law school graduates were lawyers within a few months. And many drop out of the industry as time passes, especially in times like these. The market is clearly oversaturated, so a correction is long past in order. If law schools aren’t prepared for that, it’s their own faults, and I don’t feel sorry for them. Society is more than ready.
(And if you really want to make lawyers suffer, you should wish for more of them — sucking up the little air that’s left — rather than fewer.)
calbear on January 20, 2013 at 12:40 AM
Just make sure you’re on the winning team. Nothing, nothing hurts more than a well-written judgment.
You’re complaining about a cliched retort to a cliche-attack? OK Genius Jr, that works.
The bundle or assumptions you’ve made are drenched with misplaced, unintelligible ire. I’m going to guess that you’re actually POd because like Wildcat, you’re under-educated and over-extended. Attorneys are a convenient foil for the loser-class. Like I said before the only type of person who believes this is someone with
nofew assets or liabilities.How many of your so-called political-leaders/heroes were lawyers or at least hold a JD?
Capitalist Hog on January 20, 2013 at 12:40 AM
I find it funny that most people think attorneys go to court…most do not, in fact most never even set foot in a courtroom after graduation.
Most attorney make their living by keeping people out of court…and those are the valuable ones.
right2bright on January 20, 2013 at 12:48 AM
Regarding lawyers, reality has been supplanted with stereotype.
Lawyers do not exist without clients. It’s very very easy for individuals to shop and patronize multiple attorneys. Same goes for insurance carriers and loan officers. Each of these professions is saddled with the burden of over-zealous, under-informed and sometimes unscrupulous consumers.
I commend you on your ethics and dedication. That being said, nobility should not be required to earn basic respect. What other professionals are expected to over-extend themselves on behalf of every client?
Lawyers are not first-responders, but are often first to be called once the sirens stop flashing.
Capitalist Hog on January 20, 2013 at 12:51 AM
When you get older, you will understand the value of an attorney…you do know that we are a country of laws, we are formed, as a country, to decide who owns what, who owes what…those things, as you grow older, will come to realize that attorney keep you out of trouble, more than cause trouble.
Ever buy an auto? A house? Rent an apartment? You can only do that because an attorney made it safe for you…
right2bright on January 20, 2013 at 12:53 AM
There’s a reason court buildings have more filing-offices than courtrooms.
Capitalist Hog on January 20, 2013 at 12:53 AM
As a law school graduate and future lawyer, I see this as good. Far too many of us as it is. Oh, and less competition for me…
Othniel on January 20, 2013 at 12:58 AM
I’d rather have an engineer make things useful and safe, thanks.
Perhaps with proper training, and sufficient talent, some lawyers might become carpenter’s assistants or plumber’s helpers, or possibly flight attendants.
Then they’d have a hand in making things safe.
Scribbler on January 20, 2013 at 1:25 AM
Lacking the ability to credibly argue on behalf of your own alleged profession, you lash out with the mother of all cliches: attempted character assassination to marginalize your dissenter and deflect the argument. It’s a very lazy and sloppy tactic that may work in political theatre, but I doubt it gets you anywhere in court.
Holy non sequitur, Batman! My apologies, “Capitalist Hog”! You are one skillful advocate. People, if you want to see the brilliance $500/hour can get you, look no further than this work of art.
fitzfong on January 20, 2013 at 1:25 AM
Yeah, then he rested on the seventh day. Or something.
I’ve always known some attorneys to be breathtakingly self-absorbed with delusions of adequacy, but none were so clueless and arrogant as to suggest that society begins and ends with them. A friggin’ God complex? Looks like the profession has reached a new low.
fitzfong on January 20, 2013 at 1:42 AM
My question, which you deftly avoided, was framed to illuminate your forked-tongue.
Just so we’re clear when, where and with what words do I declare myself to be an attorney? If you want to see the brilliance of representing one’s self look no further than this buffoon. He’s arguing with every ounce pseudo-intellectualism based on a presumption. He’s exactly the type of guy you see scowling as he leaves the courtroom, snapping at his toothless girlfriend to “hurry up.”
Also, $500/hour is BS, entertainment and IP lawyers notwithstanding. If you want to be wealthy without a lot of work avoid all legal careers.
Capitalist Hog on January 20, 2013 at 2:02 AM
Be honest. When were you last in court? What was the charge or claim?
You are so obviously spurned. I’m guessing you paid some legal-aid firm to handle your eviction or you owe back child-support and your attorney was not as prepared as your ex-wife’s.
Capitalist Hog on January 20, 2013 at 2:08 AM
Ad hominem much, counselor?
Ought one broad-brush you along with the wretched shylock who took bread out of the mouth of my father’s four young children by stealing his money when he was in a very bad way back in ’71, forcing this then almost-thirteen year old to go to work to replace what the hideous ass had taken for the sake of the family (did I mention two of my siblings are seriously handicapped? Think of it, milk taken from the bottle of a one year old deaf girl, and bread from her ten year old deaf brother! The outrage!)? Or shall you restrain yourself and address the salient issues, however they may be presented?
The ball is in your court, counselor. Shall we wear our big-boy trousers?
Scribbler on January 20, 2013 at 2:21 AM
No fair1 You’re supposed to pontificate, not illustrate.
OldEnglish on January 20, 2013 at 3:02 AM
If we converted to a loser pay system, frivolous lawsuits would cease immediately.
karenhasfreedom on January 20, 2013 at 5:16 AM
Problem is there are more bad than good lawyers I suspect and the bad ones are allowed to operate.
I have a theory as to why there are so many “bad” lawyers, indulge me for a moment if you will.
We live out lives dealing with what we feel is right and what is wrong, common sense if you will.
Lawyers do NOT. They are trained to take advantage of the framework of laws and regulations.
Which as we all know is far from fair… Care to guess the percentage of law makers who are or were lawyers?
You start to see the problem.
gdonovan on January 20, 2013 at 5:54 AM
Considering what an absurdly litigious culture we live in, you can understand why so many people get disgusted about lawyers in general, can’t you?
My impression of you from just this post is that you are a good and ethical person. I see that you are not very good at protecting your emotions, however – when your work affects your sleep, and you get defensive over a non-personalized comment, it is safe to say that you need to learn to relax and detach better for the benefit of your self!
Anti-Control on January 20, 2013 at 6:52 AM
I have a good Conservative friend who’s a lawyer. We agree on almost every important issue – this is one of the very few on which we don’t.
As to the principle, I’m with you, and the intransigence and evasiveness he shows when we debate the topic remind me why he’s the lawyer, and why I could never be one!
Anti-Control on January 20, 2013 at 7:03 AM
And this is bad, how exactly?
Rixon on January 20, 2013 at 8:14 AM
This sounds better than it actually would be–it would contribute to a system in which the rich (individuals or businesses) would be the only people with access to the court system. For example, many people are quick to say someone who has been smeared by the media should sue, when in fact libel is very difficult to prove–the press has all sorts of protections–and a libel case can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now imagine spending a quarter-million of your own money (if you could come up with it) only to lose, then getting saddled with whatever the other side claimed its expenses were. Very few of us would be willing to take that risk.
DrMagnolias on January 20, 2013 at 8:27 AM
99 percent of lawyers give the rest of us a bad name. Lighten up, guys.
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on January 20, 2013 at 8:29 AM
I object due to the cra-zazy number of lawyers in my family. Still, LOL!
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on January 20, 2013 at 8:32 AM
Here’s a tip, Sparky: your knee-jerk reactions and wild, speculative assumptions/accusations illustrate your poor impulse control and speak ill of your temperament and fitness as an attorney. If this is how you advocate for your own stated occupation, I weep for anyone desperate enough to employ your “services”.
fitzfong on January 20, 2013 at 11:01 AM
Your question, which was poorly framed, illuminated nothing…other than your failure to comprehend relevance.
Oh, so are you declaring you’re not? How about that? Maybe the legal profession has some standards after all!
fitzfong on January 20, 2013 at 11:18 AM
The only declarations I’ve made herein are those giving testimony to your banality.
For the record, I advise nearly everybody, especially those in legal and/or LEO to maintain a distinct social/personal veil when online. Do not be goaded into giving up any identifying personal information regardless of how cathartic or “in your face” it may seem.
With that, you’re done.
Capitalist Hog on January 20, 2013 at 7:37 PM
In other words, you’re in over your head and think you can extricate yourself with some dignity by simply declaring victory and moral superiority contrary to the facts. You fool no one. Gfy, parasite.
fitzfong on January 20, 2013 at 7:48 PM