Is Law School A Bad Decision? Forum

[allah6969]

It seems that all I'm hearing and reading these days is what a bad idea it is to go to law school. I hear that because the economy sucks, everyone is going to law school and there are already not enough jobs. However, as I visit law schools and talk with 3Ls I'm hearing them all tell me that they've got jobs lined up, and that firms have been coming to their campus to interview, etc. I'm just wondering if it's really that big of a mistake to go into law right now. I heard from one 3L that although the jobs aren't as easy to find as they were before, they are still out there.

What has anyone else heard/read?

[s0ph1e2007]

Everyone here wants to go to law school...

[allah6969]

Everyone here wants to go to law school...

That's why I'm asking on this forum.

[General Tso]

what kind of schools have you been visiting?

[allah6969]

what kind of schools have you been visiting?

Penn State
University of Iowa
University of Kansas

[General Tso]

what kind of people have you been talking to? usually the kinds of people that meet with prospective students are not very representative of the class at large.

[allah6969]

what kind of people have you been talking to? usually the kinds of people that meet with prospective students are not very representative of the class at large.

I just talked to some people I know who go to those schools and a few of the people I met while I was there. I get your point, but what about the employment statistics that the schools put out? For example, U of Iowa says 99% of last year's class was employed 9 months after graduation. Are there ways for them to inflate those statistics?

[General Tso]

what kind of people have you been talking to? usually the kinds of people that meet with prospective students are not very representative of the class at large.

I just talked to some people I know who go to those schools and a few of the people I met while I was there. I get your point, but what about the employment statistics that the schools put out? For example, U of Iowa says 99% of last year's class was employed 9 months after graduation. Are there ways for them to inflate those statistics?

The important thing is not really "employment" but rather "employed at a private law firm". 99% employment could include graduate assistants hired by the law school, and starbucks baristas.

[vanwinkle]

what kind of people have you been talking to? usually the kinds of people that meet with prospective students are not very representative of the class at large.

I just talked to some people I know who go to those schools and a few of the people I met while I was there. I get your point, but what about the employment statistics that the schools put out? For example, U of Iowa says 99% of last year's class was employed 9 months after graduation. Are there ways for them to inflate those statistics?

"Employment" can include a number of things:


1) Employment at big law firms, paying $120-160K per year
2) Employment at small law firms, paying under $100K per year
3) Public interest employment, often paying under $50K per year
4) Non-legal employment, including retail checker at Target
5) Legal employment under 12-month fellowship funded by a donor or the school which lets the school report "employment 9 months after graduation" even though the student might end up unemployed once the fellowship runs out.

There's no way to know, looking at the "employed 9 months after graduation" numbers, what percentages are in each category.