Law Schools

Rising tuition and declining job prospects are creating a crisis for law school students and graduates, who face the likelihood of earning incomes below what they need to finance staggering debt. Students leave law school these days with debts averaging more than $100,000. The legal job market is difficult, partly because of the recession and partly because of technological changes that allow outsourcing of legal work or do-it-yourself lawyering. Nearly half of the 2012 graduates failed to find a long-term, full-time legal job nine months later. The median income for graduates who do find jobs is about $60,000 per year. Law school tuition rose rapidly over the past decade, but schools are now facing pressure to cut costs as the number of applicants shrinks. Some professors and outside observers bluntly warn that law school is a bad investment for many students. But others insist that a legal education is still valuable as a path to a profitable career and an active role in public affairs.