The law school applicant demographic used to be fairly heterogeneous: Young men and women, all recent college graduates, looking to continue their education by applying to law school, eventually obtaining a J.D. degree and starting their careers in the law sector.
Nowadays, however, law school admissions officers are seeing a mixed bag of applicants. There are still the usual young college graduates and current graduate school attendees--but they have been joined in large numbers by unemployed older professionals and those seeking refuge in a grueling job market.
The current economy has been tough on everyone, and new college graduates and seasoned workers are no exception. Where before new graduates could expect to obtain an entry-level position in one of their chosen fields with fair expediency, many are now finding the job hunt downright impossible. Older workers are also finding their employment prospects shaky.
The solution for many? Applying to law school.
According to figures released by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), which handles most law school admissions applications in the United States, the number of people taking the June 2009 Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) has increased by 12.6% from last year’s June test. The LSAT is required for admission to all American Bar Association (ABA) approved law schools in the United States.
2008 saw a 6.4% increase in the number of people taking the LSAT from 2007 numbers. Compound this with 2009’s even tougher job market, and it is safe to say that this year’s law school admissions cycle is likely to see a healthy boost in law school application numbers.
Why the sudden rise? Although law school is an expensive endeavor (with a price tag of over $100,000 for a three-year J.D. degree), it provides what many members of the American work force are looking for in a difficult economic climate: safety, security, and shelter from the storm.
The hope for many is that, when they come out of law school after three years with a J.D. securely tucked in their back pocket, the crisis will have passed and the job market will have loosened its purse strings. A law degree is marketable in an up economy, and recent law graduates might find jobs that were out of reach to them before.
What happens, though, if this golden ticket isn’t so golden after all? Although law school application numbers are likely to increase in 2009, the actual number of admitted candidates has remained the same. These heightened law school application numbers simply mean that the competition has stiffened, making it even harder to get into law school.
Even if applicants are offered admission, they should remember that very few law school students can pass through law school without accruing a large amount of debt. With a $30,000 per year price tag, law school is an expensive proposition. In addition, many law graduates find that, after attending three years of law school, they don’t want to practice after all. However, they are still left with the financial burden, as well as a potential three-year lag in starting a whole other career.
Our Take:
Although it can be tempting to escape into academia when the job market is rough, potential applicants would do well to think long and hard about the specific reasons for why they are attending law school and what they hope to get out of a law school education before they send in their paperwork.
Even just applying to law school can be expensive (the application fee for many schools is upwards of $50, taking the LSAT costs $132 and other assorted application expenses can go well over $150), without even considering the loans students will need to finance their education. If they can’t find a job once they graduate from law school, they will find themselves in an even more desperate situation then they were before they enrolled.
Speaking to a career counselor or a pre-law adviser will go a long way to deciding if law school is the right choice--and, for some, simply taking a temporary retail job that pays the bills may be a better idea then embarking on a three-year law school stint
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