LSAT Takers Hit 16-Year High, But Most Grads Regret Going to Law School
Why is law school popular again? One theory is the Trump effect, which is that people are so morally and politically outraged by the direction of the country that they want to go to law school to set things right.
February 22, 2018 at 04:16 PM
5 minute read
This news brief is directed at you young'uns—those of you who are thinking about pursuing a career in law. Some issues we'll look at today: Are you nuts to go to law school? And if you do so, will you regret it? And will you be loved?
LSAT is in vogue again! According to TaxProfBlog, the rate of LSAT test-takers “skyrocketed 29.7 [percent] in December,” which is on top of the 19.8 percent jump in June, and the 10.7 percent surge in September/October. The blog reports that the 19.2 percent overall increase for last year is the largest bump since 2001-02.
That bump also translates into more law school applications: Compared to last year, there's been a 10.6 percent increase in applicants.
Why is law school popular again? One theory is the Trump effect, which is that people are so morally and politically outraged by the direction of the country that they want to go to law school to set things right.
According to a survey of 500 students by Kaplan Test Prep, the Trump effect is real. Kaplan's press release says: “Nearly one third of pre-law students surveyed (32 percent) say the results of the 2016 election impacted their decision to become lawyers.”
Law students might start out inspired, but they don't stay that way. This is rather disheartening. According to Gallup, only 20 percent of law school grads feel law school prepared them well for their careers and only 23 percent feel it was worth the money: “Law graduates, in particular, rate the value of their degree poorly. Less than a quarter of law degree holders strongly agree that their education was worth the cost, compared with about six in 10 of those with medical (58 percent) or doctoral (64 percent) degrees.”
Wow, that's a lot of bitterness among law grads—even worse than what I would have guessed. So why the discontent among law grads? Well, it certainly doesn't help that the employment picture isn't rosy. As Law School Transparency reports: Only 60.1 percent of law school graduates got full-time, entry-level law jobs. Though the Big Law sector is far healthier than it was during the recession, most firms aren't hiring at the rate they once did.
And let's not even get into the malaise that befalls the “lucky” lawyers who get hired by Big Law.
Of course, it's ironic that law school applications are spiking at the same time that so many law grads are expressing buyers regret. Why the disconnect? Are these two groups not speaking with each? Or are the aspiring lawyers just young and heedless?
May I just offer this advice to prospective law students? Before you send in the law school deposit, please corner current law students and lawyers and ask them if they'd do it all over again.
Everyone wants to date a lawyer. I know I've given you some reasons to think twice about going to law school, but let me give you a compelling reason to go: You will be desired! Yes, you, the lawyer.
According to Dow Jones' site Moneyish, lawyers rank first as sought-after dates. What's more, lawyers are considered desirable by both sexes! (And you thought the legal field lacked gender equality.)
And what professions came after lawyer? The hot male jobs are analysts, engineers, salesmen, and doctors, according to Mashable, which reported on the survey, while designer, teacher, marketer, and physician came out on top for women.
Frankly, some of those other professions sound rather dull (salesmen and engineers?). In any case, when it comes to being hot, lawyers rule.
Speaking of hot: Guess which porn star is going to law school? No, silly, it's not Stormy Daniels, who seems to be doing just fine without a J.D.
The porn star is Belle Knox (real name: Miriam Weeks), who's now attending New York Law School, according to The New York Post. (Hat tip: Above the Law.) The Post reminds us that Knox “put herself through Duke” as an undergraduate by performing porn.
Knox might not be a household name, but she is quite famous and outspoken. As the Post notes, she “is not secretive about her sordid past, which was turned into a Lifetime movie released about a year ago, From Straight A's to XXX.”
I don't know what prompted Knox to become a lawyer. (Query: Is she part of the Trump Bump?). In any event, I have no problems with her legal aspirations. I'm all for reinvention. Frankly, the system could use more lawyers who can draw on their life experiences.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllTrending Stories
- 1Nevada Supreme Court to Decide Fate of Groundbreaking Contingency Cap Ballot Measure
- 2OpenAI Tells Court It Will Seek to Consolidate Copyright Suits Under MDL
- 34th Circuit Allows State Felon Voting Ban Challenge to Go Forward
- 4Class Actions Claim Progressive Undervalues Totaled Cars
- 5How the Trump II Administration Can Combat Antisemitism
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250