Recent figures concerning lawyer employment, coupled with those of law school applications and enrollment, cause us concern about the future of our profession. The lackluster employment rate for law school graduates is apparently being understood by potential law school applicants, leading to a sizable drop-off in applications to all but a handful of schools. According to a study quoted in The New York Times, applications are down 20 percent as of January 2013, and 38 percent from 2010.
However, we have seen only the start of a general reduction in law school class sizes and no closings yet of some marginal law schools. This year, the new student population will be at about 38,000, back to the 1977 levels, but since then there have been 24 additional law schools founded. Anecdotally, the “best and the brightest” percentage is also dropping, as potential top lawyers seek other fields.
