Dear Dumbass,
You will soon begin orientation at your particular law school/ABA diploma mill. I am sure that you felt a sense of joy and achievement the moment you opened up your acceptance letter. By the end of the second week of class, your idealism will be shattered. Here is a dose of medicine, for your benefit.
Major News Sources Have Highlighted the Reality of “Legal Education”:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304458604577486623469958142.html
Perhaps, you have heard of a newspaper called the Wall Street Journal. On June 25, 2012, it published an article from Joe Palazzolo under the banner “Law Grads Face Brutal Job Market.” Look at this excerpt:
“Members of the law-school class of 2011 had little better than a 50-50 shot of landing a job as a lawyer within nine months of receiving a degree, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of new data that provides the most detailed picture yet of the grim market for law jobs…
The numbers suggest the job market for law grads is worse than previously thought. Nationwide, only 55% of the class of 2011 had full-time, long-term jobs that required a law degree nine months after graduation. The ABA defines "long-term" jobs as those that don't have a term of less than one year.” [Emphasis mine]
Who doesn’t want to incur an additional $165K in NON-DISCHARGEABLE debt for such odds?!?!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/business/09law.html?pagewanted=all
On January 8, 2011, the New York Times posted reporter David Segal’s epic article “Is Law School a Losing Game?” If you have not done so, read the entire piece. Here is one telling passage:
“In reality, and based on every other source of information, Mr. Wallerstein and a generation of J.D.’s face the grimmest job market in decades. Since 2008, some 15,000 attorney and legal-staff jobs at large firms have vanished, according to a Northwestern Law study. Associates have been laid off, partners nudged out the door and recruitment programs have been scaled back or eliminated.
And with corporations scrutinizing their legal expenses as never before, more entry-level legal work is now outsourced to contract temporary employees, both in the United States and in countries like India. It’s common to hear lawyers fret about the sort of tectonic shift that crushed the domestic steel industry decades ago.” [Emphasis mine]
For your sake, hopefully you did not read these articles before choosing to enroll in law school.
Law Schools are Mere Businesses – They Do Not Give One Damn About You or Your Future:
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/08/law_schools_soaking_in_million.html
On August 4, 2012, the Oregonian published an article from reporter Jeff Manning, under the headline “Law schools revenues soar as they take in millions from tuition and fees, as supply exceeds demand.” Look at this admission from a TTTT law school dean/cockroach:
“John O'Brien, dean of the New England School of Law and chair of the ABA's legal accreditation committee, agreed the new schools are adding to a significant oversupply of lawyers. But the supply-demand imbalance is not a factor the ABA considers.
"It's not the ABA's job to police the number of law schools," O'Brien said. "Law schools are like other businesses. Ultimately, that's what they are.If there are people who feel there is a void that needs to be filled around the country, the process is to apply for ABA approval. If you meet those standards, you get approved." [Emphasis mine]
Of course, these pigs are not taking on any risk, since they rely on tax-exempt “non-profit” status, and they also receive tons of money in federally-backed student loans. In contrast, you, the student and future graduate, will bear all the risk - as you will be on the hook for your student loans, regardless of the prevailing job market. Plus, the public schools accept HUGE annual subsidies, as well as an influx of cash from state government.
ABA-Accredited Dung Pits Pump Out Far Too Many Graduates:
http://www.nalp.org/uploads/NatlSummChart_Classof2011.pdf
As you can see from the link to the NALP Class of 2011 National Summary Report above, the JD Class of 2011 consisted of 44,495 graduates. Does this number seem large to you, lemming?!?! Notice that employment status was known for fully 41,623 JDs, from this cohort. However, only 27,224 of jobs reported were listed under the category Bar Passage Required.
Furthermore, keep in mind that many of these positions are not traditional attorney openings, i.e. some of the jobs listed in this classification consist of document review and clerical assignments. In addition, the schools continue to include JDs and licensed attorneys working as baristas, insurance salesman, and grade school teachers as “employed” – in order to pad their employment “placement” rates. The main goal is to increase their ranking in US “News” & World Report, which they hope will persuade you to apply to, and enroll in, their program.
Conclusion: The ABA is a cartel run by academic pinheads who have precious little practical experience as lawyers. The schools are run for the benefit of faculty and administrators, NOT for the students’ interests. If you are enrolled, it is not too late to correct your mistake. Keep the following in mind: if you are not in the top 5-10 percent of your class after first semester, then DROP OUT IMMEDIATELY! Your future in this supposed “profession” is pretty much determined by these grades, unless you come from a wealthy or connected family.
If you decide that you are past the point of no return, i.e. it would be further to return to the starting point than to continue on to the end, then you are a lost cause. I know that “law professors” love to joke that “Lawyers are bad at math.” However, you would need to be a waterhead in order not to realize that you are better off owing $20-$30K in law school student loans - after one semester - rather than pissing away three years of your life and incurring $165K in additional, NON-DISCHARGEABLE debt. Don’t worry if your former classmates perceive you as a “quitter.” After all, those idiots will soon be drowning in mortgage-sized debt - while facing anemic job prospects. If anyone in your family is “disappointed,” tell them to enroll in law school.
