The Bastard’s “Argument”: On November 24, 2013, a sewer rat called Ryan Calo wrote a piece for Forbes, with the idiotic headline “Why Now Is A Good Time To Apply To Law School.” Before listing his three $elf-$erving reasons for applying, Cockroach Calo states that his remarks are addressed to “those who think they want to be lawyers someday and are simply not pulling the trigger on applying because of all the bad news.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancalo/2013/11/24/why-now-is-a-good-time-to-apply-to-law-school/
In the swine’s own words:
“1. Fewer applicants means schools compete fiercely for decent students.
A law school faced with fewer applicants must either lower its admissions standards or shrink its class size. (University of Washington, where I work, has chosen the latter.) Regardless, schools are competing feverishly for good students. An applicant who, a few years ago, would have been wait-listed at a top twenty school, may now find herself with a scholarship. A smaller class size, meanwhile, unless offset by layoffs or a long hiring freeze, translates into more individual attention for the students that do enroll.
2. A lot of law jobs will be opening up over the next five to ten years.
My parents are part of a large generation so large they are known as the Baby Boomers. My father retired last month and my mother plans to retire soon. Even if people work longer than in the past, many (many) people will be leaving the workforce in the next five to ten years. Some of these people will be lawyers. The demographics are such that knowledgeable folks like the head of the Washington Bar Association are predicting a market gap. They worry that future demand for legal services will not be met by a dwindling supply.
3. Reports of the death of the legal market are greatly exaggerated.
One premise of these predictions is that clients are moving away from relying on enormous law firms that bill them by the hour. A second is that technology is changing the face of legal services in ways that eliminate lawyerly tasks, such as the drafting of a will.
Both of these claims are true. I just don’t know what they prove.” [Emphasis mine]
Analysis: Let’s break down this academic thief’s “case” for applying to law school now.
Regarding point one, Aaron Nathaniel Taylor - “professor” at Saint Louis University Sewer of Law - made the same weak-ass argument back on October 11, 2011. In that NaTTTional Juri$TTT opinion piece, he stated the following:
“And if applications fall again during the 2011-2012 cycle, as predicted, applicants will find themselves in a very favorable environment for gaining admission. At some schools, applicants who would have been considered “borderline” just two years ago might be shoo-ins for admission this year. So the strategic benefit of applying during a string of down years is worth ample consideration.”
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/grad-debt-rankings
Take a look at this Average Law Student Indebtedness chart, provided by US “News” & World Report, for the JD Class of 2012. Keep in mind that these figures do not account for interest that accrues while the student is enrolled. They also exclude student debt from undergrad. How in the hell does the typical unconnected law student benefit by incurring an additional $120K-$180K in NON-DISCHARGEABLE debt?!?!
Check out this Oregon State Bar bulletin labeled “Restaging the Third Act: Baby Boomer Attorneys Diversify Career Option as They Reach Their 60s.”
http://www.osbar.org/publications/bulletin/11may/restaging.html
In short, older attorneys don’t retire. This is white collar work, consisting mostly of shuffling paperwork. The article notes that old-ass lawyers do the following: reduce their work schedule and hours; continue as independent consultants; and work from home. Again, we are talking about greedy Boomer pigs who do not want to see their income shrink.
Calo’s second “argument” is comical. In fact, I had to suppress my laughter. Ryan, if you truly believe your own drivel, then you need to be committed to a hospital for the clinically stupid. Your argument is akin to the following: “You should climb into a lion cage at the zoo. All of them will be well fed. Many of them will be old and weak.”
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/the-lawyer-surplus-state-by-state/?_r=0
By the way, Ass-Hat: are those Washington State Bar cockroaches aware that Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. showed that their state has the 20th most GLUTTED lawyer job market in the country?! In particular, Washington will have an estimated 619 annual attorney openings from 2010-2015. In 2009 alone, 935 passed the state’s bar exam.
Lastly, Calo’s third point is a straw man. None of the scam-bloggers has stated that the legal market is dying. We have simply pointed out that it is GLUTTED. This means that tons of law graduates each year are competing for fewer attorney jobs. For example, the JD Class of 2012 had 46,346 members - all competing for a total of 28,567 positions where bar passage was required! Do you see how that impacts students, dolt?!?!
http://www.nalp.org/uploads/NationalSummaryChart2012.pdf
Hell, you accepted reality and admitted that fewer Biglaw clients are relying on the billable hour and that technology is eating away at lawyer tasks. If you cannot figure out the effects of these two developments, Ryan, then you have no business teaching others anything.
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/01/local/la-me-law-grads-20130402
Conclusion: Ryan Calo DOES NOT GIVE ONE DAMN about you, the law student or recent graduate. He doesn’t care what happens to you upon graduation. If you end up in doc review, selling insurance, waiting tables, or serving up lattes, it does not concern him in the slightest. Note that this rodent DID NOT ONCE MENTION student debt, in his entire piece. He merely wants to spread the lie that now is a good time to apply to - and enroll in - law school. Remember, this jackal makes a living off of fools’ decision to attend his commode.