As practicing law becomes a riskier bet, students must do more
David Angelatos
Issue date: 9/29/09 Section: Opinion
Future lawyers may be shocked to find out that the historically "safe" field of law is now suffering more profoundly from the recession than many other lines of work are. Pre-law students generally consider the hundreds of thousands of dollars that go into a legal education as an investment into their futures that will be repaid rather quickly once they are in the high-paying corporate law professions. It is also widely believed that a diploma in law can almost guarantee work due to the broad range of professions that degree pertains to. Recently, both of these beliefs have become less certain.
The legal field, which has been typically viewed as a safe area in terms of job prospects, is now sending its newest members staggering to find work. This fall is becoming the most difficult job search season in 50 years, as law students compete for half as many jobs compared to last year. As the general economy picks up, the field of law suffers from some big firms closing and others cutting their hiring by more than 50 percent. The large Philadelphia firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, for example, has completely canceled its recruiting this year.
At many top universities, interviews are down from 33 to 50 percent. At Yale University, students were shocked when some big firms elected to not have interviews in New Haven this fall. Law students at top schools like Yale, NYU and Georgetown, so used to being wooed by big law firms, now have to look elsewhere for work. Smaller firms in smaller markets, government posts and opportunities with public interest groups are now becoming much more appealing.
With students from top law schools scrambling to find the few open spots in big law firms, and then moving into the other law fields, this does not leave many jobs for the young lawyers of lesser schools. Because the stringent standards of high GPAs and LSAT scores (roughly 3.75 and 170 respectively) required for admittance into the country's best law schools are difficult for many students to attain, and as more and more jobs disappear, pre-law students should begin to ask themselves whether law school is still worth it.
The legal field, which has been typically viewed as a safe area in terms of job prospects, is now sending its newest members staggering to find work. This fall is becoming the most difficult job search season in 50 years, as law students compete for half as many jobs compared to last year. As the general economy picks up, the field of law suffers from some big firms closing and others cutting their hiring by more than 50 percent. The large Philadelphia firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, for example, has completely canceled its recruiting this year.
At many top universities, interviews are down from 33 to 50 percent. At Yale University, students were shocked when some big firms elected to not have interviews in New Haven this fall. Law students at top schools like Yale, NYU and Georgetown, so used to being wooed by big law firms, now have to look elsewhere for work. Smaller firms in smaller markets, government posts and opportunities with public interest groups are now becoming much more appealing.
With students from top law schools scrambling to find the few open spots in big law firms, and then moving into the other law fields, this does not leave many jobs for the young lawyers of lesser schools. Because the stringent standards of high GPAs and LSAT scores (roughly 3.75 and 170 respectively) required for admittance into the country's best law schools are difficult for many students to attain, and as more and more jobs disappear, pre-law students should begin to ask themselves whether law school is still worth it.
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