Two Worlds, Side by Side: ABA Journal & Letter from Law School

I received a letter from my law school subtly informing me that my name would be placed on “the permanent donor wall located near the entrance” if I gave a gift or commitment of $5,000. The same day, the ABA Journal published Bill Henderson’s article titled, “The Law School Bubble: How Long Will It Last [...]

WSJ Op-Ed Brings Shock Doctrine to Law Practice

The Wall Street Journal provides space for Brookings Institute fellows Clifford Winston and Robert W. Crandall to publish their op-ed titled, “Time to Deregulate the Practice of Law.” Fuller text available at TaxpProf Blog. The authors use a fictitious attorney shortage and failing legal education system to advance their legal profession deregulation agenda. I’ll limit [...]

Indiana Tech’s Proponents Continue to Make Fools of Themselves, Amuse Critics

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette decided to update us on my new least-favorite new law school (Wilkes-Barre, I miss you!), Indiana Tech School of Law. Readers will recall I dipped into the topic after J-Dog did simply because the university’s reasons for establishing another law school were too absurdly self-serving to pass up, particularly in [...]

A Less Gilded Past: The SmallLaw Dead Pool

[****THIS RESEARCH IN THIS POST HAS BEEN CONSOLIDATED ON THIS PAGE. PLEASE LINK TO THAT INSTEAD.****] “A Less Gilded Future,” in the Economist [H/T JETs with J.D.s] Opening with the tale of Howrey’s passage to the BigLaw Dead Pool, the Economist tells us: Though Howrey was the only big firm to collapse- ***sound of needle [...]

No Bubble, Just ROCK!!! Vol. 5

I’m dashing off to Wisconsin later this week, so I’ll miss the first-of-its-kind panel discussion b’ween deans Ackerman (Wayne State) and Closius (Baltimore), professors Henderson (Indiana-Bloomington) and Tamanaha (Wash U), and Third Tier Reality’s Nando. Moderation provided by All Education Matter’s Cryn Johannsen. If you’re interested in legal education all five of the participants have [...]

Legal Academy Approaching an “Endgame” Predict Bill Henderson and Andrew Morriss

First of all, because I’ve spent a good portion of my adulthood in Japan, my thoughts go to the victims of the recent earthquake near Sendai. As far as I know, all of my friends are safe; I hope they continue to be. Now, to the topic. Legal Academy Approaching an “Endgame” Predict Bill Henderson [...]

Legal Sector 2018: 500,000 Law Grads vs. 100,000 Lawyer Jobs

[****THIS RESEARCH IN THIS POST HAS BEEN CONSOLIDATED ON THIS PAGE. PLEASE LINK TO THAT INSTEAD.****] [UPDATE: Through more recent research, I discovered that the BLS does calculate job growth due to replacement needs, projecting that 141,900 lawyers will retire or pass away. Adding that to the net growth figure cited below gives us a [...]

The Law School Tuition Bubble: Tuition Increases Law School-by-Law School from 2005 to 2011, Part 1

As a member of a learned profession, a lawyer should cultivate knowledge of the law beyond its use for clients, employ that knowledge in reform of the law and work to strengthen legal education. – Wisconsin Rules of Professional Conduct “Preamble: A Lawyer’s Responsibilities,” ¶6, (WI SCR Chapter 20) Introduction Last May, I started the [...]

Quick Link– “Creative Hustler” Says Stuff about Law School Tobacco Warnings, Champions Creative Hustling

Ari L. Kaplan, “Would Law School Warning Labels Make Any Difference?” in National Law journal When someone opens an article with, “People smoke.  People speed.  They don’t exercise or get enough sleep.  They go to law school,” my eyes roll.  Mr. Kaplan, allow me to direct you to your comparison’s flaws: Tobacco is extremely chemically [...]

Links Sell Out—Debt, Law School Culture, the Lost Generation, & Break-even investments

Four from over the weekend: (1)  Samuel J. Scott, “Debt Bubble: Will the Market Crash Because of College Costs?” in Considerations. A somewhat conservative explanation for the accelerating higher education costs compared to those in housing and healthcare.  Those of you who are falling behind in your Dean Baker readings should note that the Federal [...]