The Aspen Advisor Week in Review for May 25, 2018
The ABA has released its annual report on law school employment outcomes for 2017 (based on the required cutoff of 10 months after graduation) and while some schools have fared well, the aggregate data is not all positive. For example, in the article “Penn Law Among Law Schools with Highest Employability, According to New Report” we see that over 90 percent of 2017 Penn Law graduates are employed in jobs that require passing the bar exam. This compares to the overall average of 68.7 percent which represents a 4.2 percent increase over last year’s class of 2016 with .3 percent more jobs.
The Bar Association also reported that two Ivy League law schools have employment rates above 90 percent: 93.3 percent of Columbia Law School’s 2017 graduates have jobs that require passing the bar and 92.1 percent of Cornell Law graduates. Other universities with law school employment rates above 90 percent include Duke University, with a rate of 93.8 percent; University of Chicago, with a rate of 92.1 percent; University of Virginia, at 91.2 percent; and University of Michigan Ann Arbor, with a rate of 90.1 percent.
Where are those students working? For 2017, it breaks down like this:
- 1.3% Solo Practitioner
- 45.9% Law Firm Positions
- 12.2% Business and Industry
- 12.0% Government
- 4.7% Public Interest
- 9.3% Clerkships
- 1.4% Education
- 1.7% Law School Funded Positions
- 7.9% Unemployed
While several categories saw modest gains in 2017 (Law Firm Positions, Public Interest, and Clerkships) several categories saw modest losses (Solo Practitioners, Business and Industry, and Education). The main bright point was that the unemployed rate dropped by 15.8 percent.
Bar Prep
5 Tips for Studying for the Bar Exam While Working Full-Time
With a few tweaks and a lot of focus, you can work full-time and pass the bar exam.
Law School Students
Work Experience Does Matter for Law School Applications
Putting off law school for a year may a good idea since many top law schools are now weighing work experience with higher priority.
Legal Education
Penn Law Among Law Schools with Highest Employability, According to New Report
Over 90 percent of 2017 Penn Law graduates are employed in jobs that require passing the bar exam, a higher rate than many top law schools, according to this year's annual American Bar Association report on law school employment outcomes.
Advice to the Legal Class of 2018 in the Age of Automation
Now, thanks to technological advancements including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, grads can often bypass lower value roles and move straight into the more interesting work they’ve been freed to do—practice law. Here are six tips for the legal class of 2018 as they embark on careers in the age of automation.
Law Schools Care More About Rankings than the Financial Burdens of Students
Perhaps adding need-based financial aid statistics to law school rankings would incentivize law schools to offer these programs.
Arizona Summit Sues ABA, 3rd For-profit InfiLaw School To Do So
On Thursday, Arizona Summit Law School was the third InfiLaw school to sue the American Bar Association in a month, arguing that due process rights were violated before and after the 2017 decision to put the for-profit school on probation.
Online Learning
The University of Dayton School of Law and 2U, Inc. Partner to Offer An Innovative New Hybrid J.D. Program
Starting in August 2019, students can complete their journey toward a University of Dayton (UD) School of Law degree online through Law@Dayton, one of the nation's first accredited hybrid Juris Doctor programs, blending online and on-campus instruction. The School of Law, which received approval for an American Bar Association variance on May 17 to offer this hybrid degree, will start accepting applications to the Law@Dayton program this fall.
Other
Will Law Firms Bow to Pressure to End Mandatory Arbitration?
More and more voices are calling for big law firms to abandon mandatory arbitration and nondisclosure agreements for their own lawyers. Should the firms listen?
PreLaw
New, Free Online LSAT Prep Program Draws Both Jeers and Cheers
Khan Academy's program, created in conjunction with the organization that makes the law school entrance exam, is set to go live June 1.
The Aspen Advisor Week in Review is a collection of interesting articles from the past week that pertain to Legal Education. Some may be especially relevant to law professors and others to law students. Many stories focus on the pedagogical, technical, and financial innovation occurring in law schools today. We hope that these articles inspire you.
Nicole Pinard is the Executive Director of Market Development for the Legal Education division of Wolters Kluwer Legal and Regulatory Solutions U.S.