An April study of prospective law students revealed a leading motive for attending law school: the failing economy.
The study, administrated by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, reported that 40 percent of the 1,040 students who took the February 2009 Law School Admission Test were motivated by today’s economic crisis to apply to law school. In addition, the registration for the Kaplan-administered LSATs has increased by more that 20 percent during the past year.
Since 2006, the University’s School of Law has seen the number of applicants rise by 113, with 2008’s enrollment around 531 students. The law school’s LL.M, or Master of Laws, class of 2010 will be the largest since the program’s initiation two years ago. The law school building itself can hold no more than its current students, so increased applications would mean more discretion when reviewing new applicants.
The survey highlighted many economic reasons why students would decide to go to law school now. Sixty-seven percent of survey participants said the high earning power of a law degree substantially affected their decision to pursue an education in the field.
Others found law school as a “save haven” from the grueling reality of the job market. Sandy Weintraub, president of the Student Bar Association and School of Law representative on the ASUO, doesn’t see law school as a type of escape. “Law school is far from easy, and is extremely time-consuming,” he said, “It’s more of a place to build your knowledge than to hide from the job market.”
Fifty-four percent of those surveyed also indicated they were planning on running for political office after law school. “There’s always money in politics, no matter what the state of the nation’s economy is,” Wientraub said. He also said a new course primarily focused on legislation will be taught at the school this year.
“Historically, economic downturns spark an increased interest in law school as students and professionals re-evaluate their career tracks. Recessions often inspire people to look to law school to ride out the storm, transition into a new field, or broaden their education to make themselves a more attractive candidate,” Jeff Thomas, director of pre-law programs at Kaplan, said. “This June we had the highest enrollment for the LSAT yet, and I see it continuing to rise.”
If students are worried about the economy enough to take on law school, where are they finding the money to fund their educations? Sixty-eight percent of 2008’s incoming class were out-of-state students, adding nearly $5,000 more to the already high tuition. Thomas said the number of law scholarships and loans offered considerably affects the cost, yet he predicts tuition will still increase. “It will continue rising, as long as enrollment does,” Thomas said. “The correlation between the two has proven to remain the same.”
While law schools are becoming more competitive, employers are becoming more selective because the number of available jobs has decreased.
Wientraub hopes this won’t be too much of a setback. “The job market may be harder to get into, but as a law student, it seems less intimidating,” he said. “By graduation, 90 percent of the graduating class usually have job offers.”
In the long run, having a competitive mindset in law school is a plus. “Why not work a little bit harder to be more successful in the job market later on?” Thomas said.
Priya Dasgupta, director of graduate programs at Kaplan, recommends that everyone interested should consider law school because not only will it help while the economy suffers, but “in 20 or 30 years from now if something like this happens again you will be in a better place.”
The law school’s Department of Admissions declined to comment by press time.
 
SCHOOL OF LAW FACTS
UO law graduates employed at graduation
2001:  58.9 percent
2007:  63.3 percent
Acceptance rate:
2001: 45.5 percent
2008: 40.8 percent
Tuition:
2005: $16,156
2007: $24,396
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