In Review: Hiring of Law Grads Improving

The legal job market is starting to turn around in favor of new graduates. This is great news if you are looking to enter law school this year because analysts are saying that offer rates for summer interns are increasing to prerecession levels and are becoming more optimistic about future hiring trends.

The Wall Street Journal explains it best: "The job-offer rate for those lucky enough to have landed a summer job at a law firm in 2013 is nearly as high as it was before the financial crisis."

Rather than rehash the analysis here I will provide links below to the relevant articles in an attempt to index them for your convenience. Enjoy!

Hiring of Law Grads Improves for Some

Summer Associate Recruiting Stays Mostly Flat but Offer Rates Rise

Perspectives on Fall 2013 Law Student Recruiting

Are Summer Associate and Entry-Level Hiring Picking Up?

National Association for Law Placement Press Release

For more information on graduate employment prospects see HERE.

Acceptance Rate to Law School Increases Again

According to the LSAC US National Decision Profiles, the acceptance rate to law school nationally increased to 77% for the 2013 entering class. This is up from the 75% acceptance rate for the 2012 entering class and represents the highest acceptance rate to law school in the last 11 years.

From a prospective student perspective, 2013 represented a student's best opportunity to be admitted to law school; however, just because 2013 represented the best opportunity to be admitted to law school overall, it does not necessarily mean that students were admitted to their first choice law school - an important distinction.

When choosing which law schools to apply to it is always important to be realistic about your expectations of being admitted. It is good to have aspirational goals; however, check the school's website, with an Admissions Counselor, or the ABA/LSAC Guide to learn about enrollment data such as the median LSAT and GPA to help you predict your chances of admittance and set goals.

There is no guarantee that the acceptance rate to the 2014 entering class will increase again. In fact, there are some early indicators showing that admission to law school may soon begin to get more difficult. (see HERE and HERE) However, if you are intent on attending law school, statistically speaking your best chances of being admitted may already be here. Just like the law school enrollment bubble burst in 2010/11, it is only a matter of time before the acceptance rate bubble bursts as well.

Please see below for some historic acceptance rate data:

Year	2013	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002
Acceptance Rate*	77%	75%	71%	69%	67%	67%	66%	63%	59%	56%	57%	62%

*Acceptance rate is calculated by the total number of ABA applicants divided by the number of applicants accepted to one or more ABA law schools

Four Benefits of Earning Your Law Degree in a Part-Time Program

Less than half of all ABA accredited law schools offer part-time (PT) programs and PT students only account for about 15% of the total enrollment in law schools; however, for many students who need to balance work or family life with law school, a PT program may be the best option to earn a Juris Doctor degree and achieve career goals. It typically takes a tough four years to complete the degree, rather than three, but the character and motivation of PT law students is truly inspiring. Below are four benefits to applying and attending law school part-time.

1) Flexibility
Part-time programs typically fall into two categories: day and evening programs. Day programs usually integrate the PT students into classes with full-time students, however, the PT students take a lighter course load. Evening programs are usually exclusively for PT students and classes are offered after regular business hours so students can maintain a full time job during the day and go to class in the evening. Some schools also offer weekend classes or allow students to jump between daytime and evening classes which allow students to have even more flexibility in their schedules to complete the degree.

2) Class Size
As discussed above, PT students only account for 15% of the total enrollment in law schools. Because of the small number of PT students, at many law schools the classes designated for the PT program are smaller than that of the FT programs. The smaller student to faculty ratio allows for more personalized interaction with the professor and fellow students which should lead to a better learning experience for the student.

3) Homogeneity and Diversity
PT programs are incredibly homogenous and diverse at the same time. This dichotomy leads to a very exciting learning experience.

PT programs are homogenous in the sense that the students are uniquely motivated to attend the program and many have the same outside anxieties, pressures, and goals influencing their experience which are largely exclusive to PT students.

PT programs are diverse in the sense that everyone in the program comes from very different experiences. PT students are typically non-traditional students and have years of life wisdom which allow them to analyze material from a plethora of  viewpoints and create a rich diversity of ideas in the classroom.

4) Admissions Standards
Because PT programs are largely non-traditional students, Admissions Committees must review PT applications differently than FT applications which tend to be from younger, more traditional students.

Traditional applications tend to rely more on LSAT and GPA as indicators for success in law school because the applicants have less life experience to balance out their applications.

Non-traditional students, however, have a rich diversity of life and working experiences which overrides the importance of a GPA earned 10 or 20 years ago or a LSAT score which does not measure ability to overcome obstacles.

This is not to say that Admissions Standards are less rigorous for PT students. In many cases, PT applications are much more difficult for Committees to review since the Committee must spend additional time and effort as they analyze and weigh the applicant's unique "soft" factors which indicate success in law school and the legal profession.

If you are one of the brave few that are interested in attending law school part-time, do your research and find the right program for you. Your law school experience will be challenging but it will be very rewarding. Good Luck!

Law School Applicants with Highest LSAT Scores Increase

According to the latest LSAC Current Volume Summary (2/7/14) applicants to law school are down 11.1% and applications are down 12.2%. This drop in applicants and applications is the smallest drop in both categories at this time of the year in the last four years. However, more interestingly, for many law schools the drop may not be a drop at all.

For the first time in years there is an increase in applicants who scored a 170 or higher on the LSAT (1.7% increase for 170-174 and 5.6% increase for 175-180). 

Conversely, the largest decrease in applicants is occurring with applicants who score a 144 or lower on the LSAT (15.7% decrease for 140-144 and 20.3% decrease for those scoring less than 140).

If these trends continue, law school applicants may continue to drop overall; however, the decrease will be anchored by lower "quality" applicants while higher "quality" applicants begin to return  to law school.

For many law schools this shift is a welcome sign that the law school recession may be slowly coming to an end as more "qualified" applicants begin to return to legal education while those who are less likely to be admitted begin to opt out of applying to law school.

You Just Took the LSAT! Now What's Next?

Congratulations! You just finished the LSAT and are now vegging out in front of your smartphone checking Facebook and Twitter to find out what your friends did with their Saturday morning while you spent yours in a classroom in front of a bubble sheet taking one of the most important tests of your life. You deserve to relax but there is always that nagging question in the back of your head. What's next?

Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it) you have 3 to 4 weeks before you receive your LSAT results. This is the perfect time to work on your law school application. Follow these simple steps and you can have your application ready to submit as soon as you receive your results!

1) Submit Transcripts:
Contact all undergraduate and postgraduate institutions you attended and have them send your transcripts into LSAC for your Credential Assembly Service Report. Since you are relying on other people to submit the transcripts for you, it is important to start the process as early as possible. You don't want a lost transcript to hold up your application.

2) Letters of Recommendation:
Please, please, please tell me you have already asked someone to write you a letter of recommendation. Missing LORs are notorious for holding up applications and delaying the admissions process. If a recommender has not submitted your LOR yet, gently remind them that your law school application deadline is approaching. If you don't have a recommender yet, read my post about choosing a recommender.

3) Addendums:
Depending on the law school, if you have any legal, criminal, or financial history you may need to supply documentation on the resolution of the issue. Use the next 3 to 4 weeks to gather copies of the relevant information and have it ready to submit. You don't want to apply and then have the Admissions Committee turn around and ask you for additional information, especially if you do not have it ready. It slows down the admissions process and can make you look unorganized. Put your best foot forward and disclose everything up front. Admissions Committees appreciate candor and honesty.

4) Personal Statement and Résumé:
It should go without saying but you need to be making the finishing touches on your résumé and personal statement. Editing is critical. Take your time and read and reread your work. Have someone else read and edit it and then go through the whole process again. Eventually you will have to submit your work but before you do embrace change and make edits where necessary.

5) Submit Your Application:
Congratulations! You feel confident that your application is complete and displays you at your very best. Now you are just waiting on that LSAT score. Many schools will allow you to submit your application before your LSAT score is received. This allows the Admissions Office to process your application and they will often let you know if anything other than your LSAT score is missing. Don't think you are jumping ahead of the crown too much though. Your application will likely not be reviewed by the Committee until the your updated CAS Report is received with your new score. But at least you have everything submitted and can sit back and enjoy that mojito while you check Facebook and wait for your results.

Choosing Recommenders for Your Law School Application

Most law schools require applicants to submit letters of recommendation along with their application. Every Admissions Committee will weigh LORs differently; however, all Committees recognize the LOR's inherent bias in favor (hopefully) of the applicant. With this in mind, Committees must look beyond the content of the letter itself and examine the applicant's judgment in choosing a recommender.

You should check with the law school in which you are applying, however, most law schools are looking for professional letters of recommendation as opposed to personal letters of recommendation.

Professional letters of recommendation are LORs from people have either supervised or worked directly with you and can speak about your work ethic, leadership, character, and disciple.  Examples of "professional" recommenders are supervisors, professors, advisors, mentors, counselors - those people who have worked one-on-one with you in a professional setting.

Personal letters of recommendation are LORs from friends or acquaintances that generally speak to the personality or fit of the applicant. Examples of "personal" recommenders are friends, friends of friends, family members, social contacts - those people who know you socially and have not worked with you closely in a professional setting.

Professional LORs are typically more helpful to Admissions Committees because the LORs can give concrete examples of what the applicant has done to prepare her or him for the rigors of law school. Personal LORs are typically less helpful because they tend to only address the applicant superficially and lack depth and analysis.

As an applicant it is important that you use your best judgment when deciding who should write your letters of recommendation. There may be exceptions to this advice; however, submitting a LOR from someone "famous" is typically not in your best interest if you have not worked directly with them. Admissions Committees read thousands of LORs and it apparent when the recommender does not know the applicant professionally. Just because you or your family know a attorney, judge, politician, or  (insert well known person here) does not mean they will write you the best letter of recommendation.

Ultimately, your choice of recommenders reflects your judgment. Good judgment is a trait all Admissions Committees are weighing in their decisions. Choose wisely my friend.

In Review: More Legal Jobs Than New Law School Graduates for the Classof 2016

It seems that the legal job market is starting to turn around in favor of new graduates. This is great news if you are looking to enter law school this year because analysts are predicting that there will be more new law jobs than there will be new law graduates for the class of 2016. Rather than rehash the analysis here I will provide links below to the relevant articles in an attempt to index them for your convenience. Enjoy!

Most Robust Legal Market  Ever Just Around the Corner, Study Says - National Jurist

More Jobs than Grads for Class of 2016 - National Jurist

Why there will be more jobs than graduates in 2016 - National Jurist

Prediction: Full-time jobs will exceed new law graduates for the graduating class of 2016 - Red Velvet Lawyer

When will Graduate = Jobs? - Law School Café

The Economic Value of a Law Degree - Michael Simkovic and Frank MacIntyre

Keep Calm and Carry On - René Reich-Graefe

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Lawyers