Comments on: Guest blog: Jonathan

By: John S

John S — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:36:00 +0000

jefe, You are correct in your final comment that law schools are graduating way too many lawyers. It is a total cash cow for them, though the market is near-saturated. They get massive tuition payments coming in, and unlike some other fields like science and medicine, there are relatively little technology/equipment expenses. Recent trends suggest that the number of students is slowing decreasing though.

By: John S

John S — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:02:00 +0000

John I believe you are right about the shift. I feel the problem is not so much the lack of jobs per se, but the outrageous cost of a law degree not matching up with the eventual salary that one can expect. After all, law is a field that has formal professional hurdles that one must get through in order to practice, i.e., a J.D. and passing the bar. It’s not as if somebody who wants to get into law has any other choice but to pay an obscene amount of money to have a career that doesn’t justify the cost. Unless the cost of these credentials comes down, this will have a serious effect on access to justice for ordinary people.

By: John S

John S — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:58:00 +0000

Thanks I will definitely check them out.

By: John S

John S — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:56:00 +0000

True. The law jobs i see posted are outrageous. In my job at that firm, I was making exactly what you just quoted from Craigslist. I make more in retail now, but it’s obviously not what I want to be doing with my law license.

It’s nice to see that starting a practice is actually possible for someone relatively fresh out of school. If you are by yourself, where do you turn for guidance on an issue? Do you have any other side jobs?

By: Vincent Capone

Vincent Capone — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 18:04:00 +0000

I’ve taught in China and not only does it pay little (although high for the average Chinese), it’s not something for everyone. If you love Chinese culture and have thought about teaching, then it’s a good move. But if you have no interest in teaching, then you’re really just exacerbating the problem of lackluster ESL teachers trying to exploit the bad economy in the US by heading over to China.

By: Vincent Capone

Vincent Capone — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 18:03:00 +0000

I completely agree with your comment on the paradigm shift.

By: DWilliams8

DWilliams8 — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:31:00 +0000

look into http://www.jvs-boston.org they used to have a support group for out of work lawyers. You are not alone.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:16:00 +0000

UMass did not open a law school, they acquired the Southern New England School of Law, and this summer it received a provisional accreditation from the ABA. Though I agree that it’s probably a money pit as a third or fourth tier law school and a waste of time and money for those who choose to attend.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:01:00 +0000

Thanks for sharing your experience. And it’s good to see that WBUR is bringing attention to this all too common situation. I have to wonder, though, if WBUR is paying their guest bloggers or just exploiting their situations for free, interesting and relatable content.

By: John_of_Medford28

John_of_Medford28 — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:51:00 +0000

jefe68,
You are spot on with your thoughts of “the other side to this story”. The Commonwealth recently opened a public law school here in Massachusetts and I believe it is not accreditted. I really hope the students enrolled there have done their due diligence on their job prospects.