First-Year Law School Enrollment Drops to 36-Year Low
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Enrollment of first-year students at U.S. law schools this academic year fell 11 percent to 39,675, the lowest since 1977, according to a report released by the American Bar Association.
The drop from 44,481 last year largely reflects concerns about the job market, even amid signs that legal employment conditions are beginning to turn around, said James R. Silkenat, president of the association, which was founded in 1878. Prospective law students are also concerned about the cost and growing levels of debt associated with three years of graduate school, he said.