Forbes has a story on the ranking of law school on employment placement and salaries. I am happy to report that George Washington has placed within top ten schools. The dip in the legal market has affected applications at top schools but overall the impact is felt more severely at the lower ranked law schools. While legal education remains expensive, it remains a good investment for many students. The problem occurs at law schools with low bar passage rates and employment placement. We previously discussed how some of the lowest ranked schools report the highest levels of debt for students. There are some law schools which have dubious academic programs and even more dubious claims of placement. Frankly, some paring of law schools would be a benefit in this economic downturn as would more demanding certification standards by the American Bar Association.
It is important to emphasize that I do not subscribe to the ranking of law school on placement figures or treating law school as merely a trade school needed to secure high-paying jobs. I have opposed the self-destructive efforts of some professors (and President Obama) to strip down law schools to a two-year program to crank out more lawyers with less education. Despite the dislike for lawyers reflected in jokes and commentary, they play a critical role in our society and our law students are building on a long and proud legacy. This is a graduate school that sits at the junction of philosophy, economics, history, and public service. A J.D. degree offers more than a meal ticket.
However, given the large investment of our students, it is good to see these figures. At Columbia Law School, the price of a three-year J.D. is now nearly $250,000.
Only 56.2% of 2012 grads had found full employment at the time of reporting to the ABA. That percentage again is a bit deceiving since it is much higher as you move down the rankings in laws school as a general matter. The unemployment rate for new lawyers ticked up to 10.6% from 9.2% in the prior year.
Here is the ranking:
1. Columbia Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 99%
Median starting salary: $160,000
2. University of Chicago Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 99%
Median starting salary: $160,000
3. University of Pennsylvania Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 98%
Median starting salary: $160,000
4. Harvard Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 96%
Median starting salary: $160,000
5. New York University School of Law
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 97%
Median starting salary: $160,000
6. University of California at Berkeley School of Law
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 96%
Median starting salary: $160,000
7. Northwestern University School of Law
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 91%
Median starting salary: $160,000
8. Georgetown University Law Center
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 92%
Median starting salary: $160,000
9. The George Washington University Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 95%
Median starting salary: $137,000
10. University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 86%
Median starting salary: $145,000
Nick,
Don’t worry much about my forceful language other then I use it to make my points & others are still free to accept the premise or reject it for their own views.
But I’m serious, I’ve suggested to polecats here in Ok. that a law forcing double/triple pay for illegals.
Those companies claim they can’t find workers, fine, up the pay & we’ll know for sure won’t we.
** They take jobs poor Americans won’t do. **
Nick, you believe that crap?
Well, I tell you if that’s the case I’m all in favor of a law that makes it a felon for anyone to pay illegal economic refugees less then 2 to 3 times what an American would get paid for the same job.
Damn Right, Let us treat them as Human Beings rather then drag everyone down.
Oky, We agree on the corrupt economy they flee. However, these folk need to eat and want to work. We have little, if any, control over their country. We need to try and give them some opportunity here, since they are here and aren’t going away.
Snap out of if Nick,
If the banks/Insur scum hadn’t destroyed their economies those people wouldn’t be here. (Period!)
Now the banks/Insur have our nation in their plans for destruction.
http://usawatchdog.com/paul-craig-roberts-obama-could-govern-as-a-dictator/
BTW: These modern day slave trader liberal/conservatives latest trend is importing illegal slaves from Africa of all places…. Kenyans, etc…
Oh, they’ll say, I must be a Racist if I’m against Slavery, cause after all the black or brown slaves & not white slaves like many in the USA.
Yes, I’m waving, but all but one of my fingers is lazy. LOL 🙂
To equate illegals who work hard jobs for pay as slaves besmirches real slaves and shows a lack of knowledge of these good, hard working, family, religious people. They find honor in work. A good lesson for many legal people in this country.
randy, You may have my entire take wrong. Firstly, let’s be honest, illegal Mexicans don’t take jobs from legals, for the most part. They take jobs poor Americans won’t do. These illegals do not look upon themselves as being exploited, you’re putting your values on them. I know these folks. I do gratis work for them [when I’m not stating in fancy hotels]. These are hard working folk who look upon work as good, no matter how menial. They save and educate their children. They have an entrepreneurial spirit. They are, like my Italian grandparents which is why I help them find interpreters, medical dental help, tutor on reading, etc. I support making illegals legal in a humane but thoughtful process. I am VERY tough on illegals who have committed crimes. I support NO path to citizenship for those who have been convicted of crimes, including DUI’s.
I have lived on the border for many years, and have my house in the Houston area, so I know the facts of illegal immigration and its impact. It is simply not true that illegals don’t take jobs from Americans. Meatpacking wages where illegals are a large part of the workforce have driven wages down from a high of $19/hr to $9/hr today. I refer you to the ICE raid on Swift in CO where they took out over 200+ illegals. Swift had to raise wages by 3/hr to get enough workers to take their place. If you will recall the P-9 strike which had the union fighting against that local because they refused to take the lower wages that were forced on them because of competition from other plants that had an illegal workforce.
In farmwork, Hufpo had a good article written by an Anglo radical who worked in the fields when the UFW was at its peak and illegals were low in proportion to the work force. He made about $50/hr in todays money and made enough so that he took the rest of the year off from working. In construction illegals have taken those jobs and forced wages down.
When my roof was damaged by a hailstorm, I got some bids from different contractors, and the insurance check would only cover what the contractors who used illegals would cost. So I HAD to take a contractor who was a crook over the ones who followed the rules. When IKE destroyed my roof and much of my house, I made it a condition of the contractor that they would ONLY use Americans in their workforce. I had to pay more out of MY OWN pocket to do that since the insurance would only pay what the crooked employers would charge. So to say that illegals do not take away American jobs is simply NOT true at all.
The personal characteristics of illegals are irrelevant to most things. I have known crooks who are fine people except for their crimes. So what? My backyard neighbor who was a S&L VP was a fine man too. He gave an illegal loan to our next door neighbor who owned a nursery. That was illegal back then before Reagan made such loans legal. He was convicted and went to prison for five years. He was a WWII combat vet, and upstanding guy and the loan was not even in default so no money was lost, yet he still had to go to prison for that paper crime. So if HE could get prison time for that, I sure as hell think that the illegals can at the very least get sent home which is NOT even punishment. Going to prison IS punishment.
Randyjet,
It’s understandable that many here in the US support illegal criminals from Mexico as they have no morales.
They have no wish to spend the same amount of effort fixing Mexico’s problems that were caused by Wallst/City of London Banks/Insurance co’s that caused Mexico economic collapse & thus their citizens fleeing North.
No, those people supporting those Economic Refugees need those slaves in running their slave labor camps in the USA, like corporate farms, Nursing Homes, etc…..
Modern day Slave Traders the Lot!
I think Oklahoma has 3 law schools, OU, TU, UCO.
I seen a few weeks ago, I think it said enrollment of all of them was down 50% or over.
That the schools were downsizing teaching staff.
Now what did you think was going to happen to the economy & ie: Law Schools, when DC/Wallst Outsource all our country’s jobs to slave labor markets?
And they haven’t stopped outsourcing.
The USA now has of 101 million US citizens on some sort of food aid.
And every other employee, farm, company & banks/insurance co’s of the nation is dependent on some type of govt welfare subsidy.
Great job you’ve done citizens, Liberal/Conservative polecats, you’re in complete failure & Bankruptcy!!!
Ya, just keep doing more of the same thing that got you into these mess, you’ll be just fine!
(Sarc off)
OKy1 The difference between the current situation and that during Eisenhowers time, is that all of those who were here at the time were INVITED here LEGALLY during WWII. The US government even withheld part of their wages to be paid to them by the Mexican government when they returned after the war. Guess what happened to that money after the war. The Mexican government simply kept the money and the workers did not get a cent. The US did not have to deport more than just under a million since the rest took the hint and self deported. They also deported a number of US citizens as well.
NS I am glad that somebody here has some concern for American workers who are being screwed by the flood of illegals. It is too bad it is for a relatively despised part of the workforce. I am more concerned with the poor, low skilled Americans who are competing with illegals for those jobs since most of them are black, Latino, and poorly educated white Americans. The poorest Americans are the victims of the illegals. The CBO reported even admitted that legalizing those illegals who are here will result in a massive wage cut for them for at least TEN years. That is unacceptable for me to screw over my fellow countrymen for the wealthy.
What ever the immigration policy the USA should have the same policy as Mexico has!
Either that or the USA should adopt President Eisenhower’s immigration policy.
I think it took him 12-18 months take of the immigration problem & the problem was Over!
And if you’re not for those solutions the I could compromise that we only let in cute young gals from China, Italy, Russia & a few other places that the gals have a thing for older guys. 🙂
Juliet, you are a minority among liberals in supporting illegals. I support the Jordan Commission recommendations which called for massive deportations., employer sanctions, a national data base like E-Verify, among other items to force illegals out of the US. This was her last and in my view most important work under President Clinton. THAT is the liberal position historically, and she was one of the most outstanding liberals in Congress.
Your position is the Chamber of Commerce position and the National Ass. of Manufacturers. IBM was hit with a fine recently for preferring LEGAL immigrants over US workers. In Texas, the GOPers are against any E-Verify system since the biggest GOP donor, Robert Perry has over half his workforce is made up of illegals. If you want to turn off the money going to the GOP, pass an E-Verify law in your state. It will sure put a crimp in their profits.
I too think that it is absurd to grant a law license to those who are continuing to flout the law that they are supposed to uphold in a most basic way. I do not see why it is such an onerous provision to have to be a US citizen in order to become a lawyer.
And, he is Governor Moonbeam, ever hear him talk??
I’m a medical cannabis patient. I loathe the War on Drugs. Read my comments. I am a supporter of illegal immigrants, support a road to citizenship and the Dream Act, just read my comments. Take notes and think critically. It is relevant in that w/ attorneys having a hard time finding jobs, particularly in the glutted market of California, allowing illegals to be attorneys, may not be such a good idea, for this and other reasons. You’re falling down the rabbit hole, girl. Step up your game.
Why are people who are here illegally relevant to the topic? Governor Moonbeam? Medical cannabis patient? You really don’t have to invent opportunities to tell us all the things you loathe. We get it — everything even remotely connected to liberals, Democrats and progressives is bad.
“Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people.”—President Sunbeam, Charlottesville, Va., July 4, 2008
Congrats GW.
That should be juries. Mea culpa.
There’s a precipitous drop from GWU[9] and USC[10]. And, Governor Moonbeam signed a law allowing illegals to become attorneys, but vetoed illegals serving on journeys. It’s tough to follow his train of thought. Maybe he’s a medical cannabis patient?