The Early Numbers on Law School Applications

Somebody got a hold of a password-protected report from LSAC that discusses the state of law school applications. Do you want to hear the good news? It's too early to know the full scope of this law school application season, but the early numbers suggest that law school applications are going to be down -- way down....

Somebody got a hold of a password-protected report from LSAC that discusses the state of law school applications.

Do you want to hear the good news?

It’s too early to know the full scope of this law school application season, but the early numbers suggest that law school applications are going to be down — way down. From Legal Skills Prof:

The report indicates that as of 1/13/12 ABA applicants are down 16.7% and ABA applications are down 15.3% from 2011. The report also indicates applicants to Canadian law schools are up 4.4% and applications are up 5.4% from 2011.

I’m just going to sit back and savor that for a minute. You see, I used to live on a farm and one night I awoke to this horrible screaming. I walked downstairs and realized the rancher was slaughtering the spring lambs. I… I tried to free them, but they wouldn’t run. They just stood there, confused. They wouldn’t run. I still wake up sometimes, I wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the lambs.

It’s too early to know if these numbers will hold. From the ABA Journal:

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LSAC director of communications Wendy Margolis confirmed the figures for the ABA Journal.

“The caveat is that we are very early in the cycle,” Margolis says. “So these numbers change considerably.” The number of applicants at this time last year represented about 48 percent of the ultimate count.

Asked to speculate on reasons for the lower numbers, Margolis noted that law schools and legal employment are getting increased media scrutiny. “I think it’s basically the economy and job prospects,” she said.

“[I]t’s basically the economy and the job prospects.” Could it be that prospective law students are finally paying attention? My, something weird is happening in my pants.

I think if these numbers hold, I won’t wake up in the dark ever again to that awful screaming of the lambs.

LSAC reports applications to law schools are down more than 15% [Legal Skills Prof]
Law School Applications for Fall 2012 Drop More than 15 Percent [ABA Journal]

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