Judge Says Never Trust Anything A For-Profit Law School Tells You

The law school in question was successful at defending its allegedly deceptive employment statistics.

A person considering law school, while not necessarily sophisticated, is college-educated and may be reasonably expected to perform some due diligence that goes beyond glancing at a for-profit enterprise’s self-serving numbers before plunging into substantial debt.

— U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia D. Barksdale of the Middle District of Florida, in her scathing report and recommendation on a motion to dismiss that was filed by Florida Coastal School of Law in a case related to its allegedly deceptive employment statistics.

The underlying lawsuit was filed by graduates of Florida Coastal Law in 2012, when all manner of law school litigation was spurred by law schools whose employment statistics looked too rosy considering how terrible the job market was at the time. Florida Coastal advertised employment rates of 80 to 90 percent, but failed to specify whether those jobs were full-time, long-term, or required a law degree. U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis dismissed the case with prejudice on September 28.

(If you’re interested, you can flip to the next page to see Judge Barksdale’s caustic report and recommendation.)

Sponsored