Woman Who Will Have $210,000 In Student Loans Had No Idea Her Law School Was Being Sued Over Employment Statistics

Knowing what she knows now, would she still choose to attend her law school?

thinking of law schoolSeveral years have gone by and several lawsuits have been filed since the assault on law schools and their oftentimes dubious employment statistics began, and in recent times, everyone has wondered how prospective law students could enter law school with so few important facts, despite information on any given law school’s tuition numbers, job numbers, salary numbers, and bar passage numbers being readily available online.

College graduates interested in pursuing a law degree may be a “sophisticated subset of education consumers” who “have available to them any number of sources of information to review” prior to making their decisions on which law school to attend, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will actually take advantage of that wealth of data.

It seems that some students are still entering law school with only knowledge of the bare minimum concerning the post-graduation job prospects and student loan debt loads at their law schools of choice, if that. Given how hard people have worked to make sure truthful information about law schools is widely publicized, this is very distressing.

In light of this sad state of affairs, we recently spoke to a first-year student at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, an unranked school that’s been rocked by turmoil and financial troubles ever since one of its graduates filed suit in 2011 alleging that the school had inflated its employment statistics in an attempt to entice students to attend. We were shocked to discover that this law student was completely unaware of the ongoing litigation her law school faced — in fact, she had only found out about it because she saw a post on Above the Law discussing the fact that the case would be going to trial in March. We were even more shocked by some of her responses to our questions.

This law student, who has chosen to remain anonymous, hails from New York, and wanted to go law school to study family law and elder law so she could “help defend individuals and families who can’t defend themselves.” She applied to several law schools in addition to Thomas Jefferson, and told us that she received acceptances at law schools in Chicago, Tampa, and Charlotte. We asked her why she chose TJSL, what materials she reviewed before doing so, and whether she knew anything about the law school’s employment statistics before deciding to attend. Here’s what she had to say:

I used LSAC.org to review information but I also visited the school beforehand to get a personal tour. I briefly reviewed the statistics before applying. However, there are so many other important factors that come into play when picking a school.

I chose TJSL because I fell in love with the city and the downtown location of the campus was convenient. I also liked the small classroom setting since I typically like to get to know my professors.

This student received a small merit scholarship of $3,000 to attend TJSL, and when she graduates, she’ll have about $210,000 in student loans. When it comes to her post-graduation job prospects, she said, “I hope to find an internship next summer at a law firm I will grow with. Even though I’m naturally optimistic, it’s hard to predict.”

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Since this anonymous law student recently found out about the existence of the Alaburda v. Thomas Jefferson School of Law lawsuit — one which has been in the news since it was first filed almost six years ago — we asked her what she thought about its merits: “It’s hard to say just yet. Going off the one article I did read, it appears that the school is panicking and has not provided any kind of proof of their innocence.”

Last, but certainly not least, we asked this first-year law student if knowing what she knows now, she would still choose to attend Thomas Jefferson. This was her response:

If I knew of this lawsuit before applying I would not have attended the school or even applied here at all. However, I have already gotten to know my professors well and I love the staff and the school, so I plan on remaining for the rest of my law school career.

Armed with facts about her law school’s poor employment statistics and with her ever-ballooning student loan debt hanging around her neck like an albatross, this law student would choose to seal her fate by continuing her enrollment at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. One wonders how many other law students would do the same.

How many law students are hanging their hopes and dreams upon the slightest of statistical shots of becoming a lawyer? How many law students are choosing to ignore facts and figures because they believe they’ll be able to defy the odds? How many law students are watching their futures swirl down the drain because they refuse to accept the realities of the “new normal” for law schools and the legal profession?

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Knowledge can be a powerful tool, but only when used appropriately. Until all prospective law students use the information that’s widely available to them when choosing which law school to attend, schools like Thomas Jefferson School of Law will continue to be able sell dreams to budding lawyers at the price of five figures per year.

Unfortunately for this first-year law student and the thousands of others like her, pipe dreams funded by student loan dollars are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Earlier: Thomas Jefferson School Of Law To Stand Trial For Allegedly Inflating Employment Statistics
Not Even Bankruptcy Will Make Your Student Loans Go Away