99%

More and more law school graduates are trying to seek bankruptcy protection from their mountains of student loan debt. Now, we know that reading comprehension is tested on the LSAT, but apparently, once students complete the law school entrance exam, that skill goes right out the window. How do we know? Because law school graduates, who freely signed up for student loans as law students, are now trying to shirk their repayment responsibilities....

Most installments of Lawyerly Lairs, our inside look at the nests of legal eagles, involve residences of utter fabulosity. We realize that most Americans, or even most lawyers, don't live in such luxury. And we're interested in learning about how the other half lives. We'll get the 99 percent ball rolling with a look at two current law students who braved the brutal renters' market here in New York. What school do they attend, and how did their hunt turn out?

There's an interesting post up on Constitutional Daily by The Philadelphia Lawyer. It's a repack from a 2007 article arguing that salaries for first-year associates should go up to $190,000 a year. And he's right. Yet the associate salary scale hasn't seen a raise for almost five years. And bonuses are down compared to 2007. Is it time for firms to start sharing the wealth?

* Next week, people in Mississippi are going to vote on whether a clump of cells is a “person.” Are we really going to put this into the hands of people who can’t even spell the name of their own state? [New York Times] * If you’re a trial lawyer, even imaginary friends will do. […]

Whenever we ask law school deans to explain their BS employment statistics, they just shovel more BS our way. But maybe if students themselves asked where these figures come from, they'd get some straight answers. One student, at a law school that at this point is undisclosed, asked her dean why the school's employment statistics were clearly misleading. And it looks like the dean broke things down for her. She used the information to tell another story of the 99%....

Yesterday, President Obama announced "new" programs to help students in debt. At least, he wants the media to report these programs as "new." Those who have been paying attention, such as debt-saddled law students, will recognize that there is very little "new" about these programs....