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The Future Is 'Bleak' For Law Students And Law School Graduates

Is this how the majority of law students and graduates really feel?

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depressed lawyerLegal education has been getting bad press since the start of the Great Recession, and perhaps for good reason. While tuition skyrocketed, often leaving graduates with six-figure debt loads, quality job prospects seemingly disappeared. The jobs that were left had salaries that were too low to service those graduates’ tremendous debt loads. Prospective law students began to hear about new lawyers’ joblessness and indebtedness, and stopped applying. This prompted many law schools to lower their admissions standards in the hope of filling their seats. This, in turn, brought about wave after wave of record-setting failure rates on bar exams nationwide.

Now that class sizes are smaller, employment statistics seem to look “better,” and law school administrators across the country have started spreading the word that law school is once more a good investment. But is it really?

Law students and graduates have started using Whisper, an anonymous messaging service, to tell the world about legal education and what it has done to them. These messages are representative of the general tone of posts having to do with law school.

Going to law school was the worst decision I have ever made. I'm miserable, have soul crushing debt, and no job prospects.
Busting out 13 hour days studying in law school to get straight A's yet to find out that there are no jobs to go to. What has my $150k Student loan brought me then? A life of eternal debt and seemingly irrelevant knowledge?

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I thought law school would get me a good job, not put me so deep in debt I couldn't afford to eat.
People think I'm selfish for not wanting children, but considering the loans I'll need to take to get through law school & how bleak the future looks, it makes sense not to have kids.
I graduated law school, passed two bar exams, and have my "dream" job. I've never been more miserable.

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That was incredibly depressing. Is this how the majority of law students and graduates really feel? Please let us know your thoughts. You can email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog. No matter how hopeless your situation may be or how powerless you may feel, you are still in control of your destiny. Your loans may be collecting interest daily, but that exorbitantly overpriced piece of paper you received from your law school may yet do you some good. Keep the faith.

If you’re depressed and in need help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or a lawyer assistance program in your state. Remember that you are loved, so please reach out if you need assistance, before it’s too late.

Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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