Department of Education Increases Transparency in Graduate School Outcomes

Prospective graduate students are about to gain access to a lot more financial outcomes data, which they can use to compare programs. Last week the U.S. Department of Education (DoE) announced that it finalized the Financial Value Transparency framework to consolidate financial outcomes data.  

All qualifying graduate programs will be required to submit data to the DoE on program cost, debt, sources of financial aid, and graduates’ earnings starting next July. As applicable, the data compilation will also include licensing outcomes for graduates. For example, law schools will provide data on graduates’ admission to the bar. The data will be consolidated, published, maintained, and made available to the public on a DoE website. As of 2026, the regulations will also stipulate that programs that do not meet an established debt-to-earnings ratio will be subject to a disclosure requirement. For these programs, all prospective students must acknowledge that they have reviewed the data and understand the financial risk, prior to matriculating in the program. 

For medical schools, the DoE’s final regulations acknowledge the lengthy nature of medical training in the U.S. where medical school graduates continue in lower-paying residency training programs post-graduation. To accommodate this practice, the DoE extended the horizon for collecting earnings data for medical schools to six years post-graduation. 

For business, law, and other graduate programs, the data provided to the DoE will use graduates’ earnings three years post-graduation. 

Application Tips: How to Approach Harvard Law’s Updated Essay Questions

Earlier this month Harvard Law School released the J.D. Application for the Class of 2027 and unveiled two new essay questions. Rather than submitting one personal statement, Harvard Law applicants are now asked to submit two essays: a Statement of Purpose and a Statement of Perspective. According to the HLS Admissions Blog, these statements are intended to “inspire you to reflect upon your motivations for attending law school, as well as the contributions you will bring to the HLS community and the legal profession.”

Both statements should adhere to the following:

• At minimum, your submission should be one complete page, although you can take up to two pages using double-spaced text, one-inch margins, and font that is no smaller than 11 point.

• Keep in mind that the Admissions Committee is interested in learning who you are and why you belong at Harvard. They are well-versed in their own program, so while you may allude to program offerings, ensure that the spotlight remains on you and what you have to offer.

• The content in your two essays should not be duplicative. 

Statement of Purpose: What motivates you to pursue law? How does attending law school align with your ambitions, goals, and vision for your future?

This prompt asks you to address how a law degree will be the best bridge between your past experiences and future goals. To do this, you must anchor this essay in the past. Because what you’ve already done, learned, and achieved is far more important than what you haven’t—what you say you want to do in the future. Go into your backstory and detail the key moments that influenced and reinforced your commitment to the study of law. In contrast to your resume, which will provide an overview of your path and achievements to date, you will use this essay to dive-deeply into just a few pivotal experiences—you know, those “ah-ha!” moments without which you would be a different student, professional, and/or person today. The stories that you highlight should also demonstrate the qualities you possess that will make you successful in law school and the legal profession: intellectual curiosity, critical and creative thinking ability, a track-record of sound ethical behavior. Once you’ve taken the reader on this trip to the past, your proposed path forward will make much more sense.

Statement of Perspective: The Admissions Committee makes every effort to understand who you are as an individual and potential Harvard Law School student and graduate. Please share how your experiences, background, and/or interests have shaped you and will shape your engagement in the HLS community and the legal profession.

What makes you unique? How has your personal journey likely differed from other applicants? How do you hope to make your mark in the future? You will use this essay to show Harvard’s admissions officers how you will be a valued member of their community and in the wider legal profession by highlighting experiences from your past that will inform and invigorate your plan. Are you a passionate environmentalist who has spent a great deal of time volunteering for environmental causes and hopes to spearhead a sustainability initiative within the law school and later lobby for environmental regulations? Were you a leader in the student government at your undergraduate institution, hope to take on a similar role at HLS, and eventually run for office? Do you have a background in academic research, hope to support a specific professor’s research at HLS, and later seek out a career as an academic? In linking your passions and expertise to your proposed contributions, you will demonstrate to the admissions directors that you are the kind of collaborative, community-minded, and determined student they are looking for.         

Related

Structure Your Law School Personal Statement for Maximum Impact

Feeling Stuck Writing your Law School Personal Statement? Here’s How to Move Forward.

The Law School Application: A Results-Driven Resume

In contrast to your personal statement, which should be a deep-dive into a few pivotal stories from your life, your resume should showcase the breadth of your experiences and accomplishments. But remember, it should not merely communicate what you did in each role and extracurricular endeavor; each entry should explore WHY what you did and accomplished was so significant to you and/or your team and/or the organization as a whole. What results did you achieve? What impact did you have? What did you learn?

Law school resumes should include the following components and be no longer than one page:

1. Education. List all the universities you attended (including study abroad experiences) and the degrees you obtained. Include a bulleted list in the Education section of internships and extracurricular involvements you participated in while in college. And be sure to note any scholarships, awards, or honors you received. If you published a thesis, you can include that here too.

2. Work Experience. If you’re applying to law school directly out of your undergraduate studies, you may not have a lot of work experience and this is to be expected. Your work experiences should include summer jobs, internships, fellowships, and/or TA positions that you held during college, as well as any post-graduate employment. Use results-oriented bullets to describe your responsibilities and outcomes, and highlight any progression in responsibility. Elaborate on the impact you’ve had and/or the lessons you’ve learned. Also note any awards and/or honors you received.

3. Additional Information. This section can include significant extracurricular and charitable involvements, languages you speak, as well as any noteworthy skills, certifications, and/or memberships.

And don’t forget to…

Keep it relevant. Your resume should only include experiences from the start of college onward, and should showcase your abilities in critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, and/or teamwork.

Review the Guidance. Some law schools instruct you to “submit a resume,” while others such as Yale Law School, provide unique specifications for your “activities section” submission. Review the school’s admissions page to confirm any instructions including format and/or page limits. If the school does not provide formatting guidance, you should keep it simple. Opt for left-justified text in an easy-to-read font—we prefer Garamond—sized between 10 and 12. 

Use proper grammar. Even the best writers can get worked up about creating resume text. Don’t overthink it. Make use of active verbs to showcase your contributions. Use proper punctuation and the appropriate tense (present for current activities, past for past activities). And do not lean on corporate jargon, rather you will want to ensure that you explain what you did and your results in a way that a classmate would understand.

Structure Your Law School Personal Statement for Maximum Impact

When writing your law school personal statement, we encourage you to think like a storyteller rather than an academic. One of the goals of your writing is to inform, but it is equally important to engage your reader and get them personally invested in your journey. 

You might even take a cue from an action movie. When the lights go down and the curtain goes up, you see the star in a sports car going full throttle. What you don’t know, immediately, is who or where they are. Narrative writing does not have to be linear. After leading with an attention-grabbing scene, the writer can go back and provide additional context and information on what’s missing. 

Here is one type of outline example: 

Event/Problem: Engage your reader immediately in a scene that shows you in action. Is it a high-stress experience? A significant interaction? An unforgettable, formative moment? Then, share what you’re doing. 

Context/Background Info: Give the reader a wide-view angle on the situation. Who are you in this scenario? How did you get here? What are your responsibilities and greatest challenges in this role/scene? 

Re-engagement: This is the heart of the essay. You've introduced the event/problem and yourself. Now, take us back to the anecdote. Show your leadership, integrity, perseverance, critical thinking, or collaboration in action. Delve into the complexities of solving a problem. Sometimes there isn't a solution or grand finale. That's okay. You just want to make it clear why this is the scenario you opened with—why this was meaningful to you. And you don't have to bang the reader over the head with claims of your best qualities; you want to show them those qualities through your story. 

Takeaway/Reflection: What did you learn via your experience? How did it change you? What was the impact on your life or path? This should show that you’re dedicated to growth, self-awareness, and your values, and where these things will take you. 

Conclusion: How did this experience reinforce your commitment to the study of law and the pursuit of a legal career?

Building Your List of Law Schools? Rankings Aren’t the Only Thing to Consider.

With nearly 200 ABA accredited law schools out there, picking 12 to 15 to apply to can feel daunting. We can’t tell you that rankings don’t matter (spoiler alert: sometimes, they really do!), but we can tell you that there is more to consider than just published rankings. Below, we’ve explored some other relevant factors to keep in mind.  

Rankings and Prestige. There’s been a lot of buzz over the past year about the efficacy of rankings. While rankings should not be your only metric, they are relevant. For students who know that they want to pursue a federal judicial clerkship or a position in a big law firm post-graduation (most 2022 graduates entering large law firms went to a school in the US News Top 20), attending a top-ranked law school can provide significant benefit. 

According to ABA data published in Reuters earlier this year, over 20 percent of the 2022 law graduates at Stanford, Yale, and the University of Chicago (top schools in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Law Schools ranking) obtained federal clerkships upon graduation. But this does not mean that securing such a role would be impossible without having attended a “top” school. Several law schools outside of the top 20, including University of Alabama, Notre Dame, and Baylor, have also placed many students in federal clerkships. 

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the rankings, paying particular attention to the metrics and outcomes that mean the most to you. They are a productive starting point for further investigation. And be sure to take a look at Princeton Review’s Category-Based Rankings, which can provide helpful insight into the various components of the law school experience (Best Classroom Experience, Best Career Prospects, Best Quality of Life, etc.). 

Career Placement. If you know what type of career you would like to pursue after law school, dig into the employment placement reports of each school you are considering. Where are graduates getting internships and jobs? Which organizations regularly come to campus for on-campus recruiting? Data is also available for easy comparison on the Law School Transparency website. 

Geography. Where you are located plays an important role in your ability to network. If you know where you want to live post-graduation, consider applying to programs that are within that city or state. Similarly, if your goal is to specialize in a particular field (finance, tech, government) or a specific type of law (public service), consider applying to programs that are located near one of the industry’s hubs. This will likely allow you more opportunities to intern, volunteer, or network during the school year. 

Tuition. Depending on your goals and financial situation, including any undergraduate debt you carry, it may make sense to opt for a lower cost in-state program over an elite institution. Either way, calculate the expected cost-benefit of different categories of schools: private versus public as well as in-state versus out-of-state. 

Feeling Stuck Writing your Law School Personal Statement? Here’s How to Move Forward.

You have an excellent academic record, a list of extracurricular activities and internships that showcase your varied interests and abilities, a few willing recommenders, and a list of your dream law schools. What you need now is a personal statement, but you can’t seem to put words to paper. Don’t worry, getting started is the hardest part. 

First, step away from your computer. Before you ever begin drafting text, we recommend that you invest some time in a brainstorm. Take a walk down memory lane and think about the moments that have inspired your path to date. Pay particular attention to those experiences that prompted an evolution in your perspective and reinforced your interest in the study of law, as well as those that could show the reader your intellectual curiosity, integrity, perseverance, and abilities in critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. 

Write these stories down using as much detail as possible. This will not only benefit you as you draft your personal statement, but it will also be a great reference as you write additional essays or prepare for interviews. Keep in mind that the stories you will use in your personal statement should go deep rather than wide, which is in contrast to the general overview of your experiences that you will provide in your resume. 

Once you’ve spent time brainstorming and documenting memories, put together an outline for your personal statement. You’ll want to select a few key anecdotes that will show the reader who you are and demonstrate some of the attributes that will help you to succeed in law school and beyond. You’ll also want to consider how the stories you select will work within the broader context of your application. For example, if you’ve majored in history and feel confident one of your history professors will reference the thesis you wrote and group project in which you thrived in his Letter of Recommendation, it may be worthwhile to take a deep dive into the substantive quantitative and analytical work you did for that non-profit organization over the summer. 

Now, you are ready to begin your first draft. Good luck!

Related Blogs:

• Five Qualities that Law School Admissions Committees Look for in Applicants

• Crafting Your Personal Statement: Lessons from Memoir Writing

Proctoring Issues Cause Significant Delays in Online LSAT Exam

For the first time, over the weekend, LSAT examinees had the option to take the exam either in-person at a test center or online. Most, 61 percent, opted to take the test online and, unfortunately, it did not go well. 

Test-takers experienced significant delays while attempting to access the exam online on Friday and Saturday, which the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) explained were due to problems with the virtual proctoring system. Mark Murray, Council Spokesman, estimated that “hundreds and hundreds” of examinees were affected, although he did not yet have access to official numbers. This was the first online exam proctored by vendor Prometric.  

Kevin Milne, an examinee, shared his experience via Reuters. After logging into the LSAT on Saturday from his home, Milne waited 90 minutes for the online proctor to start his exam. He then finished the three-hour exam, two hours later than expected. And he had to stay in test-taking position for that entire time. “I was so emotionally and mentally exhausted by the last section that it was pretty hard to focus, but I think I might have done okay still,” Milne said. 

LSAC issued an apology to test takers, said they are working alongside new vendor Prometric to correct issues, and offered affected examinees the option to retake the exam for free this weekend, August 19th and 20th, either remotely or in-person. Additionally, test takers have the option to reschedule another test at no charge, through June of next year. 

Class of 2022 Law Grads “Shatter” Employment and Salary Records

One year after the legal job market for the Class of 2021 was named “one of the strongest on record,” a report from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) details record-breaking employment for 2022 law grads.

For the Class of 2022, the overall employment rate increased to 92.1 percent, the highest since the Class of 1987 (92.2 percent). The vast majority of graduates, 79.9 percent, obtained “bar passage required/anticipated” jobs, which is the highest since 2001, when the NALP started to use the current job classifications. Graduates also garnered higher pay. The national median salary ticked up to a record $85,000 from 2021 graduates’ median $80,000. And 2022 graduates reported feeling content with their jobs, with a record low of 7.8 percent currently looking for a new job.   

The number of graduates entering private practice increased by one percentage point from the Class of 2021 to 58.0 percent, the highest in the last 20 years. And their median salary in private practice increased to $150,000, a 14.1 percent increase from that received by 2021 graduates. At the biggest firms (more than 500 lawyers), the median salary rose to $215,000. 

The percentage of 2022 graduates entering into public service (30.7 percent) also increased slightly from the Class of 2021 (30.5 percent). This increase was driven by those entering jobs in government and public interest. Judicial clerkship positions declined slightly from 10.7 percent to 10.1 percent. 

The report also identified a trend away from law school graduates entering business, which has historically employed the second highest number after private practice. In 2019, a shift in graduates away from business started to occur, and it continued among 2022 graduates. Just 9.8 percent of the Class of 2022 entered into business, making it the lowest since 1992. 

Study Finds Law Students Overconfident in Their Expected Performance

A recently published University of Illinois Law Review study found that almost all incoming law students expected to rank within the top half of the class after their first year. The findings are based on a survey given between 2014 and 2019 to students who were entering the University of Illinois law school. The students were asked to predict their class rank after the first year of law school, and the study’s authors compared the predictions to the student’s actual rank. 

Students showed great optimism: 95 percent of the students surveyed predicted that they would end up in the top half of their class. And over 22 percent thought that they would be in the top 10 percent. Interestingly enough, the students who did end up landing within the top quartile of the class tended to underestimate their eventual ranking, while those who fell within the bottom quartile had significantly overestimated their final performance. 

The study’s authors, University of Illinois law professor, Jennifer Robbennolt, and University of Illinois law graduate, Sam Barder, expected that students would overestimate their performance because of past studies on overconfidence in professional and academic environments. However, Robbennolt noted that a few things about this study made the overestimation more significant. For one, the students took the survey prior to starting classes and had very little information on either the coursework and/or their classmates. And, many of the students likely enjoyed previous academic success and were top performers in college. 

“They are coming into a totally new environment,” Robbennolt said. “They don’t have much information about the tasks they will be asked to do and the kind of thinking they will be asked to do. They don’t know much about their peers.”

The authors noted that the study is important because it highlights how law schools might provide incoming students with more information on what’s ahead, which may help them to set reasonable expectations. 

Study Finds that Most 2019 Law School Graduates are Satisfied with Their Jobs

Almost half, 47 percent, of lawyers from the Class of 2019 report that they are “extremely satisfied” with their current employment. This is according to the recently published Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction, a joint study by the NALP and NALP Foundation. Another 38 percent of the Class of 2019 reported that they feel “somewhat satisfied” with their employment. And a record low, 13 percent of respondents, reported that they are actively seeking a new job. 

The annual study collects information from law school graduates three years after graduation to learn more about their employment and satisfaction. This year’s data included 1,927 graduates from 42 U.S. law schools. The high rate of satisfaction for the Class of 2019 compares favorably to last year’s report (which included 2018 graduates), where only 42 percent reported being “extremely satisfied.” 

Respondents’ reports of high satisfaction, however, may disguise the high mobility they have experienced in the few years since departing law school. Almost three-quarters, 71 percent, reported having had two or more sequential positions since graduation. Among the group who had more than one position since law school, most switched jobs for better compensation/bonuses (62 percent) or because of “attitude ‘fit’ concerns” (42 percent). School debt continues to impact their choice of job and employment sector, as well as other life decisions, including purchasing a home and having children. 

U.S. News Ranks Law Schools for Tuition Support

The cost of law school is a serious component in the school selection process. For the 2022-2023 academic year, according to the U.S. News & World Report, the cost of private law school averaged $52,325. Among public universities (out-of-state), the average came in a bit lower at $40,056, or significantly lower (in-state) at $26,917.

While most students take out loans to pay for law school, many schools also offer tuition support in the form of grants. Recently, U.S. News published a list of the top ten law schools for tuition support (below), based on the percentage of 2022-2023 full-time students who received enough funding in grant money to cover at least half of their tuition. 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $39,800 per year in-state; $49,800 per year out-of-state

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 80%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $35,000

Case Western Reserve University

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $58,808 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 80%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $40,000

University of Southern California (Gould)

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $73,998 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 72%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $40,000

University of Dayton

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $37,364 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 72%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $33,000

Gonzaga University

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $50,235 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 66%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $24,378

Loyola University Chicago

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $53,156

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 65%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $31,000

DePaul University

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $51,132 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 65%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $30,000

Washington and Lee University

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $54,460 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 64%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $35,000

University of California, Irvine

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $54,183 per year in-state; $66,298 per year out-of-state

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 63%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $25,000

William & Mary

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $38,274 per year in-state; $56,014 per year out-of-state

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 61%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $25,193

Top 25 “Overperforming” Law Schools in Bar Passage Rates Provide Students with Academic Support and Bar Prep Programming

When it comes to bar passage, not all law schools are created equal. A recent paper published in the Florida Law Review, and summarized by Law.com, analyzed law schools’ bar passage rates and found that some schools’ students are “outperforming” while others are “underperforming.”

Researchers conducted the analysis by looking at each ABA-accredited law school’s predicted pass rate compared to the actual pass rate for first-time test-takers over a six-year period. The study’s authors predicted the pass rate for each school by evaluating the students’ incoming credentials (e.g., LSAT) in each law class along with the average bar pass rate for the jurisdictions where the students take the bar exam. The actual rate incorporates both the relative and actual performance of students on the test.

The top 25 overperforming law schools—schools where the actual pass rates regularly surpass the predicted rates—are listed below. Law.com’s reprint of the list also includes the U.S. News and World Report ranking in parentheses.

1. Florida International (#60 in U.S. News)

2. Stanford (#1)

3. USC (#16)

4. UC-Berkeley (#10)

5. North Carolina (#22)

6. Belmont (#105)

7. Michigan (#10)

8. Florida State (#56)

9. UCLA (#14)

10. Virginia (#8)

11. Campbell (#125)

12. Yale (#1)

13. LSU (#99)

14. Georgia (#20)

15. Duke (#5)

16. Harvard (#5)

17. Wake Forest (#22)

18. Georgia State (#69)

19. Chicago (#3)

20. Penn (#4)

21. Illinois (#43)

22. Baylor (#49)

23. Washington & Lee (#40)

24. Liberty (#135)

25. Vanderbilt (#16)

In addition to the analysis, the study surveyed the overperforming and underperforming law schools on their approach to bar preparation. Ultimately, the report found a wide disparity in the curricular and extracurricular activities reported—not just between under and overperforming schools, but also within the cohort of overperforming schools. This suggests that a variety of support systems can effectively support students in passing the bar and that there is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

However, there were some interesting shared practices within the cohort of overperforming schools:

• Overperforming schools focused much more on first-year bar pass rather than the ultimate pass rate (pass rate within two years).

• Overperforming schools did not rely on entering students’ academic credentials to predict bar success. They acknowledge that there are many other factors, including student distraction and time constraints due to work, life, or other priorities, and/or the financial costs of law school or bar prep courses. The top performing schools attempt to mitigate these barriers directly, with resources that include academic support and bar prep programming.

• The top programs also targeted students at risk for bar failure based on first year GPA, rather than on their academic credentials prior to law school.

• Overperforming schools created an environment, an ethos, where faculty, staff, and students all believed that they could educate/be educated at the school for first-time bar success.

Dream About Working in Finance on Wall Street? You Might Consider Law School.

Wall Street may be home to bankers, but it's the lawyers who have seen the biggest compensation growth over the last two decades. A recent Wall Street Journal article analyzed pay patterns for bankers and financial lawyers, and while bankers have historically made significantly more than lawyers, the data shows a reversal in this trend. 

Since the financial crisis in 2008, bankers’ pay has remained fairly stagnant among all but the highest performers. Managing Directors at banks, who do not hold company leadership positions, average between $1 and $2 million in annual compensation including their bonuses, which are typically paid in stock. This average has held steady for about 20 years, without adjusting for inflation. 

The opposite is true among lawyers. Equity partners at top law firms are earning about $3 million annually. This is about three times higher than the reported earnings 20 years ago. And, among the most productive partners, the upside is even higher. Partners at some firms, including at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Kirkland & Ellis, are earning more than $15 million per year. Mark Rosen, an experienced legal recruiter, described his observations to the WSJ. “Things have changed. Lawyer compensation has grown unbelievably,” he said. 

According to the WSJ the reasons for this change are multi-faceted. There are regulatory pressures at financial institutions as well as an industry trend of downplaying individuals in favor of the bank’s brand name. The private equity market has also grown, expanding the client base for law firms and growing their business. 

The role of a lawyer on Wall Street has also changed. Once relegated to contract review, the lawyers now look more like “quasibankers,” taking on outsized advisory roles with clients. They now partner with banks on everything from regulatory matters to succession planning. 

Within the law firm, there have also been shifts. Firms have adjusted compensation models to reward productivity over seniority. The new productivity-based view on compensation has even resulted in “bidding wars” for talented lawyers, further driving up compensation. 

Lastly, while banking fees have remained relatively consistent over time, law firms raise their fees annually, and at a rate over inflation. 

Medical and Legal Associations Express Disappointment in Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action

Last week the Supreme Court ended Affirmative Action in its 6-3 ruling against UNC and Harvard. The ruling determined that the schools, which used race as a component in admissions decisions, did not adequately justify their use of race and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”

The court left some room for nuance noting that a candidate may discuss race in terms of how it played a role in their development. “A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination,” Roberts wrote. “In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.”

Nationally, many in the medical and legal communities shared their disappointment in the decision and noted their belief that it will negatively impact diversity. Below, we’ve provided highlights of some of the statements released after the decision.

• American Medical Association (AMA): “Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court undermines decades of progress centered on the educational value of diversity, and will reverse gains made in the battle against health inequities. This ruling restricts medical schools from considering race and ethnicity among the multiple factors in admissions policies and will translate into a less diverse physician workforce. Diversity is vital to health care, and this court ruling deals a serious blow to our goal of increasing medical career opportunities for historically marginalized and minoritized people.” Full statement available here.

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): “We are deeply disappointed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to dismantle its longstanding precedent in the 2003 case, Grutter v. Bollinger, which had recognized student body diversity as a compelling interest permitting the limited consideration of race in admissions. Today’s decision demonstrates a lack of understanding of the critical benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in educational settings and a failure to recognize the urgent need to address health inequities in our country.” Full statement available here.

• American Medical Student Association (AMSA): “In accordance with our Preamble, Purposes and Principles, AMSA remains steadfast in its unwavering commitment to advocating for racial equity in education and healthcare. As future physicians committed to justice and equality, we are profoundly outraged and decry the restriction of affirmative action. We strongly support increased representation of minority students in all levels of education, including colleges and medical schools. By fostering diversity and inclusion, institutions have the power to create more empathetic and inclusive learning environments. Moreover, it has been repeatedly evidenced that diversity within the healthcare workforce and medical education system improves healthcare outcomes.” Full statement available here.

• American Bar Association (ABA): “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The ABA has a long history of supporting affirmative action and the consideration of race as one of many factors in law school admissions. We believe it is imperative that colleges, universities and state legislatures find alternative ways to create a diverse and talented student body. Law schools are training grounds for lawyers and play an important role to ensure a diverse bench and bar, which are critical to minimizing implicit bias and inspiring greater public faith in the rule of law.” Statement available here.

• AccessLex Center for Legal Education: Executive Director, Aaron Taylor, told Reuters that the decision, "deprives schools of one of the most effective tools for fostering student diversity."

• Law School Admission Council (LSAC): President, Kellye Testy, told Reuters that the decision will negatively impact law schools’ ability to keep up diversity levels. “All of us in legal education, at bar associations, and in practice are going to have to redouble efforts to make sure the entire pre-law to practice pipeline is better,” she said.

Duke Law Takes the Top Spot in Above the Law’s Outcomes-Focused Law School Rankings

Above the Law recently published its 11th annual ranking of law schools. For the second year in a row and the third time in four years, Duke took the top spot. 

Above the Law reviews data from 120 schools to compile its ranking but only publishes the top 50. And it includes only those schools that have a national reach for quality legal employment (as opposed to just regional) for all students, not just those at the top of their class. The ranking is also unique in that its focus is on employment outcomes, specifically how students fare in obtaining legal employment post-graduation, and how well a school positions students to repay their debt. Furthermore, it is the only ranking to include ABA employment data for the most recent graduates (Class of 2022, in this case). 

Generally, movement within the top ranks was fairly minimal. The top four ranked schools are the same as last year with minor changes. However, Vanderbilt, which ranked in the 5th position last year, dropped to the 7th rank, switching places with the University of Michigan. Other notable changes include a five-rank drop by Washington University in St. Louis, which was ranked 6th last year and 11th currently. And there was a five-rank increase by NYU, which was ranked 17th previously and now ranks 12th. Washington and Lee also moved up eight slots this year from 26th to 18th, and UC Berkeley dropped from the 12th to the 20th rank. 

Below, we show the 2023 ranking for the top 20 schools. You can find the rest on Above the Law’s website. 

2023 Rank School (Change from 2022)

1 Duke (–)

2 Cornell (+1)

3 University of Virginia (-1)

4 University of Chicago (–)

5 Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor (+2)

6 Columbia (+2)

7 Vanderbilt (-2)

8 Northwestern (Pritzker) (+1)

9 University of Penn (Carey) (+1)

10 Notre Dame (+4)

11 Washington U in St. Louis (-5)

12 NYU (+5)

13 University of Texas, Austin (-2)

14 Harvard (+2)

15 University of Georgia (-2)

16 Yale (-1)

17 USC (+1)

18 Washington and Lee (+8)

19 University of Illinois (–)

20 Univ. of California, Berkeley (-8)

Survey Finds Law Students Hesitant About Generative AI Technology

The use of generative AI technology is growing within the legal industry. In a recent LexisNexis survey, over half of lawyers polled reported using the technology for research (59 percent) and improving efficiency (54 percent). Significant proportions also used it for drafting documents (45 percent) and writing emails (34 percent). 

Surprisingly, however, the survey found that law students were the least likely group to report using the technology. Only nine percent of the responding law students said that they use AI currently in law school and a quarter said that they plan to use it in their future legal work. 

So why aren’t law students jumping on the AI bandwagon? Serena Wellen of LexisNexis took a deep dive into the data to find out. We’ve summarized her findings below: 

• Accuracy. Some of the law students noted that generative AI is not reliable. Research findings may be inaccurate, false, or based on unreliable data that it presents as fact, even including false citations. 

• Academic Integrity. Students fear that the use of generative AI could encourage academic dishonesty as the proper use of the tools has not been well defined at many law schools.

• Innovative Thinking. Students note that learning and practicing the law requires critical and innovative thinking and they believe that the use of generative AI would discourage their refinement of this skill-set.  

• Fear of Replacement. Some students fear that generative AI will overtake entry-level legal positions that offer essential learning opportunities. 

Ultimately, while generative AI will likely play an increasingly important role in legal work, students are correct in expressing their hesitation. Law schools will need to develop guidelines for proper use of the technology.

Law School Applicant Volume Projected to Decline

After the 13 percent spike in law school applications in 2021, the numbers continue to normalize. Law School Admission Council data shows that, as of last Thursday, applicant volume was down 2.4 percent from last year.  

"It's a return to normalcy," said Susan Krinsky, the Law School Admission Council’s Executive Vice President for Operations. "It's very consistent with the last five years except for 2021." 

With the exception of 2021, applicant numbers have consistently stayed between 57,000 to 64,000 during the five-year period. Reuters noted that, according to legal industry experts, the one-year surge resulted from the confluence of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effect on the entry-level job market, the nationwide protests related to inequality and the death of George Floyd, and the presidency of Donald Trump. 

Despite the decline in applicant quantity, applicant quality and diversity remain high. The percentage of applicants with LSAT scores between 170 and 180 are up slightly from last year, suggesting that, despite the decline, spots at highly-regarded programs will remain competitive. And applicant diversity is up, with applicants of color making up 46.5 percent of the total, an increase from 45 percent last year. 

Shorter GRE Available for Test Takers in September

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) just announced that, as of September 22, 2023, registrants for the GRE will receive a shorter test. The refreshed exam will take under two hours, about half the current testing time, and is the first in a series of planned updates to the GRE. The changes are intended to improve the testing experience and reduce test-taker anxiety and fatigue. 

Specific updates to the test include:

• Removal of the “Analyze an Argument” (analytical writing) section

• Fewer questions in the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections

• Removal of the unscored action

• Faster receipt of official scores (8-10 days)

“As we continue to introduce product innovations, we’re committed to balancing two things—maintaining rigor and validity, while improving the test-taker experience,” ETS CEO Amit Sevak said. 

The ABA voted to allow the use of the GRE as an alternative to the LSAT for law school applicants in 2021. The organization has not yet commented on the reduction in the test length and if the changes will impact the ABA’s decision to continue to allow the GRE in law school admissions. 

National Conference of Bar Examiners Releases Details on the NextGen Bar Exam

The students starting law school this year will be among the first to experience the NextGen Bar Exam, slated for release in July 2026. The National Conference of Bar Examiners just released a 42-page outline providing deeper insight into the updated exam. 

The NextGen Bar Exam’s development stemmed from calls to create an exam that more adequately tests the legal knowledge and skills necessary for legal professionals today. The current bar exam faced criticisms that it “doesn’t reflect the actual practice of law” and that it tested memorization of legal concepts rather than skills. 

Reuters provided a summary of the changes, which include:

• Removal of the current exam’s three component tests: Multistate Bar Examination, Multistate Essay Examination, and Multistate Performance Test

• Usage of an integrated format that tests both skills and knowledge

• Seven legal skill areas: client counseling and advising, client relationships and management, legal research, legal writing, and negotiations 

• Seven legal knowledge areas: business associations and relationships, civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and constitutional protections of accused persons, evidence, real property, and torts.

• The test will require memorization for some content, but it will also allow the use of support resources for designated subject matter areas. 

• The test will remove subject matter related to family law, estates and trusts, the uniform commercial code, and conflict of laws.

Although the NextGen Bar Exam will go live in July of 2026, states will determine which exam test-takers will receive for a specified period of time. After a period of no longer than five years, all jurisdictions will move to the NextGen exam. 

Law School Admissions Rates Increase for the First Time in Seven Years

AccessLex recently published its updated Legal Education Data Deck, which provides insight into law school trends and outcomes. Some of the key findings are summarized below. 

Overall, admissions rates increased in 2022. In 2022, 70 percent of law school applicants received at least one offer for admission, an increase of two percentage points from 2021 and the first increase in the admissions rate in seven years. Men maintained a higher admissions rate (71 percent) than women (68 percent), although women continue to make up the majority of law school applicants (56 percent).  Both men and women saw a one percentage point increase in admissions rate in 2022 compared to 2021.

When divided by race/ethnicity, the 2022 admissions rate for White/Caucasian applicants was the highest, with 78 percent of White/Caucasian applicants receiving at least one offer. Most other race/ethnicity groups fell below the average rate (70 percent). Applicants who identified as two or more races (67 percent) or as Asian fared the best (67 percent), while Hispanic/Latino (58 percent), American Indian/Alaska Native (52 percent), and Black/African American (48 percent) gained admission at rates significantly lower than average. 

Average tuition and fees have decreased over time. After adjusting for inflation, average law school full-time tuition and fees have decreased from 2015 to 2022 across all school types. In 2022, the average private school tuition/fees totaled $53,740, while public school resident and nonresident tuition/fees averaged $42,320 and $29,670 respectively. Between 2013 and 2022, the median grant amount awarded to students by law schools has almost doubled, ticking upwards from $15,000 to $22,500 (using adjusted 2022 dollars). 

Future employment opportunities look bright. Among 2021 graduates, 78 percent reported obtaining “bar passage required” employment. This is a small uptick from 75 percent in 2020 and a substantial increase from 68 percent in 2010. The “unemployed and looking” percentage has also reached its lowest point in the years since 2010, at just five percent for 2021 graduates. Additionally, there is strong continued demand for legal employees. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects significant growth in legal positions. Among occupations requiring a graduate degree, law employment falls second only to nurse practitioners with an expected increase of over 80,000 positions between 2021 and 2031.