New York is in the middle of implementing a pro bono requirement for new attorneys. Starting in 2015 all new attorneys in New York will be required to complete 50 hours of pro bono work before they apply to the Bar Association for membership.  The requirement will allow work done in law school clinics and for nonprofit organizations, plus court clerkships or externships, to count toward the requirement.  Proponents of the new rule are hoping this will improve legal access for the poor while instilling a sense of professional responsibility in new lawyers. Opponents believe the new rule is a ridiculous imposition on already cash-strapped students who could use that time to look for one of those increasingly rare post-graduation jobs. They also state this will place a new training burden on legal service organizations – the question is; who will be responsible pay for the increased supervision needs of these young attorneys?

But that’s not all.  California was so impressed with the new idea that, in addition to a new 50 hour pro bono requirement, every law student in the state of California will soon be required to complete 10 hours of specifically designed continuing education courses. Additionally, there will be a new requirement for 15 credit hours of practical skills or a six month clerkship.  They are generously considering letting the law student fulfill the 50 hour requirement while still between the middle of the 2L year through the first year of practice.  (I wonder how the first year of practice will be counted if they find themselves without a job for a couple of years? Hmmm.) Their taskforce is still out with a final recommendation forthcoming in June. If you want to comment on their newly unveiled draft, this might be the right time.

Why is there a sudden interest in adding a pro bono requirement to all juris doctorate programs? It’s mostly  about the justice gap, money, and looking for inexpensive ways to help the poor gain access to help in the legal process.  You see, Legal Services in each state used to get large grants to help them provide legal assistance to the poor. Unfortunately, the tanked economy changed that and they have experienced large budget cuts along with other federal programs. So how do they fill the gap left? Under the guise of teaching law students to love pro bono work, all law students should be required to provide pro bono services. The logic is flawed a bit, however, all that pro bono work will keep many unemployed  attorney wanna-be’s in the unemployment line. The poor will receive help from the least experienced (and often, least interested) of all attorneys.  Imagine yourself in the place of a woman escaping an abusive marriage whose case is assigned to a new hedge fund attorney who is being forced to help you pro bono - that attorney hasn’t the interest nor the expertise to actually provide you justice.   Also, many law students who are struggling to stay afloat just to get through law school will be faced with more hurdles. How long are we expecting these students to starve? They provide hours of free work through the summer intern programs already!  How are other states weighing in?

New Jersey: Their pro bono task force is winding up their work in May 2013.  They are staying very tight lipped about their recommendation but the New Jersey State Bar Association is opposed to adding a pro bono requirement. They believe the law schools are already doing a good job of preparing their students via real world experience and see this new trend as unnecessary.

Connecticut: Judicial leaders are not impressed with the idea of creating an additional pro bono requirement. They have chosen to work with the individual law schools on issues of getting students more involved in pro bono work.

Other states appear to have taken a wait and see stance – hoping the American Bar Association will step in and resolve the issue. However, the ABA, so far, is saying that is not within their purview.

Remember how much you used to love Sesame Street? You could sing along with the Muppets, learn to count, and stare in confusion as the Muppets tried to teach you to read phonetically (but mostly they just sounded drunk).  Would you always wait to see what was up with Oscar the Grouch?  Did you wonder what would happen to you when you were all grown up?

Well, now you’re all grown up and still letting OSCAR determine what sort of day you’ll have. Will you be successful?  Will you get the opportunity to clerk for a Federal Judge? OSCAR (the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review) has been busy changing the rules of its system. No longer will you be able to send your application to every federal judge in the land. You’ll be limited to 100. Choose carefully and keep your fingers crossed that one of those judges is wise enough to choose you back. Also, mark your calendar for June 28th and plan nothing! That is the single date (up from August 19th) set for judges to “to receive applications, schedule and conduct interviews, and make clerkship offers” according to the OSCAR Law Blog. This date allows for an early release of the applications at a time when most 2L grades will have already been received.  Persons already holding a J.D. are not addressed under these rules. Federal judges can accept applications, interview, and hire them at any time. (Don’t fool yourselves by thinking some of the federal clerkships aren't already decided early because rumor has it, they are; even if they aren’t formalized until the official release date.)

And while we’re all wondering how OSCAR continues to hold influence over our lives, you should probably take a peek at which law schools are most successful at getting J.D. grads placed in federal clerkships as per U.S. News. If you are one of those prospective law students thinking about which law school to send your money to to reserve your place, you might want to consider this in your equation:

Law School                                                         US News Rank      % Federal Clerkship Placement

Yale                                                                               1                                       34.5%

Stanford                                                                        2                                       24.1%

Harvard                                                                         2                                       17.1%

Duke                                                                            11                                      12.7%

NYU                                                                               6                                       11.4%

U of Michigan – Ann Arbor                                              9                                       11.1%

Vanderbilt                                                                      15                                      11.1%

University of Virginia                                                        7                                      10.8%

Berkeley                                                                         9                                       10.3%

U. of Pennsylvania                                                          7                                        9.9%

The story of all of the unemployed J.D.s is disgruntling and disconcerting. While some former law students sue their schools, and some law schools are retaliating by suing law firms that represent law students that sue law schools, it leaves the current crop of students with no actionable recourse that leaves them looking sane. Take, for example, the apparently disgruntled J.D. who decided to respond to an help wanted ad by IBM for a low level position by red-lining the very ad they placed to recruit red-liners.  (Click on this if you don't do anything else - it's very funny!)

It’s dismaying to know that almost half of all J.D. candidates attending law school in an effort to make good life (and career) choices are side-lined before they’re even out of the gate. No wonder law school applications have dropped to the lowest numbers ever: everyone seems to know at least one law school graduate who is coping with dismal job prospects and a crush of debt from the high cost of tuition. Law schools need to align their promises with that which they can truly deliver. Arizona just set a precedent by reducing their law school tuition rates. We wonder if other schools will soon follow suit.

My daughter just got back from a meeting at her law school today. They were talking seriously to the students about what not to expect post-graduation. The items mentioned included jobs and income. She’s in a pretty good law school and this morose presentation did nothing to encourage the masses of students who are working hard to complete their juris doctorates. Are they hoping everyone will quit?  No such luck.

Looking at the enrollment statistics for law schools with the lowest prospects for post graduate employment as per Law.com, and comparing them to current enrollment rates, indicates a lot of law school students don’t really care what their administration says; they’ll take that chance.

Taking a look at the official list of Law Schools with the Worst 2012 Post-Graduation Employment Rates was a little confusing so I decided to do a little digging to become more familiar with the actual data. Wait! A lot of the schools listed on the official list aren’t even ranked by US News and World Report. Come on! If the ranking is so low the law school score isn’t even published, shouldn’t the student already know their prospects of getting a job after graduation are a bit on the low side regardless of the economy?  That would be my guess anyway.

But what about the schools in the Top 100 rankings? Wouldn’t it be more interesting to know the bottom of the heap for employment if you’re actually attending a school in the top 2 tiers? 

 Top 100 Ranked Law Schools with the Worst 2012 Post-Graduation Employment Rates

US News                                                                                                               Employment 9 months
Rank                Law School                                Enrolled                Tuition*             After Graduation
#56           American University (D.C.)                     1,215                 $46,794/yr               47.8%

#64           Pennsylvania State University                  541                  $40,532/yr               49.2%

#94           University of Oregon                                480                  $35,374/yr               49.4%

#61           Pepperdine University                               618                  $44,980/yr               51.1%

#96           Santa Clara University                               693                    not listed                51.4%

#48           University of California  (Hastings)          1,097                  $52,806/yr               51.6%

#80           Lewis & Clark (Northwestern)                    483                  $38,180/yr               53.6%

#80           Brooklyn Law School                                998                  $49,976/yr               54.3%

#98           St. John’s University                                 742                  $48,070/yr               55.1%

#68          Case Western Reserve                              567                  $44,620/yr               55.2%

#86           Northeastern                                            604                  $43,048/yr               55.2%

#68           University of San Diego                            768                  $43,860/yr               55.7%

#58           Yeshiva University (Cardozo)                 1,032                  $50,046/yr               55.8%

#47           U of Illinois Urbana-Champaigne                627                  $45,917/yr               56.3%
   
#68           IIT Chicago-Kent                                      738                  $43,260/yr               56.6%

#64           University of Denver (Sturm)                   746                  $39,840yr                 56.8%

#29           Boston University                                     740                  $44,168/yr               57.5%
  
#44           BYU                                                          420                  $21,900/yr               58.0%

#98           U of South Carolina                                   632                  $43,398/yr               59.5%

#98           Villanova                                                   684                  $38,910/yr               59.9%
 
*All tuition is the highest listed tuition in US News and World Report.

So why be in law school in this day and age? Well, my daughter says it’s better to have a 50% or better chance of having a job with a juris doctorate than being in the unemployment line right out of your undergrad program.  I would have to agree.  And if you don't have a job after you've earned your JD?  Well, there's always a good LLM program looking for students. 

You’ve been working on your PhD for almost three years now and suddenly you can’t remember why. You look behind you and see years of grueling coursework and endless writing. You look ahead of you and see your doctoral dissertation looming. And you wonder how you are going to get it written. There are usually complications along the way: problems with your Committee, research problems, difficulty working out the details of your personal life, and relationships that end because your friend/partner/family member is tired of being put on hold for the almighty pursuit of a doctorate. 

Earning a PhD takes resilience, perseverance in facing the impossible, self discipline, social support, and flexibility. During that important third year (when coursework ends and the lonely journey of the dissertation begins) is when doctoral students may be offered a great position somewhere and no one cares if that doctorate is ever completed. And sometimes a student just leaves the program without any concrete plans. It’s a tragedy – leaving the student unemployed, steeped in debt, and unsure of the next step.  That is not the desired outcome and, if you have arrived at this entirely uncomfortable place, there are ways you can obtain the support you need to move forward and successfully complete this new phase of your program.

1. Find support. This can be one of the most difficult tasks but it is well worth the effort. Find both a support person (e.g., trusted friend, partner, etc.) and a support group. A support group can help you overcome the barriers you’ll discover on your way if they are doctoral students, themselves. A support person can help you problem solve, provide support during lonely times, listen to you vent, and encourage you when you’re about to quit.  
2. Celebrate small victories. Schedule a treat or a small celebration each time you’ve completed small milestones. Whether it’s drinks with friends or cupcakes with the kids, you will come to look forward to these small celebrations each time you meet with your advisor, finish a section of your writing, or complete a portion of your analysis.  
3. Approach your dissertation with concerted self-discipline. Work on your research model or research theory each day at a scheduled time. Inspiration will come – but it comes when you are paying attention to your topic so you will need to do that every day.  Life does have a way of taking over – and it will at some point – and if you don’t continue to reserve at least half an hour each day to working on and thinking about your dissertation, you’ll find yourself struggling to even look at it. You know what work is left and it’s very difficult to get back into it once you’ve lost track.  
4. Make time for personal pursuits. Just as you need to reserve some time each day for your dissertation research and writing, you need to attend to your personal needs and interests. At some point, inspiration will occur and you will find yourself having to tear yourself away from your dissertation work. This is good and you should go with it in order to complete your doctorate in a timely manner.   
5. Remember your advisor is not your friend and may not even be a good mentor. Do not take your problems and frustrations to your advisor unless it is dissertation related. Treat this relationship the same way you would a boss – employee relationship. When your advisor hands you a copy of your chapter with almost all of it revised, do not moan, whine, or cry. Be professional and save your comments and sorrows for your support people who will be understanding and commiserate with you. 
   

Congratulations for arriving at that doctoral space between qualifying exams and dissertation production! And condolences. You are facing a very difficult task that will take determination and resiliance but you can do it!

Article by Dr. Sherry Thompson