Legal Commentary

Massachusetts is, by my rough count, one of only six states without a public law school. But not for long, it seems. The public University of Massachusetts (UMASS) has recently approved a proposal to acquire the private Southern New England School of Law (SNESL), a move that will create the state's first public law school. 

There remains one major hurdle left to clear--a final vote in February--but all visible signs point to yes, despite opposition from a coalition of three private law schools in the state.

Although the UMASS acquisition of SNESL will not increase the total number of American law schools, it will give more students the chance to attend law school: under the plan, enrollment will increase from 235 to 559 students. And with a new law school set to open in Dallas in 2011 and the new University of California, Irvine, School of Law, hoping eventually to grow to 600, there will be even more opportunities for law school applicants.

In the face of high demand for law school admissions (in 2008, for example, 82,000 students applied and 55,500 were admitted), the likely increase in applications this year, and given these recent developments, I am wondering how to advise undergraduates who ask me for advice about whether to go to law school.

I suspect that future law school graduates may have difficulty finding employment in law. That said, I am convinced that law school is not just for those who wish to one day practice law. The skills developed in law school are transferable to other disciplines, and are superb preparation for non-law employment. And there is, and will always be, a demand for law school graduates who possess strong analytical abilities and can think creatively, read critically, and write persuasively.

What do/would you advise an undergraduate?

(As an aside, anyone care to guess which are the five states, excluding Massachusetts, without a public law school?)