The rising cost of tuition is a barrier for many to a legal education, and consequently our profession. Across the country, both public and private law schools are increasing tuition at rates that exceed inflation. More than 80 percent of law students borrow to attend school. Law school graduates nationwide are heavily burdened by debt, and more than 60 percent say it affected their employment choices.
Yes, it’s true that big law firms are now paying $160,000 to new associates. But those jobs are available to a relatively small number of law grads. Though many private sector jobs have salaries that compensate for law school debt, government and public service employment have become unaffordable for most.
Equal Justice Works reported that in 2005 the median entry-level salary was $36,000 for a civil services lawyer, $43,000 for a public defender, $44,000 for a prosecutor, and $40,000 for a lawyer at a public interest organization focused on issues such as civil rights, immigration, or economic justice. And the average law school debt load for a 2005 graduate was $83,181 for a private school and $54,509 for a public school.
The ABA Law Student Division has consistently rated access to legal education as one of its top priorities. After several years of aggressive lobbying by the ABA and the Division, we were pleased that Congress passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA), which allows law school graduates to pay off their qualified federal loans at a reduced rate. CCRAA further encourages new lawyers to enter public service by forgiving the balance of qualified federal loans after 10 years of payments while employed in a public interest position. (See story on page 22.)
Access to legal education was also addressed at the annual meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C., last semester. In a forum, The Decline in African-American Enrollment in Law School, panelists discussed concerns over statistics that indicate the number of African Americans enrolled in law school declined from 1995–96 to 2005–06 even though 19 new law schools were accredited during that time and overall enrollment increased.
The House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor approved legislation late last year that would have placed undergraduate schools that increase tuition at a rate higher than their peers on a “Higher Education Price Increase Watch List.” This bill, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, has been redrafted to no longer include the phrase “watch list,” but it still asks schools for more transparency regarding tuition hikes and increases reporting requirements overall. Should Congress require the same for law schools?
With almost 52,000 members, the voice of the ABA Law Student Division is loud, and we are committed to leveraging our voice into persistent national advocacy on behalf of these law student issues. I encourage you to get involved, take advantage of our resources, and contact me with your thoughts and ideas.
Daniel R. Suvor
Chair, ABA Law Student Division
The George Washington University Law School
