Legal Education Statistics

Law school diversity persists after affirmative action ban, new ABA report finds

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against race-conscious affirmative action policies did little to impact the makeup of 2024’s first year law students, according to the 2024 Standard 509 Information Report data overview from the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Dec 18, 2024 9:20 AM CST

Applications for law school up an ‘unnatural’ 35% from 2023

It’s shaping up to be very competitive year for aspiring law students.

Dec 5, 2024 4:53 PM CST

Slight rankings drop at University of Florida and its law school may have been factor in president’s exit

Former University of Florida President Ben Sasse cited his wife’s health when he resigned his position in July, only 17 months into the job that paid $10 million over five years.

Nov 25, 2024 9:46 AM CST

Stressed and depressed, only 34% of young lawyers with highest student debt say JD was worth cost, new ABA survey says

High student debt is affecting the emotional well-being of young lawyers and affecting their life decisions, according to a 2024 survey by the ABA Young Lawyers Division released Monday.

Sep 9, 2024 1:18 PM CDT

Scores are in for July 2024 MBE; how did test-takers fare?

The July 2024 Multistate Bar Examination boasted more test-takers than the previous year, while the mean score on the just-completed exam went up.

Aug 29, 2024 1:42 PM CDT

Interest in law school is up, LSAC tallies show

More people are interested in attending law school, with the number of aspiring lawyers taking the Law School Admission Test up by 11.6% over last year and the number of applicants to law schools up 5.7%

Aug 27, 2024 11:19 AM CDT

Racial disparities in law school applicants remain, AccessLex Institute says

Racial disparities among law school applicants persist, according to the AccessLex Institute’s Legal Education Data Deck.

Aug 15, 2024 9:36 AM CDT

Group slams NCBE for ‘scattershot’ approach to offering NextGen bar exam information

A statement from the Association of Academic Support Educators slammed the National Conference of Bar Examiners, saying its “scattershot approach to communicating essential information leaves law school academic support faculty without the clear, consistent and reliable guidance necessary to prepare graduates for the new bar exam” that 20 jurisdictions have committed to adopting.

Jul 11, 2024 3:28 PM CDT

Is law school worth it? At 33 low-tier schools, median income after student debt is $55K or below

Student debt is still taking a big bite out of lawyer earnings four years after law school graduation, especially at law schools with the lowest return on investment, according to a study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

Jun 26, 2024 1:09 PM CDT

ABA’s artificial intelligence task force releases law school survey

Law schools are overwhelmingly integrating emerging artificial intelligence technology into their curriculums, but they’re still not sure about specific AI policies.

Jun 25, 2024 12:34 PM CDT

Oregon’s alternative pathway to the bar proves popular

Updated: Oregon’s new Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination that allows ABA-accredited law school graduates to join the state’s bar by working closely with a supervising attorney instead of taking the bar exam is gaining traction with candidates and potential employers.

Jun 13, 2024 9:54 AM CDT

Lowered bar pass cut scores mean better bar pass rates in 4 states

Of the five states that lowered the minimum score required for passing the bar last year, four of them had increases in their February 2024 bar passage rates, according to the latest data compiled by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

May 7, 2024 10:23 AM CDT

More 2023 law school grads found full-time jobs than any class in past 10 years, new ABA data shows

More recent law school grads are employed 10 months after graduation than any class of the past decade, according to recently released data by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Apr 22, 2024 1:13 PM CDT

Shake-up in US News’ 2024 law school rankings

Updated: The 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings is riddled with ties, including three ties in the top tier, and a few unusual jumps. As predicted by rankings watchers, Stanford Law School and Yale Law School came out on top—but in a tie for first that those experts didn’t expect.

Apr 9, 2024 12:30 PM CDT

Number of February MBE test-takers has rebounded from pre-pandemic era, but how are national mean scores?

The number of aspiring attorneys taking the Multistate Bar Examination in February increased 1.4% over a year earlier as numbers inch past pre-pandemic levels.

Apr 2, 2024 12:02 PM CDT