The Job Gap, the Money Gap, and the Responsibility of Legal Educators

24 Pages Posted: 9 Mar 2013

See all articles by Deborah Jones Merritt

Deborah Jones Merritt

Ohio State University (OSU) - Michael E. Moritz College of Law

Date Written: March 7, 2013

Abstract

This essay, presented as part of Washington University's Becker Symposium in October 2012, discusses three gaps in legal education: the gap between the number of law school graduates and the jobs available, the gap between tuition levels and expected income, and the slowness of legal educators to recognize and address these problems. Drawing upon data from the National Association of Law Placement and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, I illustrate the size of the first two gaps. I then argue that, although legal education clearly creates economic value, the dramatic rise in law school tuition has taken much of that value from graduates and bestowed it upon educators. That outcome raises both professional and policy concerns.

Keywords: Jobs, Legal Education

JEL Classification: K00

Suggested Citation

Merritt, Deborah Jones, The Job Gap, the Money Gap, and the Responsibility of Legal Educators (March 7, 2013). Washington University Journal of Law and Policy, Vol. 41, 2012, Ohio State Public Law Working Paper No. 197, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2229821 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2229821

Deborah Jones Merritt (Contact Author)

Ohio State University (OSU) - Michael E. Moritz College of Law ( email )

55 West 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210
United States
614-247-7933 (Phone)
614-292-4868 (Fax)

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