Professional Dishonesty: Do U.S. Law Schools That Report False or Misleading Employment Statistics Violate Consumer Protection Laws?

University of Houston Law Center, Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law, Vol. 15, No. 3, Summer 2012

12 Pages Posted: 29 May 2011 Last revised: 17 Dec 2012

See all articles by Joel F. Murray

Joel F. Murray

University of California, Davis - School of Law; London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE); University of Washington; Georgetown University Law Center

Date Written: June 1, 2012

Abstract

This article examines the potential legal application of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act) to American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law schools. In recent years, evidence has emerged indicating that many law schools are misreporting or falsifying employment statistics in marketing materials and to the U.S. News Rankings and World Report law school rankings, the preeminent rankings for United States (U.S.) law schools. The reporting of false or misleading employment statistics to prospective students may violate provisions of the FTC Act that prohibit deceptive practices and false advertising. This article reviews evidence that U.S. law schools are misreporting employment statistics, examines how the FTC Act applies to U.S. law schools, and argues that U.S. law schools that misreport or falsify employment statistics violate multiple provisions of the FTC Act.

Keywords: law school, employment statistics, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, academia, law school graduates, salaries, recent law school graduates, career services, employment outcomes, student loans, debt

Suggested Citation

Murray, Joel F., Professional Dishonesty: Do U.S. Law Schools That Report False or Misleading Employment Statistics Violate Consumer Protection Laws? (June 1, 2012). University of Houston Law Center, Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law, Vol. 15, No. 3, Summer 2012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1854709 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1854709

Joel F. Murray (Contact Author)

University of California, Davis - School of Law ( email )

Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall
Davis, CA CA 95616-5201
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.joelmurray.org

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

University of Washington ( email )

Seattle, WA 98195
United States

Georgetown University Law Center ( email )

600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
United States

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