12 Things No One Tells You About Law School

Georgetown Law Center

Georgetown Law Center


Even Elite Grads Sometimes Can’t Get Jobs
If there is a way to avoid being unemployed after law school, it is to go to one of the T14 schools. Those are the schools that have been consistently ranked in the top 14 spots of practically every law school ranking since their invention. These are the schools that continue to churn out high employment numbers for their grads despite other schools being forced to change curriculum and reduce tuition.
Above The Law recently told the story of Danielle Owens, a 2010 Georgetown Law grad. Owens recently applied for food stamps and unemployment for the “zillionth” time, according to her tweet. What is more insane is she compiled hundreds of thousands of debt with full-tuition scholarships to undergraduate and law school. The debt was accrued through more than $65,000 in loans for living expenses and more than $66,000 for tuition for a master’s in public health.
Just before and throughout law school, life happened. Both of her parents passed and her grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. After all was said and done, Owens had about $204,000 worth of loans taken out. In four years since graduation, Owens has applied for more than 200 jobs and only received 16 interviews. She has passed the bar in Maryland and Georgia, only to bump around from temporary job to temporary job. Some have been legal-related jobs. Others have not.
When she would receive a job, she would lose her food stamps and public assistance. When the job wrapped up, she would have to go through the process of applying for public assistance and food stamps again. Owens is currently unemployed and looking desperately for a job. Above The Law has covered other similar stories about law school graduates who have to resort to welfare but never one from a T14 school. The previously highest ranked school to have a graduate like this was Pepperdine.
Even T14 students should be careful about taking loans. In this climate, no job is a guarantee.
Source: Above The Law
DON”T MISS: LAW GRADS HAPPY WITH THEIR ALMA MATERS

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.