Law School Closures Unlikely
It is an ongoing debate: Will there be at least one law school close in the near future? Many professors and journalists have weighed in on the debate. Last week, Slate writer, Jordan Weissmann announced his $2 bet with Berkeley Law professor Steven Davidoff Solomon that at least one law school will either close or merge by the year 2018.
Peter Nemerovski, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law, is the most recent person to weigh in on the issue. And Nemerovski’s view is that law schools are not closing anytime soon (if ever). He cites the last ABA accredited law school to close—Lincoln University School of Law in St. Louis in 1955 to begin his argument.
Nemerovski continues with two main arguments against Weissmann’s theories. First, Weissmann cites the infamous 24% enrollment drop from 2010 to 2013. Nemerovski contends comparing 2013 to one year (2010) is unfair, especially when 2010 was the peak of law school enrollment ever in American history. Nemerovski goes on to point out that law schools have already and will continue to make look for ways to make back that 24% budget loss from tuition dollars.
Nemerovski also says the prestige that comes with being an attorney and value of a law degree will continue to make law school an attractive choice. Next, Nemerovski says the Federal student loan program will continue to bring students even when money is an issue. That’s because the program covers the entire cost of a law degree and then students repay it upon graduation.
Nemerovski concludes by saying while law schools are faced with a challenge, at least it is a straightforward one. When enrollment numbers level out and schools realize the new normal of amount of law students, they can develop new business models that will guide law schools to financial stability with less tuition dollars. Voila. Law schools are saved.
Source: Daily Caller
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