You already know what the pre-law students you advise think about a host of important topics related to their education and career, but do you know what other pre-law students around the country think too? A Kaplan Test Prep survey of 750 pre-law students* finds that tomorrow’s lawyers are advocates for change, have an altruistic side and are adapting to new career realities. As you may know, on a regular basis we survey our students to make sure we have our finger on the pulse of what their interests, hopes, concerns, successes and challenges are. Key results from our June 2013 survey include:
-Legal Education Has to Change: It’s hard to find legally-minded individuals overwhelmingly in agreement on almost any subject, but 79% of pre-law students say that the U.S. legal education system needs “to undergo significant changes to better prepare future attorneys for the changing employment landscape and legal profession.” Notably, the American Bar Association, the organization that accredits law schools, agrees — it is currently preparing to make recommendations on how to address growing concerns about the cost of a law school education and its effectiveness in preparing graduates to actually practice law.** In the meantime though, some law schools are already taking proactive measures to remedy the situation.***
-More than Half Are Considering Employment Outside Traditional Legal Roles: As the employment landscape continues to struggle, 56% of pre-law students say they plan to use their future JD in a non-traditional legal field – up from 50% in a February Kaplan survey. Of that 56%, 63% say the current job market for lawyers factored into this decision – up from 58% in February.
-A Majority Favor Mandatory Pro Bono Work: While lawyers are often stereotyped as power and money-hungry, 68% of pre-law students surveyed say they would support a New York State Bar-like rule mandating that new JDs complete 50 hours of pro bono work before being admitted to the bar. While this rule currently only exists in New York, California and New Jersey are considering implementing a similar measure.
-Racial Diversity Important to Pre-Law Students: While the Supreme Court recently decided to punt a high profile affirmative action case, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, back to the state, 55% of pre-law students responding to Kaplan Test Prep’s survey say that it’s important that the law school they attend have a racially diverse student body.
KTP is also in the midst of conducting its annual survey of law school admissions officers. As you may be familiar with, to ensure that aspiring lawyers receive accurate and up-to-date information on the law school admissions process and other relevant issues, we annually survey admissions officers from the nation’s 200-plus American Bar Association-accredited law schools. The survey data collected helps guide the tens of thousands of law school applicants Kaplan works with every year. Among the questions we are asking law schools this year: “Are you accepting June 2013 LSAT scores for fall 2013 admission?” Good one, right? Results will be available in the fall. Stay tuned.
*The online survey was conducted in June 2013 of 750 pre-law students who took an LSAT course with Kaplan Test Prep.
** “Is legal education solely law schools’ responsibility? ABA task force thinks not,” The ABA Journal, Mark Hansen, June 26, 2013: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/task_force_efforts_focus_on_broad_themes/
***”Does law school have a future?”, Forbes, Elizabeth G. Olson, December 18, 2012:http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/12/18/does-law-school-have-a-future/
