Legal Education Statistics

Group slams NCBE for ‘scattershot’ approach to offering NextGen bar exam information

A statement from the Association of Academic Support Educators slammed the National Conference of Bar Examiners, saying its “scattershot approach to communicating essential information leaves law school academic support faculty without the clear, consistent and reliable guidance necessary to prepare graduates for the new bar exam” that 20 jurisdictions have committed to adopting.

Jul 11, 2024 3:28 PM CDT

Is law school worth it? At 33 low-tier schools, median income after student debt is $55K or below

Student debt is still taking a big bite out of lawyer earnings four years after law school graduation, especially at law schools with the lowest return on investment, according to a study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

Jun 26, 2024 1:09 PM CDT

ABA’s artificial intelligence task force releases law school survey

Law schools are overwhelmingly integrating emerging artificial intelligence technology into their curriculums, but they’re still not sure about specific AI policies.

Jun 25, 2024 12:34 PM CDT

Oregon’s alternative pathway to the bar proves popular

Updated: Oregon’s new Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination that allows ABA-accredited law school graduates to join the state’s bar by working closely with a supervising attorney instead of taking the bar exam is gaining traction with candidates and potential employers.

Jun 13, 2024 9:54 AM CDT

Lowered bar pass cut scores mean better bar pass rates in 4 states

Of the five states that lowered the minimum score required for passing the bar last year, four of them had increases in their February 2024 bar passage rates, according to the latest data compiled by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

May 7, 2024 10:23 AM CDT

More 2023 law school grads found full-time jobs than any class in past 10 years, new ABA data shows

More recent law school grads are employed 10 months after graduation than any class of the past decade, according to recently released data by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Apr 22, 2024 1:13 PM CDT

Shake-up in US News’ 2024 law school rankings

Updated: The 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings is riddled with ties, including three ties in the top tier, and a few unusual jumps. As predicted by rankings watchers, Stanford Law School and Yale Law School came out on top—but in a tie for first that those experts didn’t expect.

Apr 9, 2024 12:30 PM CDT

Number of February MBE test-takers has rebounded from pre-pandemic era, but how are national mean scores?

The number of aspiring attorneys taking the Multistate Bar Examination in February increased 1.4% over a year earlier as numbers inch past pre-pandemic levels.

Apr 2, 2024 12:02 PM CDT

Which law schools will top the US News rankings? Here are three predictions

U.S. News & World Report hasn’t yet released its latest law school rankings, but that hasn’t stopped some observers from making predictions based on ABA data.

Mar 18, 2024 12:55 PM CDT

New bar passage stats show several law schools below ABA cutoff

Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley Law School had the lowest two-year bar passage rate for 2021 graduates among ABA-accredited law schools, according to data released Monday by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Mar 11, 2024 5:45 PM CDT

ABA considers expanding law school diversity standards

Updated: Law schools have come a long way since the “good ol’ boys” days, but they aren’t inclusive enough yet, according to the ABA’s Standards Committee.

Feb 28, 2024 9:59 AM CST

JD enrollment up but 1Ls down, new ABA data shows

Fall 2023 had a slight increase in JD enrollment but a small decrease of first-year students over the previous year, according to data released Friday by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Dec 15, 2023 12:49 PM CST

More aspiring law students are applying to fewer schools, new LSAC data shows

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, more students of color are applying to law school, according to the latest figures from the Law School Admission Council.

Dec 14, 2023 9:05 AM CST

George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School hit with noncompliance notice

The George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School has received a public notice of being out of compliance with ABA accreditation standards.

Dec 7, 2023 1:48 PM CST

Campus politics playing bigger role in prelaw students’ law school considerations, survey says

As conflicts related to the Hamas-Israeli war flare up on law school campuses, more than half of prelaw students—58%—want to attend a law school where their politics will align with those of others on campus, according to a survey by Kaplan conducted just before the war started and released Tuesday.

Nov 28, 2023 9:17 AM CST