The Ethics and Economics of American Legal Education Today

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues has published a symposium issue on The Ethics and Economics of American Legal Education Today:

University legal education, like higher education generally in the United States, has become sharply more expensive in the past three decades. Many law students now take on substantial loans to attend law school, and it is common to graduate with debts of $100,000 and more.

At many if not most accredited law schools today the academic style is broadly similar, including an emphasis on faculty scholarship which was not characteristic of “non-elite” law schools before the 1970s or 80s.

Are the economics of legal education viable in the medium to long run? In particular, are the economics viable for the broad middle range of “non-elite” law schools?

And is the existing model normatively desirable or defensible? Is the academic style of legal education which is now nearly universal in the United States the right model in the interests of the legal profession and of American society?

Will there be pressures for substantial reform of American legal education in the foreseeable future? Ought there to be? And if so, what direction is reform liable to take, and what are the likely consequences

• Maimon Schwarzschild, The Ethics and Economics of American Legal Education Today, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 3 (2008)

Panel #1: Warnings About Legal Education

• Paul Campos, Shame, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 15 (2008)
• Lloyd Cohen, Comments on the Legal Education Cartel, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 25 (2008)
• Eli M. Noam, Electronics and the Future of Law School, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 51 (2008)

Panel #2:  Reflections and Responses From Law School Deans

• Richard A. Matasar, Defining Our Responsibilities: Being an Academic Fiduciary, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 67 (2008)
• Daniel B. Rodriguez, The Market for Deans, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 121 (2008)
• Edward Rubin, Should Law Schools Support Faculty Research?, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 139 (2008)
• Steven R. Smith, Gresham’s Law in Legal Education, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 171 (2008)

Panel #3:  Sociology of Legal Education

• Clayton P. Gillette, Law School Faculty as Free Agents, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 213 (2008)
• Gail Heriot, Affirmative Action in American Law Schools, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 237 (2008)
• James Lindgren, The Private and Public Employment of African-American Lawyers, 1960-2000, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 281 (2008)

Panel #4:  Reform of Legal Education

• Jayne W. Barnard, Post-Tenure Review as if it Mattered, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 297 (2008)
• William K.S. Wang, The Restruturing of Legal Education Along Functional Lines, 17 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 331 (2008)