Thinking of going to law school? You will be interested to read this.

According to a recent article in the Louisville Courier-Journal, applications to Kentucky’s three law schools have declined since 2011, with the University of Louisville down 59 percent, the University of Kentucky down 39 percent, and Northern Kentucky University down 41 percent. Nationally, enrollment in law schools has declined 24 percent since 2010.

A poor economy, increased tuition and students wishing to avoid massive student debt loads with an uncertain job future are probably the main causes of the application decline. The tuition for law school at UK is now over $20,000.00 per year. U of L’s law school tuition is over $18,000.00 per year and Northern Kentucky’s tuition is over $17,000.00 per year. Those tuition fees of course do not cover the costs of books, materials, room and board and other necessary expenses.

There probably is a glut of attorneys right now in our country, so a reduction in the number of new attorneys may not be a bad thing by itself (insert your favorite lawyer joke here). However, when we need good attorneys in the future, and there are not as many to choose from, we may be wishing we had done more to turn around our sputtering economy.

If you are still considering law school, read a previous blog we wrote, Our Advice to Law Students.

 

 

 

Mike currently is the attorney for the Cities of Radcliff and Vine Grove, advising elected officials, employees, and various city boards on a wide variety of legal matters. A member of the American Bar Association, the Kentucky Bar Association, Hardin County Bar, Meade County Bar, and Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Mike focuses his legal practice on cases concerning personal injury and social security, municipal law, business formation, and estates and probate law. Additionally, Mike oversees the real estate law department for the firm.