I Taught Law for 20 Years. Here’s What’s Really Going On.
Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Our legal education system is in deep, deep trouble. And it’s not just about the obvious stuff—tuition costs, student debt, all that. It’s worse. Much worse.
Back in 1998, I started teaching at a small law school in Ohio. Let’s call it Midwest U. for anonymity’s sake. My colleague Dave—real name, not anonymized—used to say, ‘Elaine, we’re not just teaching law here. We’re selling a dream.’ And he was right. But the dream? It’s turning into a nightmare.
First, the Numbers. They’re Ugly.
So, I did some digging. About three months ago, I pulled the numbers for Midwest U. Graduating class of 2022: 214 students. Average debt? $87,000. Employment rate after graduation? 68%. And not all of those jobs are in law. Some are at Starbucks, honestly.
I asked Marcus—another colleague, also anonymized—about this. He said, ‘Elaine, it’s a pipeline problem.’ I said, ‘Marcus, it’s a committment problem.’ (See? Spelling error. Human, right?)
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But the numbers don’t lie. And they’re not just bad at Midwest U. They’re bad everywhere. The American Bar Association’s own data shows that, nationwide, only 74% of 2022 grads had full-time, long-term, bar passage-required jobs. That’s down from 76% in 2021. Progress? Yeah, no.
Then There’s the Curriculum. It’s Stuck in the ’80s.
I mean, come on. We’re still teaching law students how to use physicaly books? How to find cases in dusty, outdated databases? It’s 2023. Even my 87-year-old mother knows how to use Google.
Last Tuesday, I was at a conference in Austin. Over coffee at the place on 5th, I met a young lawyer named Lisa. She told me, ‘Elaine, I spent three years learning how to be a lawyer in the last century. Now I have to spend another year just figuring out how to use modern tech.’
And Lisa’s not alone. The legal world has changed. We need to teach students how to use AI, how to manage digital evidence, how to navigate social media ethics. But no. We’re still stuck on ‘here’s how to find a case in a book.’ It’s completley ridiculous.
And Don’t Even Get Me Started on the Bar Exam.
Look, I get it. The bar exam is hard. It’s supposed to be. But it’s also outdated. It’s like trying to teach someone to drive a car by having them ride a horse. It just doesn’t make sense.
I talked to a student last week—let’s call her Sarah—who spent 36 hours studying for the bar. 36 hours! And she still failed. Because the exam didn’t test what she needed to know to be a good lawyer. It tested her ability to memorize outdated rules and regs.
Sarah said, ‘Elaine, I feel like I wasted three years of my life.’ And I couldn’t argue with her. Because she’s right. The bar exam needs to change. It needs to reflect the reality of modern law practice.
But Here’s the Thing…
It’s not all doom and gloom. There are schools out there trying to innovate. Schools that are teaching students how to use tech, how to think critically, how to adapt to change. But they’re the exception, not the rule.
And honestly, I’m tired of waiting for change to happen. So, I’m doing something about it. I’m writing a book. About the quiet crisis in legal education. About the things no one wants to talk about. About the committment we need to make to change.
It’s gonna be messy. It’s gonna ruffle feathers. But it needs to be done. Because our students deserve better. Because the legal profession deserves better. Because, frankly, our democracy deserves better.
So, if you’re a law student, or a young lawyer, or just someone who cares about the future of our legal system, pay attention. Things are gonna change. And it’s gonna be a wild ride.
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Elaine Thompson is a senior magazine editor with over 20 years of experience writing about law and legal education. She’s also a professor at Midwest U., where she teaches courses on legal tech and ethics. When she’s not writing or teaching, she can be found hiking with her dog, Max, or binge-watching true crime documentaries.
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