Law Firm Seeks 4th Year Associate for 50k salary

Was scrolling through Craigslist as I occasionally take a look to see if there is a decent part time hourly gig when I saw this gem.

Seeking an associate with a strong desire to succeed

Mid-sized law firm, specializing in Civil Litigation, and Consumer Protection Class Actions has an immediate opening for a full-time Associate Attorney (2-4 yrs. attorney experience) in its Woodland Hills office. Firm Applicants must possess CA Bar admission, excellent research skills, able to really work a case by creating and responding to discovery, able to write effective meet and confers, and a willingness to learn. Candidates with some Federal Court experience preferred, but not required. Starting salary is $50,000 a year with health insurance, and annual bonus based upon performance. This is an outstanding growth opportunity for an exceptional, career-minded attorney.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/lgl/3704971462.html

For those that are not familiar with Woodland Hills, CA it is a suburb of Los Angeles in the region known as the San Fernando Valley. Í see gems like this pop up all the time. Let me inform you all that Woodland Hills is ridiculously expensive to live in. A simple search on Google will show that a decent one bedroom will go for $1400.00 per month with a two bedroom as high as $1800.00.

http://www.apartments.com/California/Woodland-Hills/Lombardi-Apartments/30268?searchCriteria=iTK0g3c1wOwh7iBcaFR2dGMcVg9RGnLffTa1jhqykOb9XmAoz6nWP8iHpdaROdeTU/9JyIHATXAd5L2qAhOljYdpFi1Wk6aArMbFhEUHDIZoAyfvYrdq5gTyS3hiUB5x4S8j6vwsq1zTiEiq1v/1xNMxiObPBx2ng7jG86c7/F0seEY9DyMtEQ==&sid=eceb3a76-5fea-4756-8269-d219edf8d2fa&frontdoor=google&partner=google&match=4

Lets break down that 50 large for a struggling 4th year associate:

Assuming debt load of Undergrad and Law School expenses of $120,000.00
50k, California taxes of 26 percent, 13k in tax. 37k net remaining
37,000 / 12 = $3,083.00 net per month
Assume this debt slave wants to be debt free in 15 years...
$1,078.00 in debt service per month
Assume one bedroom apartment for a near 30 year old for $1400.00
$3,083.00
- 1078.00 loan
- 1400.00 rent
$605.00 remaining for food, gas, car, clothing, TV, entertainment, savings.

But what if this young lad needed, God forbid, a TWO BEDROOM APARTMENT!!!!!! As a 4th year practicing attorney!!!
Well that would leave him with...
3083.00
- 1078.00
- 1800.00
$205.00 remaining for food, gas, car, clothing, TV, entertainment, savings.

Of course neither above scenario would be plausible without a roomate paying rent OR the loans put on the life long plan. But god forbid someone actually wanted to get out of the interest expense trap these are the conditions that he would have to subject himself to. God forbid this (let's assume guy) wanted to get married and have a child. Under no circumstances would this salary coupled with the debt burden and sky high costs of an area like Woodland Hills support such an endeavor unless his wife decided to work up through her pregnancy and soon after birth. And let's face it, not too many women out there want to send their babies to day care from 3 months old. Alas, the two income household has become the norm but with pathetically low salaries coupled with soul crushing nondischargeable debt burdens having a single family income as an attorney is downright impossible unless you hit the biglaw lottery never ending pie eating contest.

But lets not forget, as the job ad states, the position entails "Civil Litigation, and Consumer Protection Class Actions" which translated equals to YOU WILL WORK TIL 8PM SLAVE NEVER EVER FORGET THAT WE OWN YOUR ASS NOW AND YOU WILL EARN EVERY FUCKING PENNY OF THAT BLESSED 50K EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY HOUR OF EVERY 60 HOUR WEEK YOU WORK HERE.

For the lolz I looked at some other job postings on craigslist and found a listing for a massage therapist at massage envy.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/spa/3705764200.html

The therapist gets $25 to $35 per hour including tips. Lets assume $30 at 40 hours at 52 weeks. $1200 per week times 52 weeks equals $62,400.00 per year. Fucking A, a therapist will make 12k more than a 4th year attorney while working a third less with NO LOANS.
Remember, what matters is the NET EARNING so the 4th year associate at that firm will have to subtract out $1,078.00 out of his salary due to the hefty student loan baggage. So now out of the $3,083.00 net per month he earns take out the loan payment for $1,078.00 leaving him $2,005.00 net versus the therapist taking home $5,208 gross or $3,853.00 net. Even with this salary the therapist can still afford the $1800 per month 2 bedroom in Woodland Hills while the broke ass attorney will be left struggling. The debt goes right to the net which hurts the most magnifying the JD's suffering. As I'm sure you are mostly aware the federal income tax write off is $2,500.00 for student loan interest expense. Thanks again CONgress.

Pretty sorry shit when a massage therapist can easily take home nearly DOUBLE the net income than a 4th year associate attorney stressing out over drafting class action lawsuits while the therapist does his job with relaxing music. Again, the above scenario assumes that the therapist works 40 hours and recieves the average of the advertised pay rate. Even if he worked less by a few hours he would make the same up to a certain point. Even if the therapist worked, let's say 25 hours per week at $25 per hour for a total of $625.00 per week or $32,500.00 per year. Assume tax rate of 20 percent his net earnings per month is $2,166.00, STILL higher than the 4th year associate at that firm which is grinding away 60 hours per week AFTER he forks over the $1,078 per month so he can be debt free within 15 years.

 This, ladies and gentlement, is the price to pay for having a shot to dance with the big shot lawyers. That 3 year buzz in law school feels goods as all of society is rooting you on, cheering for you, telling you that you are doing the right thing. Your parents, giving you that gleeful look of approval as they see you prepare for your final exams. That girl you always liked, giving you the eye as she knows that your stock just surged through the roof. After all, lawyers make good money. Wink wink.




 

Trial and Error

Been working on a side project and also have been helping my dad out with his business. In the meantime I've been listening to the calls to "go solo." I know there is a terrible attorney glut out there but I am a member of an extensive ethnic community so there may be some potential. You never know right? At this point I'm open to giving it a shot. One thing is for sure I'm not going back to law firm employment.

I went to the bank the other day and the manager told me that her friend needed an attorney to review a lease agreement. This was late friday afternoon. My dumbass decided to wait to call this lady on Monday as I didn't want to disturb her on the weekend.

Monday morning I call this lady and we set an appointment for 6:00 p.m at a local coffee shop. A few minutes after I get there she informs me that she contacted another attorney because I never got to her over the weekend oops! She provides me a copy of the lease agreement (10 pages long, pretty standard form) and I review it. Mind you I have no experience with commercial leases so I spent a few hours researching the key points beforehand. Lo and behold I caught something that was weak (very little language on the security deposit section). I informed her of this and she looked concerned. At that point I again reiterated that my rate is usually $150 but that I'd charge her my friends and family $125 hourly rate (LOL). She told me that she would contact me after her subsequent meeting (never did boohoo).

So I lost the lead due to my inaction. Lesson learned: get to the leads ASAP. However, I am happy that I attempted to take on the case. Three years ago I would have been so intimidated to take on even a simply commercial lease review and client advisory letter. Now, that it's basically do or die for me in the legal profession I'm like "fuck it, I'll give it my best." Interestingly enough, just a few hours of online research led me to sufficient tools to spot a few deficiencies in the lease.

I'll be passing out business cards to friends, family and the random people I meet. I also have a marketing plan I'm going to launch in the coming weeks. I'll keep everyone updated on the situation. At this point it's either solo practice or entering another field completely. At this point I really have nothing else to lose but time. I'm sure a year will be sufficient to determine whether or not it's worth it to pursue solo practice.

 

Fine Wine, Egos and a Law School Applicant

Yesterday I went with my girlfriend to a wine tasting event. She works as a wine rep so sometimes on the weekends I go with her for company and to assist. It's pretty cool actually standing behind the desk pouring wine into the glass for the attendees. "Sir, may I try the Pinot Noir"LOL.

I took a break to enjoy the wonderful food (this wine tasting was at a Jewish Temple) and I met a pleasant 30 year old woman that said she was planning on going to law school. I still attempt to warn the youngsters about the perils of law school and the profession but she would be a tougher sell as she's been in the working world for at least 8 years.

She said that she was in design industry and that it's been brutal with long hours, low pay and constant beratement from upper management. Said she was sick of it and was ready to get into law, that she had a passion for it and was ready to work hard. When I began to advise against it she immediately interjected by stating "everyone has told me not to do it"and that "I've been in the working world long enough I know what the real world is like."At that point I knew there wasn't much to say. I changed the topic to what school she was going to she said some tier 4 with a 20% scholarship. I told her I went to a similar school starting in 2006 for 28k tuition and her eyes bugged out as her starting tuition is a massive $42,000.00. Unreal how tuition has surged by $14,000 in a matter of 7 years while employment prospects plummet. 14k increase on original tuition of 28k equates to a 50 PERCENT INCREASE IN TUITION. Has there been a 50 percent increase in the available jobs or entry level wages? The poor girl bemoaned the low pay in design (70k in secondary market was her last job). Wait until she sees entry level attorney positions offering $2,500.00 per month on top of her 150k student loan balance.

Interestingly enough this relatively attractive Jewish girl said that she has "sleepless" nights and "panic attacks" over the debt she will have to accrue in order to receive the vaulted JD. I told her you think it's bad now wait until the debt load is REAL and you have to pay that back with interest. At least now you don't have any debt." I informed her that I was fortunate to have family pay for half of my law school costs while I've personally forked over 50k in principal and interest expense. She stated that the cost is her biggest reservation. Perhaps this poor soul will avert near certain catastrophe.

I asked her if she minded working 60 plus hour weeks and informed her I was on my way out of law. She responded that she had worked 70 hour weeks in the past and that "successful attorneys have told me that I will be just fine." Don't know whether she was sending me a message i.e. I was a loser that couldn't cut it in law or whether she was simply stating what she was told. Nonetheless it was clear that her ego was being challenged and she simply had to prove to herself that SHE HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT IN LAW AND GOD DAMN IT SHE WILL!!

I recall becoming offended when people would tell me not to go into law. What, you don't think I'm smart enough, fucker? Yeah I know, I didn't get into a good undergrad nor did I get into a good law school, but I'm smart and dedicated and bla bla bla and due to family and societal pressure (plus not willing to deviate from my comfort zone) I went into a miserable and overly saturated field. 7 years ago I took the plunge. 7 years ago my gut screamed that this was not the best move and that there were other ways to make a decent living.  7 years later I'm ready to get the hell out. At least at the age of 30 it's not to late to start over and do something much more tolerable and enjoyable. Something that doesn't involve so many pissed off clients and deadlines and cutthroat saturation. I remember writing my first legal writing memo thinking to myself "holy shit this is atrociously boring" should have bailed at the end of my first semester. Could have would have should have. Only thing to do now is look forward and move on.

At least I was 24 when I started law school. This poor girl is 30 years old, still single (from what she said), is still somewhat attractive. Doesn't realize that her looks will plummet from this point forward as age and stress will get to her. Yet another woman puts her life on hold in pursuit of higher education and career dreams. Perhaps she feels undesirable now with her "lowly" 70k per year job. Little does she know how far more undesirable she will become with 4 more years added PLUS six figure debt. I almost wanted to scream "KEEP YOUR GOOD PAYING JOB, FIND A DECENT LOOKING JEWISH MAN, GET MARRIED HAVE YOUR BABIES AND LIVE PEACEFULLY EVER AFTER FOR FUCKS SAKES." Truth be told, if I wasn't a part of the wine event I probably would have said it.

High risk, high reward. No wonder so many narcissists are attracted and drawn into the legal profession. The glory of law with the victory of trial and the multi million dollar verdicts is what keeps the dream alive and well.  It's what kept me in the game as I too wanted the opportunity to shine in the court room and get that dizzying verdict. So enticing that society at large continues to be suckered by it's deceptive vanity. Surely many of you if you look deep down inside will see that the narcissist in you attracted you to the legal field. For those that see it's not the right move, if you can conquer your own worst enemy, that is the first step into making the right move for your life. It truly is amazing what some difficult and real introspection can do for your life. I find that I have been humbled by this experience and my once high expectations have been brought down to earth. People that I once sneered at to myself I now look at with awe and respect as they buy their first homes. Should have listended to all those attorneys that told me to stay away as they obviously knew more than me at the time. Of course, with my pride now dashed into pieces, it is apparent that I'm much more willing to lend an attentive ear to their proclamations.

Hope you all have a good week. Be back soon.





 

Getting the Hell out of Dodge

Hey guys! Been some time since I've last blogged but there's been quite a few developments in my life. I was at a boutique personal injury firm for 2 years where I must say I had a good experience. My boss and the staff were cool, the hours reasonable and the pay was decent. Unfortunately financial issues at the firm forced me to seek employment elsewhere.

 In December of 2012 I got a new job with a small firm with a wider practice area. I lasted an entire 7 weeks. My new boss was the quintiessential micromanaging narcissist lunatic lawyer. I noticed by the fourth week that something was seriously wrong with him. I got a call from defense counsel on a case and she stated to me "I never want to speak to that man ever again" (that man being my boss). I go to tell boss what she had to say about him and he fucking lost his head yelling "SIT DOWN" while in his office. Right then and there my body froze, my mind focusing on him like a red hot lazer. SIT DOWN. I thought to myself, what the fuck is this, kindergarden? SIT DOWN?! So, I sat, looking at him like I was ready to tell him to go fuck himself. He starts screaming at me "don't you ever talk to me like that again, if you want to keep working here, you will show me the respect! Don't you know that this is a top notch plaintiff's firm?" Ok. So the guy had a few million dollar cases in the past decade. He was middle average for the industry. I knew plenty of other plaintiff attorneys with far higher settlements and verdicts that WERE NOT lunatics. At that moment I realized that my time at this new office would be limited.

As the weeks went on more of his abusive personality came to fruition as my "grace period" was over. For example by the sixth week I was working late on Friday as he usually kept us late. Normally he would leave by 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. on weekday evenings but on Fridays he made sure to stay extra late. I personally believe he did this to fuck up our weekend because he himself had no life. That particular Friday he came in at 11:30 am so I knew it would be a long one. At 8:00 p.m. I tell him and his other associate (whom he treated like dogshit) goodnight and to have a good weekend. He gives me this look "leaving so soon? I guess you have a life." Monday morning he calls me in his office and berates me for leaving before him. Straight up tells me "I resent you leaving before me." At this point I realized that this asshole didn't want employees he wanted slaves. He was going to grind us for every penny he paid us. Sixty plus hour weeks plus one day on the weekend was not worth the money. I have too many friends making six figures that didn't work nearly as hard as I did. Throw in the constant ridicule, abuse, putdowns and critisism and I simply had enough.

My last week there he started throwing assignment after assignment on me. I literally had work for three people. It was too much. I started to get anxiety which I had never felt before. Oddly enough it would hit during my lunch hour (which frankly was an issue for him while the other associate would take his lunch break at 3:00 pm hurriedly while eating in his office). It was a Tuesday around 11:00 am. He threw numerous assignments at me which needed to be done ASAP (my ASAP list was growing rapidly at this point) and when he asked if the ASAP assignments we done to which I responded "Ï'm working on it" he rolled his eyes at me. At that point I said fuck this shit. I took my lunch, came back, wrote him a resignation email and bailed. Never looked back, didn't answer the three phone calls from the office. 6 weeks later I still feel tremendous relief from leaving that god awful hell hole. Thankfully I saved enough money and with part time employment I have more than enough to get by. I'd rather duke it out looking for work than deal with that shit. We only have one life, and without health we have nothing.

 The last week I was there my heart was pounding hard keeping me up late at night. I began questioning whether my "legal career" was worth my health being jeapordized. It wasn't and will never be. In life we have our dignity and only our dignity. I refuse to let any son of a bitch take my dignity away from me. Apparently personality types such as my prior employer are very common in the legal field. I have heard plenty of horror stories from defense associates how their bosses yell and scream at them, how they get abused by narcissist micromanagers. Obviously asshole employers exist in all fields but law is notorious for evil bastards like these. It's safe to assume that the glut of unemployed lawyers adds to this feeling bosses can treat their associates like scum. After all he would constantly reference the "thousands of unemployed attorneys." Ugh disgusting. At this point the question for me is whether I go back into the legal field or do I bail and do something else in my life. I worked as an associate for over 2 years and experienced first hand what an attorney does.

 Let me tell you that the work is utterly boring, you deal with asshole clients, plenty of asshole defense attorneys, but you also meet plenty of cool people too. I learned that I hate paperwork with a passion but I love talking to people. I really loved settling cases, the feeling of closing the file. The close. My gut is screaming that I need to get into sales. At the age of 30 I'm relatively young and can bounce out of law now before its too late. The saturation is beyond insane. Too many lawyers chasing too few cases. Let me tell you guys the small firms out there paying shit money probably can't pay much more anyways. The other day one of my friends got a job for $54,000.00 one year experience for marketing company. She has a BA and a little bit of experience. I got offered part time court appearance work for $15.00 per hour, gas money and parking NOT included. The interviewer said "look at all these resumes, plenty of desperate people out there will accept it." I LOL'd to myself thinking wow this profession is absolutely fucked. I'm so done with this. I'll be writing more often now that I have a bit more free time.

Wanted to throw a shout out to Law Prof with ITLSS. Thanks so much for your work! You really helped expose the scam to so many out there. Also wanted to say a few words of encouragement to those out there that are struggling. Don't quit. Do something, ANYTHING. Never sit idle. Make cards, give out cards, talk to people, go the law library, study anything you can. If you decide to bang it out in the legal profession good luck to you. If you choose to bail then do it with no regrets. Think of the law school investment as a failed investment. I happens. Fuck it. Mourn your loss and move on. Sometimes bad things happen, such as a car bomb that explodes outside a cafe killing and maiming dozens. The victims of the car bomb didnt ask to get blown into pieces but this is the world we live in. There are bad people out there that want to do harm. This is life and in life bad shit will happen. It unfortunately happened to us with the law school scam. Yes I am comparing the law school scam with a car bomb as the psychological pain is severe. So not cool suckering young people with super high expectations only to bring them down to shit, making less than people with AA degrees. Telling young people "you're going to be a winner" when in reality many will end up with soul crushing debt and jobless. I would not be surpised the emotional suffering is similar to the toil that survivors of a car bomb feel. We need to accept it and move on at some point. If you don't you will wallow in misery and depression and if you do allow that then they have TRULY WON. And why let them win? Fuck that. Go out there and kill it whatever you do, do it with passion and 100 percent effort. Do not accept failure we are still young and have a chance to do something. My parents neighbor failed the California bar exam 3 times, wallowed in depression, got into medical device sales and now lives in a $1.5 million home. Another litigator dropped out of law, got into corporate auto sales and now makes $250k per year. I will post more success stories as I find them.

Be back soon. Happy monday to everyone.

Subprime

Dealing with post graduation depression

Been quite some time since I've posted. Some massive changes have taken place since the spring and I've done quite a bit of soul searching. The answers that I found have been interesting and would like to share some of those with all of you. Despite the constant protests from the media whores we all very well understand that the real economy, and not the one demonstrated by the juiced up S&P 500 index, continues to languish in a modern day depression. An economy that the powers that be desperately want to sugarcoat and hide the truth from the people. Sadly, there are many out there that continue to believe that things are ok and that if only they were "smarter" or "better" that they would be in a better position than they find themselves in. This cognitive dissonance continues to wreak havoc in many homes across the nation. Last year I found myself completely engulfed in the rat race. Focusing my time and energy on all the wrong things. Found myself angry with my position in life. Frustrated, at my so called lack of progress. Putting myself down for not being in a better position financially than I "should" have been. All this misdirected focus and energy led to me not taking care of myself and my significant other. I let my personal relationships flounder and found myself isolated and alone. Depressed, basically. I vainly attempted to put on a brave face but truth be told I was fucking miserable when I shouldn't been. In my short term depression I found myself feeling something that I hadn't felt in a very long time. I gave up. I stopped caring. For the first time in recent memory I completely stopped giving fuck about anything. All the websites I used to frequent I effectively abandoned. Market dropped? Meh. The FED refrained from additional bond purchases? Who fucking cares. Obama leading in the polls? And what does that mean for me? And it was exactly at this point when I began to see what little things I had. When you lose something dear to you, only then, can you truly appreciate what you DO have. For the first time in a long time I valued and appreciated my health. So what did I do? I hit the ground running, literally. I lost 25 pounds and am in the best shape of my life. Began to appreciate the fact that I had a job. Started taking better care of my files. Took better pride in my job. Started reconnecting with old friends again and made new ones in the process. Basically, a healthier appreciation of life. Am I in the financial position that I "should" be in? I don't know anymore. It is what it is. I know there are others that are doing better while there are others that are doing way worse. I no longer use this metric anymore. Now, I focus on ME. The things that I can control. I don't have any control over what this person or that persons life entails. But I DO have control over what happens in my life. I can control whether I eat a fatty fucking double cheeseburger or a fish salad. I can control whether I take the time to contemplate some excellent interrogatories on a slip and fall case or I can sit there being miserable that I'm in the trenches and not in some biglaw firm. I can control whether I sit on my ass for four hours straight or go for a nice 30 minute run and burn off excess calories. And for those of us that can go for that run, we should appreciate the fact that we CAN in fact run whereas so many others can't due to physical ailments. I know plenty of folks that are victims of the law school scam. Some are happy, others are indifferent, others are fucking miserable. The miserable ones tend to have something in common: they keep focusing on what OTHERS have. This guy is a cop and makes X, or this girl is a union worker and makes Y. Guess what, you chose otherwise. Snap out of it and DEAL with it otherwise your entire life will flash by and before you know you will be 50 years old, except this time even more miserable then you were before. So whenever you are feeling down about your lot in life, take a step back and appreciate the things you do have. Because before you know, what little you do have can be taken away from you. Stop focusing on what others have and focus on yourself. The struggle is immense but at least by fighting, by doing something about it, you give yourself the opportunity to make something happen. And if you fail try again. And in the end, if you do fail, at least you know you did the best you could. And if you succeed, then hopefully I'll see you one day on the slopes at Mammoth Mountain :) Peace

A Message to Recent Graduates

Specifically the class of 2011. Many of you right now are probably in a panic, especially for those that have passed the bar and been admitted. I know the feeling and it blows. We're coming up on April 2012 and its been nearly a year since graduation. The black hole of the job search continues as resume after resume gets sent with no reply. Nothing. Once in a while a computer generated response of receipt and that's about it. The frustration can be maddening. I know the feeling and went through the experience myself. It took me 19 months post graduation to get the job. At the near end I practically gave up. But out of stubbornness I'd continue to send out resumes until something bit. Here are some tips for you unemployed or underemployed grads.

For California grads, and the same applies generally nation wide, GO TO COURT. I cannot stress how important this is. Go to any superior court and check out the calendars outside the department. There are trials going on all the time. Watch how the juries get selected, opening argument, expert witness testimony and cross examination. Even something as stupid as getting medical records admitted has tripped up many new grads and some mid term vets. Even regular hearings such as case management conferences, trial setting conferences, hearings on motions such as demurrers, MSJs and motion to compel. You can learn plenty just by watching.

Many of these trials are short and to the point. Auto accident cases are the best because they are easy but can show you all the basics. And you get to watch the plaintiff and defense doctors come to the exact opposite conclusions LOL. Liability cases with an accident reconstruction expert would be the best.

At this point, as an unemployed grad you don't have too many options other than sending resumes or sulking in your room/basement/bridge. Simply going to court, watching and taking good notes can show you how the system works. It's a shame that law school doesn't require ANY court participation whatsoever. What better training than to watch live?? Rather, they are too busy spouting the same shit they've been teaching for the last 30 yrs instead of actually trying to teach students real legal skills.

The sad reality is that more than half of these recent grads will place in full time jobs. Many will be part time and the remainder will work in "business" or "industry" which means retail, sales, busboy, cab driver, etc. For those that want to give the law a shot should take my advice and check out the courts.

peace

Sharp Drop in LSAT Takers for Second Year Now

This is great news. Thanks again David Segal.

From the New York Times:

The organization behind the Law School Admission Test reported that the number of tests it administered this year dropped by more than 16 percent, the largest decline in more than a decade.

The Law School Admission Council reported that the LSAT was given 129,925 times in the 2011-12 academic year. That was well off the 155,050 of the year before and far from the peak of 171,514 in the year before that. In all, the number of test takers has fallen by nearly 25 percent in the last two years.

The decline reflects a spreading view that the legal market in the United States is in terrible shape and will have a hard time absorbing the roughly 45,000 students who are expected to graduate from law school in each of the next three years. And the problem may be deep and systemic.

Many lawyers and law professors have argued in recent years that the legal market will either stagnate or shrink as technology allows more low-end legal work to be handled overseas, and as corporations demand more cost-efficient fee arrangements from their firms.

That argument, and news that so many new lawyers are struggling with immense debt, is changing the way law school is perceived by undergrads. Word is getting through that law school is no longer a safe place to sit out an economic downturn — an article of faith for years — and that strong grades at an above-average school no longer guarantees a six-figure law firm job.

“For a long time there has been this culturally embedded perception that if you go to law school, it will be worth the money,” said Kyle McEntee of Law School Transparency, a legal education policy organization. “The idea that law school is an easy ticket to financial security is finally breaking down.”

Law schools have also suffered through some withering press in the last couple of years. Some blogs, most of them written by unemployed or underemployed graduates, have accused law schools of enticing students with shady data. Attention has focused on a crucial statistic: the percentage of graduates who are employed nine months after graduation.

In recent months, class-action lawsuits have been filed against more than a dozen law schools, charging that students were snookered into enrolling by postgraduate employment figures that were vastly, and fraudulently, inflated. Even if law schools are able to defeat these lawsuits — and many legal scholars anticipate they will — the media attention has been bruising. Steve Schwartz, an LSAT tutor, said the new LSAT figures were not a surprise, given the steady decline in the number of students seeking one-on-one tutoring.

“This is a major turn of events,” he wrote of the newly reported test numbers on his LSAT Blog, “The tide is turning, folks.”

For some law schools, the dwindling number of test-takers represents a serious long-term challenge.

“What I’d anticipate is that you’ll see the biggest falloff in applications in the bottom end of the law school food chain,” said Andrew Morriss of the University of Alabama School of Law. “Those schools are going to have significant difficulty because they are dependent on tuition to fund themselves and they’ll either have to cut class size to maintain standards, or accept students with lower credentials.”

If they take the second course, Mr. Morriss said, it would hurt the school three years later because there is a strong correlation between poor performance on the LSAT and poor performance on the bar exam. If students start failing the bar, then the prestige of the school will drop, which would mean lowering standards even more. “At that point,” Mr. Morriss said, “the school is risking a death spiral.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/business/for-lsat-sharp-drop-in-popularity-for-second-year.html?_r=1