What would you consider a diploma mill?

[apriori]

Harvard.

Seriously, 600 lawyers a year?  F-A-C-T-O-R-Y.

[1654134681665465]

Ha, Cooley-3,000+ part time law students?  Of course they are ranked in the tope ten in the country. 

[Booyakasha2]

The University of San Francisco has been accredited since 1935.  There are a lot of schools through which there are pretty good job prospects.  You can make good money without working in a big law firm.  My friend's Dad went to Southwestern (which is by no means a national school), but he makes a lot of money.  A lot depends on how hard you work and the chances that you are willing to take.  Sometimes working for a really small firm pays off, because you can make a greater share of the profits once business picks up. 

Well the thing is, the legal market is very diff now.  Back then, there was no USNews, uber duber Biglaw (4000+ gloabal firms), and most importantly, tutition was CHEAP.  Even public schools these days are 25k or so.  Furthermore, TTT/TTTT are JUST AS expensive as a T14.  I would seriously pick a diff career choice if i had to go to a TTT/TTTT anywhere near full price.  Just isnt worth it. 

[1654134681665465]

Another way of thinking about it is that 3rd and 4th tier schools (although usually expensive-especially in California) make it possible for people with poor grades and LSAT scores to still go to law school.  Those schools aren't prestigious, but if you have the money then you can become a lawyer. 

[SuicideNixon]

Another way of thinking about it is that 3rd and 4th tier schools (although usually expensive-especially in California) make it possible for people with poor grades and LSAT scores to still go to law school.  Those schools aren't prestigious, but if you have the money then you can become a lawyer. 

but that was always the case, because you had 30,000 or fewer applicants for law school rather than 150,000. even 15 years ago harvard was easy as *&^% to get into. all you needed were some decent grades and the equivalent of a 165+ lsat

ultimately no law school is worth the $$$ though. investment banking

[Booyakasha2]

Another way of thinking about it is that 3rd and 4th tier schools (although usually expensive-especially in California) make it possible for people with poor grades and LSAT scores to still go to law school.  Those schools aren't prestigious, but if you have the money then you can become a lawyer. 

They make is possible to go to LS?...so basically make it possible for people to stroke their egos?  Those who want to be a lawyer no matter what, just to be able to say "im a lawyer" are fools and deserve to get ass raped by these diploma mills.

[1654134681665465]

I don't know if they want to go to stroke their egos or if they have just always wanted to become a lawyer. 

[devingymnast]

Sad to watch the legal profession turn on $$$$ and cents - that's not what law should be about, but there's no changing that on a widespread scale today.

[devingymnast]

Engineering social justice.
Ensuring access to comprehensive legal representation.
EDIT: Doing law for law's sake and its intrinsic interest / value, not for the instrumental means to $$$.

I'm not saying all lawyers should be paid $40k a year, and I'm not saying all lawyers should be doing public interest / pro bono. But the degree to which people are scared about $80k versus $125k is kind of obscene - that's a sh*tload of money either way. That's also not to say that individuals shouldn't pursue $$$ as a goal either - but it seems like that's the entire focus rather than the study of an amazing area of influence and potential for growth (law).

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread.

[devingymnast]

Social justice in the meta-sense of improving the legal field and contributing to a more internally and externally consistent legal system.

Don't take my comments on $$$ seriously - I'm very biased. I've grown up on $17k in a three-person household my entire life. I don't even know what I would do with $50k, let alone something with 6 digits.

And I think it's fine (good, even) that people pursue law with a passion to make the most $$$ they can, just as long as they are willing to meaningfully contribute to the profession itself as well and not exclusively in it for the $$$ (see social justice in the meta-sense above).