Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Talk is Cheap


One might say that the scamblogs have said all there is to say about the law school scam. The core issues are clear. Twice as many graduates as there are jobs. Tuition through the roof, and salaries nowhere near sufficient to cover the debt. An utter lack of practical training, and professors and administrators who are living in cloud cuckoo land. Law firms taking advantage of the mess and exploiting the workforce. The facts are crystal clear. You get it.

And reading some of the comments from earlier, I get it too. The last thing we need is more talk, yet another scamblog that says the same old thing that we’ve all heard before. While there are issues that still need to be covered, such as upcoming rankings, employment stats, progress with the law school lawsuits, and keeping a firm set of eyes on the 2013 enrolment season, I propose that we take a different track.  Something more active.

Let me be clear from the outset – I do not advocate civil disobedience.  But I do advocate getting the message out as widely as we can by whatever means we have at our disposal.  Actually physically getting the message out.  Getting off our backsides and doing more than posting disapproving and concerned comments online.

So, what are our options?  What are some things that we could easily accomplish?  Here’s something to start with, something so simple that it wouldn’t be a burden for any supporter of law school reform.

We have a vast resource available, a valuable, focused resource – you. Many of you are current students, either law or undergraduate. And you are in the best position to stop this scam before it even starts. You are in daily contact with those who have yet to make the terrible decision of attending law school, and you are in daily contact with those who are just starting law school and who still have time to leave. So why not leverage this resource?

I’m not expecting you to do much. I don’t expect you to picket LSAT tests or admitted student days at law schools (although that would be nice, and would generate some publicity and coverage – maybe later.)  I’m proposing that we start off slow. A flyer. Something that anyone (everyone) here can download and print, carry a few copies around in their bookbags, backpacks and briefcases, and pin up on college noticeboards next to the LSAT prep flyers and law school posters. Something that can be pinned up on law school noticeboards, again and again and again and again, until the administration gets sick of throwing them out. Something that once a week could be tucked into the pre-law guides that every college has in its library, or in the new pre-law books and LSAT study guides in Barnes and Noble. Something that will reach the eyes of those who try to ignore us or don't know where to find us.

It’s a small start, but it’s a start.  It’s the first step to getting us comfortable with the idea that sitting down behind a computer screen is no longer sufficient. Tapping away at a keyboard cannot fight the law school machine.

I’d be interested in hearing some ideas for what the flyer should look like and what information it should contain. Single sheet of paper, something people can see as they walk past, something to sow the seed of doubt or encourage a little research. Let’s say we have room for a large title, plus five bullet points. What should they be? Want to design it and send me a pdf to post here? And if you've got better ideas, share!

Again, this is just a start. I’d like to see this blog develop into a coherent group of activists who are ultimately willing to form a national group that looks out for law applicant, law student and recent JD graduate rights and interests. Perhaps that’s thinking too big for now. Perhaps it’s not thinking big enough.

And as an aside, I appreciate all of the visitors and the commenters this blog has received so far. It’s a rough time for all of us, but we can regroup and we can take this to the next level. I hope you’ll join us for the long haul.

15 comments:

  1. If you are familiar with the anti-gay "It Gets Better" campaign which uses personal stories on you-tube, you know how powerful an individual's story can be. How about an "It Gets Worse" campaign with personal stories? Propesctive law students need to know it could happen to them. At 22 with a good (grade inflated) GPA and a high LSAT they feel invincible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like that idea. A lot. From the perspective of a flyer, that would be a good, short title. Bold letters, draw people in. My only concerns is whether it would be appropriate to piggyback off such an important message? Thoughts on this?

      My film production abilities are zero, but that would be a powerful short film to make. I doubt there would be a lack of willing participants who would tell their stories. Beyond my skills, but I'd back it in any way I could.

      Delete
    2. Ask and ye shall receive...

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y05HnXomG88

      Delete
    3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahLdlmKAyGA

      Delete
    4. Agree with OTLSS - the title would not go over well. But I'm sure an equally snappy title could be found for the same project, and it's a wonderful idea.

      Delete
  2. "I’m not expecting you to do much. I don’t expect you to picket LSAT tests or admitted student days at law schools (although that would be nice, and would generate some publicity and coverage – maybe later.) I’m proposing that we start off slow. A flyer. Something that anyone (everyone) here can download and print, carry a few copies around in their bookbags, backpacks and briefcases, and pin up on college noticeboards next to the LSAT prep flyers and law school posters. Something that can be pinned up on law school noticeboards, again and again and again and again, until the administration gets sick of throwing them out. Something that once a week could be tucked into the pre-law guides that every college has in its library, or in the new pre-law books and LSAT study guides in Barnes and Noble. Something that will reach the eyes of those who try to ignore us or don't know where to find us.

    It’s a small start, but it’s a start. It’s the first step to getting us comfortable with the idea that sitting down behind a computer screen is no longer sufficient. Tapping away at a keyboard cannot fight the law school machine...."

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    http://mlkshk.com/p/KM1S

    ReplyDelete
  3. Getting to them in college is key. I don't know how many pre-law counselors are aware of the terrible employment prospects. But they should be. So should pre-law societies.

    Link to TLS Choosing a Law School or What Are My Chances forums. There are posters there putting in a lot of work each day telling people not to go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a good one. I am planning on contacting the pre-law adviser at my undergrad; he didn't know much and in hindsight I really needed someone to question my resolve to go to law school.

      Delete
  4. This is GIGS from JDU, here to express support.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to have you here. This could be a struggle, but it would be a shame to lose the community that had built up around ITLSS.

      Delete
  5. I think the flyer could do a lot of good if the message is tailored well. Here's my problem; I've never been affected by the scam personally, but my job sometimes involves talking to young people about their options for paying for college - so maybe once or twice a month, I wind up with a kid in front of me saying they want to go to law school. I've yet to figure out what I could say to them that would help at all, within the bounds of a brief professional interaction. A lot of them are from low-income families, so I guess law is their dream ticket. I feel like I need a fairly neutral way of steering them into learning about the scam, but it's a rare enough conversation that I've not yet figured out a routine for it. Advice would be welcome.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think that whenever you come into contact with an 0L you need to tell them to run. I have been doing that already.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like "What Are My Chances?" in big letters. That will get people's attention as they walk by or glance at a flyer. Then 5 or 6 line items with punchy, cited facts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like this approach. It sounds genuine without being pushy or overtly negative.

      Delete
    2. That could be a good headline for the flyer.

      I'll work something up and post it in the next few days.

      Delete