(with apologies to Schoolhouse Rock!, "3 is a Magic Number")
...yes it is, it's a tragic blunder.
Somewhere in the past, around 1963
A J.D. was a path to wonders.
But Law Schools, student loans and the CSOs,
Bar exams and student overflow,
CLEs, bar fees and the E&O
Say a J.D. is a tragic blunder.
It takes a J.D. to file a motion
Or to change old laws into new.
It takes a J.D. to code through the ocean
of doc review.
But every client expects your work for free,
Every law firm partner wants PPP,
Nothing for you!
What can you do?
When a J.D., you see,
Is a tragic blunder.
There’s a man, there’s a woman, workin’ on a J.D.,
Yes, they did.
They each had J.D.s in their families,
And that's a tragic blunder.
(count the debt!)
3-6-9, 12-15-18, 21-24-27, 30k.
(2L year!)
3-6-9, 12-15-18, 21-24-27, 30k.
(add it again!)
Three time ten is 30k, three times nine is 27,
Three times eight is 24, three times seven is 21,
Three times six is 18, three times five is 15,
Three times four is twelve,
And three times three is nine, and three times two is six,
And three times one, for school fees, of course…!
That's why a J.D.....is a tragic blunder....
If you want to see something sad, look at some of the "Law School welcomes the Class of 2016" posts on various LS official websites.
ReplyDeleteThese incoming classes have lots of high-achieving students with diverse backgrounds (which the law schools are naturally proud to boast about). Several incoming classes are photographed as a group in a beautiful campus setting. The first-years all look young, serious and full of hope -- dressed in brand new suits and business dresses, and freshly-scrubbed and well-groomed with shiny teeth and neat haircuts. You can tell that they are ready to take on the world. They think that they are already lawyers. In a few years they probably think they will be working on high-profile cases for the DOJ, or flying around the capitals of the world doing International Corporate Law, or trying cases like they have seen on the Boston Law tv show.
Alas, in three and a half years nearly all of them will be in the unemployment line or working in some low-level job that has nothing to with law, just to pay the bills.
Nobody wants them. Society has no place for them. Nobody in the real world cares about their achievements, awards and experience -- it's all just filler on a resume that will be going straight into the trashbin.
So many students think that the world owes them something for working hard and racking up achievements. High achievement means nothing if you aren't providing a service that someone else wants (and can pay for). Ours society only wants (or can only pay for) the services of half the lawyers in the country. All the education and accomplishments of the other half are meaningless in this career field.
DeleteOh, and the J.D. is unlikely to help in most other fields, contrary to what the law schools claim.
Agreed. The scamblogging movement has had a major impact but there are still decades of tv and movie propoganda about legal careers to overcome, plus the enormous cultural capital which law schools still enjoy.
DeleteIts not just law schools either. Lots of students in architecture schools, culinary schools etc are also getting scammed. Many people esp. on the left (and I say this as someone with leftist views on a number of issues) believe that government should fund whatever higher ed people want regardless of outcomes. I recently commented on the student loan scam at lawyersgunsandmoney + provoked indignant responses on the idea of basic student loan underwriting.
There is still some distance left to go.
+1
DeleteI find it tragic that the new suits, excitement, newfound confidence, and hard work purchase such meager rewards for most of the students. It's a twisted crime to destroy human beings by deceiving them and tossing their hopes in a garbage dump.
DeleteMy home is an easy hike from a "Tier 1" state university, but I didn't have the heart to hand out notices to the new victims this year. I hope they enjoy their first year; it's what comes afterward that causes them so much grief. I've seen it happen to some fine kids who didn't compete quite hard enough...Right now I'm thinking of targeting the undergrads, giving them enough facts to save them from crushing debt and disgusting work conditions. I wish I had the money and energy to do more.
Look up debt peonage - this is an old and persistent evil which keeps popping up over and over throughout history. Through education debt the American government has inadvertently managed to re-create most of the features of it.
DeleteGrossly overcharging an ill-informed, captive market for some vital good or service, such that it can only be purchased by debt - check
Making the debt non-dischargeable - check
The debtor's income is too low to service this debt putting them into perpetual debt - check
All that's required is to go the final step and condemn the student debtors to indentured servitude (IBR not really qualifying).
This spectacle is especially sad at Tier 1 (sub T-14) schools where the incoming students think they already won by getting into a "top tier" school. What they learn by 2L summer is that anything outside the T-14 is the hunger games.
DeleteI prefer Maurice's stuff to be honest.
ReplyDeleteYour audience is too young to remember Schoolhouse Rock and hence no comments.
ReplyDeleteMaybe more appropriate is the old Schoolhouse Rock video about the Bill who is only a Bill and standing on Capitol Hill.
As in, a bill granting relief to millions of suffering student loan debtors:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72e1cR2i3ag
Delete"I'm just a shill
Yes, I'm just one big shill
And I'm sitting here on Law School Hill
Well, it's a grand, fun journey
To a firm in the city
It's a big, big thrill
While some are saying things are shitty
But I say you’ll be employed someday
(At least I hope and pray that you will)
So today I just sit here and shill
I like these lyrics better than the original.
ReplyDeleteHere is the charming song and segment for those too young to remember.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU4pyiB-kq0