October 16, 2011

Law Schools on the Defensive Over Job-Placement Data

Other professional schools wonder if they'll be next to hear demands about career prospects

Crisis of Confidence in Law Schools 1

Ann Schertz, Indiana University

"Most schools did only what the ABA ... required" in reporting data on graduates' jobs, says William D. Henderson, a law professor at Indiana U.

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close Crisis of Confidence in Law Schools 1

Ann Schertz, Indiana University

"Most schools did only what the ABA ... required" in reporting data on graduates' jobs, says William D. Henderson, a law professor at Indiana U.

By Katherine Mangan

Kyle McEntee graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in May with $150,000 in debt and a pit in his stomach. After passing the bar in North Carolina, his home state, he began applying for the few jobs he found posted but was competing with laid-off lawyers with at least a year or two of experience.

"Everyone I talked to was beaten down and depressed about their job prospects," he says.

Today Mr. McEntee's career is on something of a roll, but hardly in the way he'd