Law school applications and enrollment are at record levels at both Roger Williams Law School and the Southern New England School of Law. The high attraction could likely be attributed to a bad economy, the recent spate of corporate scandals and a surging interest in the profession by a generation weaned on law-related TV shows.
About 1,550 people applied for acceptance to Roger Williams Law School in Bristol this fall – a 25 percent jump from last year and double the amount of people who applied to the law school in 1999.
Though the exact enrollment number won’t be available until school starts in a couple of weeks, Roger Williams Law School is expecting its new class to be about 225 students.
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“Our admission and enrollment remains the same – we’re not looking to increase the size of our class, we’ve been consistent with the last couple of classes we’ve had. Our applications, on the other hand, are through the roof,” said Michael Boylen, director of admissions for Roger Williams Law School. “That has led to a dramatic increase in the quality of our students.”
At the Southern New England School of Law in North Dartmouth, Mass., about 115 first-year law students will begin classes in a couple of weeks – the largest class in the history of the law school. There were 93 students in last year’s entering class.
The law school has also experienced a 50 percent jump in applications in the last two years, said Robert Ward, dean of Southern New England School of Law.
Nationwide, 89,200 people applied to law schools last year, which is 17.4 percent more than the year before. Of those applicants, 56,500 were admitted to a law school, which is 9.1 percent more than the year prior, according to the Law School Admissions Council.
“Most law schools in the country have been experiencing an increase in enrollment, and this is the third year of that increase,” said Ward. “Law school admissions tend to go up when the economy is down.
“I assume also that there has been a heightened interest in the law because of all the corporate scandals. Perhaps, people who used to apply to business schools are now recognizing what we’ve been saying, that one can run a business with a law degree, but you’re also a lawyer so you’re less likely to go to jail.”
The spike in law school enrollment also coincides with a surging population of children of baby boomers who have graduated college and are seeking careers, said Boylen. This population has a less negative view of lawyers and the profession than prior generations, he said.
“This generation was socialized on very legally oriented television shows, in a massive way,” said Boylen. “‘Law and Order,’ ‘The Practice,’ ‘Ally McBeal.’ I’m not saying those shows are the main reason, but it’s one factor. This generation of students coming out of college, when polled, have a much higher respect for attorneys. The field is not seen as negatively as it once was.”
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