ABA Pledges to Force Law Schools to Release More Jobs Data

The American Bar Association is pledging that it will force law schools to release more information about how their graduates fare at finding jobs. The pledge comes amid criticism from recent law graduates (some of whom are suing law schools) and some members of Congress that law schools deceive prospective students by counting as "employed" those who are working part-time or in temporary jobs or in jobs paid for by the law school. The ABA said that it will now require law schools to report information directly to the association, and that it will require detailed reports, including for each graduate: employment status, employment type, employment location, salary, whether a position is short-term or long-term, and whether a position is funded by the law school. The ABA also plans -- once it completes work on various definitions -- to require reporting on whether jobs in which graduates are employed are positions for which a law degree or bar passage is required. This reflects criticism that, if prospective students knew how many law graduates ended up in jobs for which a law degree was not necessary, some might not enroll (and take out considerable loans to do so).