Law Space Match Blog

With the road paved for sharing office space, attorneys seek options for finding suitable space with great amenities and a place for exchanging expertise with other like-minded professionals. A typical sublease may be feasible, allowing attorneys the avoidance of "dark space" for an extended period of time; however, other space sharing arrangements are available. While subleasing law office space means space that has been leased by a tenant and is being offered for lease back to the market by the tenant with the lease obligation, sometimes a sublease is not the answer.

Got Law Space? At least be thoughtful about it.

Sharing law space is a great way to cut costs. Creative lawyers are approaching law firms and groups of lawyers already sharing space and cutting that pie of office space in various pieces which represent benefits for the law firm and the mobile attorney. By presenting space sharing proposals that cater exactly to the needs of the attorney seeking space, it is a win/win situation. Perhaps an attorney only needs a conference room to meet with clients or conduct attorney team discussions. Instead of seeking virtual office space from generic office suites, attorneys are approaching other attorneys with law offices located nearby clients or their home. And those attorneys receiving those creative space sharing arrangements who are business minded are accepting those proposals - after satisfactory due diligence of course.

It's good for you; it's good for me.

Atlanta office vacancy still exists and Atlanta lawyers, as well as lawyers in nine other states are posting and listing empty office space on www.lawspacematch.com. Lawyers should be flexible in providing office sharing arrangements as long as they are comfortable with the lawyers sharing conference rooms and standing at the copy machine. Sharing law space means finding a good match. Resources are shared: whether an actual office is subleased or a conference room once a month is provided. Further benefits include: networking, networking, networking, which is a fruit of this synergy. There is always the potential client referral coming from that attorney using the conference room to an attorney granting law space who specializes in an area of law. Or vice versa. Also, costs are reduced: creative attorneys may offer an a la carte approach to the needed services sought for the mobile attorney or a flat rate per week or month. It is a no lose situation.

The mission of www.lawspacematch.com is to assist the legal profession by creating a web site targeted for attorneys in transition and law firms with empty office space. Immediate opportunities for attorneys desiring relocation may be found with criteria-based custom searches or views by zip codes. It's simple. And its FREE to post or search for law space. Law firms post available office space; attorneys search and find space while simultaneously posting their professional profiles on our site. www.LawSpaceMatch.com is a matching site like no other and benefits both the law firms and the attorneys by directly connecting these two parties.

See Also: The Business of Law, Law Firms with Unused Offices,

LawSpaceMatch has a new listing ideal for civil trial attorneys! Located on 1201 Peachtree Street, this space features a receptionist, conference room, a covered parking deck and a great view of nearby Ansley Park. An established trial firm owns the space, and there are several offices available. This is a fantastic opportunity for a solo practitioners to work amongst reputable, knowledgeable colleagues in a professional environment. If interested, create your free attorney profile and contact Kari Beebe for more information!

See Also: Atlanta Office Space Vacancies, Law Firms with Unused Offices

LawSpaceMatch is now officially represented coast to coast; we have added a listing in California! Plug and Play Executive Suites is a Newport Beach area listing that offers a live receptionist, internet, phone lines, and access to conferences around the world from the get go. Check them out! You can also browse locations in Atlanta andNew York, among others.

LawSpaceMatch has been expanding! We now have law spaces listed in 9 different states, from Georgia to New York to Colorado. Do you live in Manhattan and are looking for free office space? We now have listings for New York City office suites on Lexington Avenue in the heart of Manhattan. All you have to do is click on the office listing and you are given a direct telephone number to contact the owner of the real estate. It is completely free - all you have to do is take five minutes to create an attorney profile. We are very excited about these new additions to our database of office space listings, and expect that even more expansion is soon to follow. As more and more people are finding out, acquiring an office space to practice law should not be a stressful, cat and mouse affair. It should be quick, streamlined and simple, and LawSpaceMatch provides the perfect medium for the process.

See Also: Law Firms with Unused Offices, Atlanta Office Space Vacancies

LawSpaceMatch.com is the perfect online service for newly graduated law students who are thinking of starting their own solo practice or small groups of graduates who want to hang out their own shingle. The purpose of LawSpaceMatch is to help attorneys looking for office space find law firms with available space. It is a match.com for lawyers seeking shared office space.

The founder of LawSpaceMatch, a Mercer Law graduate, Elaine M. Russell was looking for a new office space for her solo corporate law practice in Atlanta, Georgia. After a frustrating search, yielding no website or source that connected her with open office space, she resorted to a door to door search for office space. Since pounding the pavement was not the best use of resources or time, Elaine developed LawSpaceMatch to save other attorneys from having to do the same legwork.

This online service is free and easy to use and accessible to attorneys and firms with office space needs. Law firms with space to rent or sublet can post these listings and upload photographs on the website. Attorneys search for law office space that would match their needs. Since the online service covers all regions of the country, it enables solo practitioners in transition to hang a shingle in a different state or find a partner in a different part of the city or state to with which to share space.

Lawyers and law students may also post their professional profile. Since attorneys are able to view each others professional profiles, finding attorneys with similar practice areas with whom to share space is easier. Whether you are a new solo practitioner or a current practitioner looking to start a new practice, www.LawSpaceMatch.com can help you save time, space, and ultimately money. This website is free to use.

Check out blog.LawSpaceMatch.com. Mercer law student Sarah Phaff has posted on the blog along with many others. If you are interested in contributing a blog post, please contact elaine@lawspacematch.com.

Also check out the podcast

Contributed by: Sarah Phaff, 2L via Mercer Law Free Press

See Also: A View From Law Students, Law Firms with Unused Offices, Atlanta Office Space Vacancies

Another Atlanta law firm has made the decision to move from its current office space, negotiating a new lease at Midtown's 24-story Proscenium Building. Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP has been operating its law offices in The Bank of America Plaza since the 1990's, during an Atlanta law firm exodus from downtown. A move for this law firm after over ten years means better lease terms are certainly available in Atlanta with excess law space. Rob Binion's (of LaVista Associates, Inc.) theory of "flight to qualify" may have been a factor in Paul Hasting's lease negotiations.

Whether or not Paul Hastings tries to negotiate certain concessions from its current landlord or seeks a different level of quality at the Proscenium Building, the bottom line is law firms are taking the end of the lease term very seriously; lease costs hit the law firm's bottom line. While the deal may have taken a good part of the past year, Paul Hastings seems to be shrinking its space in this sluggish commercial real estate market; its lawyers and staff are located in approximately 100,000 square feet. A new lease could save Paul Hastings $3.00 to $5.00 a foot, according to certain sources. Will The Bank of America Plaza retain its tenant, Paul Hastings, the 22nd largest law firm in Atlanta, with 68 attorneys and 115 total staff (it has 18 offices worldwide and more than 1,000 attorneys) or will the price and/or the quality offered at the Proscenium Building lure this law firm to its new law offices?

As we mentioned in a prior blog dated November 13, 2011, the owners of office buildings in Atlanta have their own headaches. The Bank of America Plaza was purchased by BentleyForbes Group, LLC from Atlanta-based Cousins Properties in 2006. Sources indicate that BentleyForbes has talked with its lenders for debt considerations hinting that the owner is seeking more favorable or workable terms.

While Paul Hastings has not signed on the dotted line, with its Bank of America Plaza lease expiring in 2012, it seems likely that Paul Hastings will entertain options for its leased law space. Paul Hastings joins Arnall, Golden, Gregory, LLP and Buckhead's Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, a few of the largest law firms when considering a new lease deal this year.

Notes: Atlanta Business Chronicle, October 28 through November 3, 2011.

See Also: Law Firms with Unused Offices, A View From Law Students, The LawSpaceMatch Official Podcast

According to a recent report from Grubb & Ellis Company, the 144.4 million-square-foot Atlanta office market in the third-quarter 2011 has a 22.9% vacancy level. The reasons appear to be related to slow growth, undercapitalized ownership and starving landlords.

Class A office space in the metropolitan Atlanta area decreased 9 percent to $22.62 per square foot during the quarter, and Class B rates dropped 2 percent to $14.48. The inventory of available sublease space decreased to roughly 3.6 million square feet in the third quarter, according to Grubb & Ellis Company, a drop of approximately 315,000 square feet on the previous quarter. Why the continued vacancy rate? For starters, there is a drop in rental rates due to unemployment. (In the legal sector, July, 2011 brought an increase in unemployment claims for Georgia lawyers.) Secondly, tenants are not renegotiating leases and moving to new office space. Principal Dan Granot of Joel & Granot Real Estate, LLC noted that "some submarkets have been head-and-shoulders above others in terms of recovery, but I do not know if what we are seeing are the results of true absorption or just a game of 'musical chairs' playing out." Atlanta tenants are supporting the trend of moving from older office space to newer office space where they can seek higher quality. The legal profession is no exception. For instance, the law firm Fisher & Phillips moved from a prominent Buckhead space to a Midtown space, siting new quality accommodations which supports Rob Binion's (associate broker at LaVista Associates, Inc.) theory that 2011 "has proven to be a year of "flight to quality". According to Binion, a flight-to-quality trend is most evident in the Class A sector of the Buckhead market, "with the overwhelming share of positive absorption for the entire city occurring in here - at the expense of Class B buildings in Buckhead and every other submarket in town".

In March, 2011, we posted an article noting law firms' reactions to landlord's response to lease renewals. Decline of concessions or re-negotiations of the lease was highlighted. The climate has not changed. Lack of incentives for providing incentives for beneficial lease renewal terms and thereby, helping prevent law firms from exiting current law office space is not necessarily derived from Atlanta landlords. Binion seems to uncover one of the reasons why landlords have been unable to provide appropriate concessions to retain law firms: owners of these buildings have no capital available to pay for lease-up expenses, such as marketing, advertising, tenant improvement allowances to commissions and credit checks. If owners and/or venture capitalists holding (equity or debt) in Atlanta office buildings have dry coffers, the sluggish recovery will continue. Simply, there are no funds available for needed improvements and marketing techniques. According to Binion, the " flight to quality" will accelerate. This leaves the owners of older Class B and C buildings effectively pulling themselves out of the leasing market until more funds are available to provide necessary factors or retaining tenants.

Metro Atlanta landlords will have to remain aggressive in order to compete at least through 2012, according to Russ Jobson, Senior Vice President and Principal in Colliers International (Atlanta office). The decline of the recovery of the Atlanta office market sector directly influences the sublease submarket. If tenants cannot negotiate better deal terms for even a short term lease, their option for subleasing their space is a viable option. Additional "dark space" is not an option for profitable law firms. Atlanta law firms and other law firms around the country are turning to www.lawspacematch.com, an exclusive site for lawyers posting their empty law space and sharing law space with lawyers. On the other hand, if the "flight to quality" continues, according to Binion's theory, law firms may relocate to a space which more appropriately accommodates the number of lawyers currently employed.

Notes: Atlanta Business Chronicle, Commercial Real Estate Section, November 4-10, 2011.

See Also: Law Firms with Unused Offices, Persistence of the Economic Downturn Forces a New Legal Landscape , Law Firms - Don't Use Your Empty Offices For Storage - It's a Waste

LawSpaceMatch.com is the perfect online service for newly graduated law students who are thinking of starting their own solo practice or small groups of graduates who want to hang out their own shingle. The purpose of LawSpaceMatch is to help attorneys looking for office space find law firms with available space. It is a match.com for lawyers seeking shared office space.

The founder of LawSpaceMatch, a Mercer Law graduate, Elaine M. Russell was looking for a new office space for her solo corporate law practice in Atlanta, Georgia. After a frustrating search, yielding no website or source that connected her with open office space, she resorted to a door to door search for office space. Since pounding the pavement was not the best use of resources or time, Elaine developed LawSpaceMatch to save other attorneys from having to do the same legwork.

This online service is free and easy to use and accessible to attorneys and firms with office space needs. Law firms with space to rent or sublet can post these listings and upload photographs on the website. Attorneys search for law office space that would match their needs. Since the online service covers all regions of the country, it enables solo practitioners in transition to hang a shingle in a different state or find a partner in a different part of the city or state to with which to share space.

Lawyers and law students may also post their professional profile. Since attorneys are able to view each other's professional profiles, finding attorneys with similar practice areas with whom to share space is easier. Whether you are a new solo practitioner or a current practitioner looking to start a new practice, www.LawSpaceMatch.com can help you save time, space, and ultimately money. This website is free to use.

Also, check out the legal blog at LawSpaceMatch.com Mercer law student Sarah Phaff has posted on the blog along with many others. If you are interested in contributing a blog post, please contact elaine@lawspacematch.com. Feel free to be creative with topics; anything that pertains to law or the importance of office sharing is welcomed. Our ultimate goal is to create a blog that not only informs readers about the open office spaces and the benefits of office sharing, but also paints them a broad picture of the current legal landscape.

Also check out the podcast at http://bit.ly/pIIJax.

Contributed by: By Sarah Phaff, 2L via Mercer Law Free Press

See Also: A View From Law Students,

Great Midtown Atlanta Space has beautiful law office space available for you to share. Check out this law firm location today. Share attractive law office with 2 attorneys. AV rated firm. Two partner offices available. Brand new build out. Excellent location. Easy access. Overflow work available. Ample and well-appointed admin, conference and reception areas. Excellent break room. Modern, flexible phone and internet system. A chance to practice with experienced attorneys in a warm and supportive environment with low overhead and minimal hassles. Secretarial services available. Excellent location and views on Peachtree Street across from Woodruff Arts Plaza and High Museum.

Sharing space is becoming more and more common among attorneys in this economic climate. With part time attorneys seeking an office space to meet clients and have a place to land with their files other than a coffee shop, www.lawspacematch.com has become a solution for attorneys seeking law offices and shared space at the touch of the key pad.
Attorneys search for free and law firms or attorneys may list the empty law space for free.

With lawyers avoiding the signing of a long term lease, and with Atlanta landlords not giving grand concessions, sharing law space is a solution. Even one Sandra Day O'Connor opted for after her law school graduation.

Even lawyers are having a hard time finding a job in these economic times. And solo practitioners are hesitant before signing a long term lease usually requiring a personal guaranty. The good news is attorneys are sharing space and simultaneously saving money and improving business. There are many benefits of sharing law space. The cooperative spirit of a group of attorneys who practice with each other is invaluable. Water cooler discussions lead to the exchange of valuable expertise with other lawyers and perhaps even a referral for a case or work project. This does not occur when an attorney practices law from home or a coffee shop.

Another benefit of sharing law space is creating a better image in the eyes of clients. Attorneys are forming associations when they share space and link they names on the letterhead. They are setting themselves out as attorneys who are part of a law firm, even though they are neither partners nor sharing profits. Instead these lawyers are sharing expenses and saving money. While there are State Bar rules governing the representation of a law firm where the lawyers are space sharing, the bottom line of disclosure to the client may be easily addressed in the retainer agreement. The retainer agreement with the client should clearly indicate that the lawyer is a professional corporation, a limited liability company or solo practitioner, and he or she is not an associate or partner of a law firm. (Each state has varying rules so check the State Bar for further reference). These guidelines may be easily met. Expansive letterhead of the association of lawyers sharing office space may show a client a more impressive image and office space than any one single lawyer could afford on her own.

Expenses of copy machines and other office equipment are much less burdensome when costs are divided among space sharing lawyers. The bottom line: an attorney may receive more for office rental dollars. Everything from water to paper may be shared and as long as there is a clearly written space sharing agreement, the arrangement adds prestige and cost savings. Attorneys are not signing long term leases; instead space sharing is a beneficial and prevalent concept. Of course, choosing with whom you wish to share office space is an individual choice and should be closely examined.

In 2010, Elaine M. Russell created www.lawspacematch.com, a service that matches lawyers seeking to sublet space with unoccupied office space at compatible law firms around the country. Law office space and attorney profiles may be viewed at www.lawspacematch.com. Elaine M. Russell is a corporate and business attorney representing clients throughout Georgia and has an office located in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.

See Also: A Resolution for Student Debt?, , Law Firms - Don't Use Your Empty Office Space for Storage - It's a Waste

Bad news for lawyers. Unemployment rose in July, 2011 for Georgia lawyers and support staff. Last month 54 lawyers and 176 support staff in private practice filed for initial unemployment benefits according to the Georgia Department of Labor. Lawyers are feeling the pinch with a 17% increase in unemployment filings. Regarding legal support staff, a 12% increase in unemployment occurred in comparison to the 157 people who filed unemployment claims in June.

A total of 230 Georgia legal industry workers filed claims in July. This is a 13% increase from June. These claims fall slightly shortly than the highest total claims filed since April (234 lawyers and staff filed claims). Legal workers are flocking to the Georgia Department of Labor for relief and these increased filings note the highest total number of monthly claims filed this year.

The good news is that although July unemployment claims increased in June, the total claims filed by Georgia lawyers and staff for 2011 have decreased compared to 2010. Claims by lawyers in 2011 are down 13%, as compared to claims filed in 2010.

Nationally, 1.1 million people in the legal services industry were without employment in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Legal industry layoffs increased by 1% the month, when compared to July 2010.

While some legal firms have survived the initial economic downturn, the unemployment rate for Atlanta is still hovering between 9.7% and 10.4%. These recently unemployed lawyers may decide hanging their own shingle in hopes for the best. Benefits may merely include reduced costs of operating a law practice, especially in a legal community where jobs are scarce. By avoiding overhead costs and startup of law practice, lawyers can find unexpected benefits from office sharing. Advantages of attorneys sharing office space include sharing common expenses including maintaining support personnel, as well as providing the phone system and maintaining office equipment. Other benefits include daily contact with other lawyers who may provide a valuable opportunity to network, in addition to the assistance of more experienced lawyers in your law practice down the hall. Subleasing law offices from an existing firm provides an opportunity for these unemployed lawyers (and their legal staff) that appears mutually beneficial in light of the surplus office space available in Georgia.

In 2010, Elaine M. Russell created www.lawspacematch.com, a service that matches lawyers seeking to sublet space with unoccupied office space at compatible law firms around the country. This law office space and other Atlanta law office may be viewed at www.lawspacematch.com. Elaine M. Russell is a corporate and business attorney representing clients throughout Georgia and has an office located in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.

Notes: The Fulton Daily Report, August 31, 2011.

See Also: The Business of Law, Law Firms with Unused Space

LawSpaceMatch now has a podcast! Listen to CEO Elaine Russell discuss how her personal professional experience inspired her to create LawSpaceMatch and share her vision with the legal world on Mylegal.com. Check back frequently for new entries.

Debt. It is a word that strikes fear into every law students heart, and is an ever growing issue for post-graduates. Recently, the Young Lawyer's Division's 111A Report reported that educational debt, which is almost exclusively incurred by young college and graduate students, has exceeded credit card debt in the United States. This is mainly because college and graduate school tuition has risen at a continuous rate throughout the past 30 years in the US.

In response to this growing issue, the American Bar Association's Young Lawyer Division proposed two Resolutions; one, Resolution 111A is aimed at providing financial assistance for those students in extreme debt, while the other, Resolution 111B, is geared towards getting Law Schools to provide more transparent reports on job prospects and median salary figures.

As proposed, Resolution 111A seeks to extend federal student loan repayment terms and programs to those students burdened with excessive financial debt due to education. It also calls for programs that give income-based repayment options and loan forgiveness programs. Finally, it calls for a decrease or complete elimination of income levels associated with the federal income tax deduction for interest paid on student loans.

Another factor in student's debt is their initial misconception of job prospects and beginning income upon graduation; this information is key to making the decision to initially delve into debt, as a high perceived return will encourage students to paying more initially, as they figure it can be made back relatively quickly. Unfortunately, figures published by law schools pertaining to this matter are frequently misleading. In fact, according to a National Association for Law Placement (NALP) report, 8.7 percent of the class of 2009 was unemployed (based on the 36,046 employed graduates out of 40,833 for whom employment status was known). Resolution 111B seeks to address this disconnection between perception and reality by requiring law schools to explain their numbers more clearly by stating how many of these jobs are permanent and how many are temporary (less than 1 year). In addition, the resolution calls for law schools to communicate the cost of living post graduation and while attending law school.

While both of these resolutions have been passed, debt is still a serious issue facing law students. One of the biggest costs a new lawyer faces upon beginning his or her practice is the cost of real estate. In 2010, Elaine Russell, a lawyer operating in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, created LawSpaceMatch.com to help address this issue. This free service allows firms with open office space to quickly and easily post their openings and get into contact with solo practitioners who are in need of this space. This subleasing opportunity allows newly minted lawyers to cut down on a large cost, easing their already-prominent burden of debt.

Reference Article: ABA Adresses Law Graduate's Job, Debt Woes
See Also: Job Outsourcing: What Does it Mean for the Legal Profession?, Lawyers Sharing Space: Benefits and Responsibilities,

"Outsourcing" is not a term with which I am particularly familiar. The word is tossed around as something that takes jobs away from Americans, as companies take advantage of cheap labor prices in other countries. I have always associated this phenomenon with industries such as computer technology and automotive manufacturing. When I heard of law firms practicing outsourcing, I was baffled to say the least. And the most intriguing fact is that this technique is not a new development.

After finding an article in the New York Times 2010 archive reporting on legal outsourcing, I was curious to know just how long this practice has been in use. It turns out, the earliest occurrence of legal outsourcing dates back to the mid-nineties. Considering all the backlash industrial outsourcing has received, it is surprising to see that legal outsourcing has not only stayed, but actually has grown.

For the firms there is a practical and economical reason for sending certain jobs overseas and it is the same reason that drives many other industries abroad--labor is cheaper. Why spend 200 dollars an hour for an employee performing basic research when you can spend half that abroad? Or, as the website CPA Global puts it, "when [lawyers] are free to focus on the big things, they can produce even greater results." CPA Global posits that with the removal of menial tasks, lawyers can truly work to the best of their ability. This sounds like a good thing. Who doesn't want their lawyer to have a clear mind when the time comes for trial?

But as an undergraduate, this is not good news. Many of the jobs that are sent to countries like India are those that normally go to entry-level lawyers and law students just getting their feet wet. This is sadly just more bad news to consider along with the decline in jobs for law school graduates. How is a student supposed to find work when that work is suddenly being shipped elsewhere?

Well, there really isn't cause to worry, yet. Legal outsourcing is still a rather small niche. But some very good advice can be found in an article posted by Merrick Pastore in April on LawSpaceMatch.com. The article impresses upon all up-and-coming lawyers the importance of networking. When a firm hires a lawyer from another country, they are a faceless and possibly nameless being. An American law student on the other hand certainly doesn't have to be. Networking allows employers to see potential and gauge drive of legal hopefuls. By showing a little tenacity, it is possible to convince others that you are worth the greater paycheck.

Sources:
http://www.cpaglobal.com/legal_services_outsourcing/
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/business/global/05legal.html?pagewanted=2

Contributed By: Meg R. DeFrancesco

See Also: The Pre-Law Outlook, Advice on Summer Jobs: Both for Now and in the Future, Should I Stay in School? Just Look at the Unemployment Rate

One of the largest trends I've noticed in the last few years is the increasing rate at which newly graduated college students and those older are extending their stay in school. Of my friends who recently graduated, very few of them were content to go back to mom and dad's to live at home and work in an entry-level position. Many didn't even take the famed gap-year--instead choosing to go straight into graduate school. It's really no surprise. More and more employers are seeking those who have achieved some sort of college degree. An Associate's degree is good, a Bachelor's is better, and a Master's or Doctorate degree is like writing your own check to success...or so I thought.

In June 2011 the Pittsburgh Business Times reported an estimated 87.6% of 2010 Law School graduates found employment in the months following commencement. After reading this I found myself a little disconcerted considering the national unemployment rate for May-September of that year averaged around 9.6%. While a 2.8% disparity doesn't seem like a great deal, the difference is still unsettling for one very important reason: student loans.

As an undergraduate I am fortunate not to have any debt to my name, but with so many of my peers already neck deep in loans or on some sort of financial aid I can't help but think that I will be amongst them soon enough--especially when a year of law school can easily cost $45,000. Often times I think many undergraduate students choose the pre-professional tracks such as pre-health and pre-law simply for the expected big payout in the long run. It's true that lawyers tend to earn more in a given year than many other occupations (the median annual salary settling just above 100K as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics), but if no one is hiring, than those already considerable debts will only compound.
A debt scenario runs on a continuous loop through my mind that goes something like this:

Social and parental pressure dictates you attend a First Tier school + 45,000$ tuition x 4 years (taken in loans) + rent + cell phone bill + groceries + gas (prices of which may or may not force you to take public transit) + health insurance + auto insurance + 45,000 tuition x 3 (or 4) years graduate school + taxes (can't forget them) = severe debt, impending depression and subsequent reliance on Parents

This situation may seem slightly exaggerated but when you consider the rising costs of living and the slump that the employment rate for law students has fallen into, it really isn't so difficult to imagine. So maybe this could also explain why so many have decided to stay in school. Maybe right now "real life" is just too terrifying. At least in school we're safe--albeit temporarily.

Contributed By: Meg R. DeFrancesco

Notes:
See Also: The Pre-Law Outlook, Persistence of Economic Downturn Forces a New Legal Landscape, I Need a Job!