Large 1L Class at WM

By Nicole Battles

Last moth I was at William Mitchell for their 1L orientation and was astonished by the size of the incoming class. The woman at the booth next to me said “Don’t they read the newspaper? Don’t they know there are no jobs?” One student I spoke with said that at least some of the students were asked to defer their enrollment until next year. The school officials who were there would not provide any information on how many students were asked to defer or how many did. So why are so many people enrolling in law school when there has been nothing but grim statistics on legal jobs? I have to say that I would be more than hesitant to take on such a large time and financial commitment unless I had a secure job waiting for me when I graduated.

The students I spoke with at the Minnesota State Bar Association booth were very aware of the current job prospects. They were most interested in networking events and opportunities to meet practicing attorneys in areas that interested them.

My advice to 1Ls: Get involved now. Join the MSBA/RCBA/HCBA and take advantage of the free Sections and events. Stay informed of trends in the legal profession with publications and blogs for practicing attorneys, not just law students. Get as much experience as you can before you graduate.