St. Thomas reporter: Why students should reconsider law school

TommieMedia reporter Patrick Roche warns that those thinking of going to law school should think again, considering some sobering local figures:

St. Thomas law students graduate with around $97,000 in debt. At the University of Minnesota Law, average debt is around $91,000. Everyone seems to think lawyers get paid the big bucks. Given the fact law students graduate, on average, with around $100,000 in debt, we should hope so. Median salary for St. Thomas law students is about $52,000 a year. The bottom quarter make around $45,000–about what students make after graduating with a bachelor’s–is it even worth it graduating $100,000 in debt? ...

The U of M graduates a class with a median salary of $120,000, with the lower end making around $100,000. U of M Law is considered a ‘top-tier’ law school. St. Thomas Law falls under what is known as a ‘third-tier’ law school–at least the school is in this category, as opposed to the new creature: ‘fourth-tier’ law schools.

Read his full commentary here.

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