Texas produces more law school graduates than it has jobs for. But that has not stopped some lawmakers from proposing that the state build a public law school in the Rio Grande Valley.Also cited in the article are the state's alleged shortage of attorneys that can cater to low-income people and the possibility that a more southern public college of law would increase the ranks of minority lawyers.
Supporters of a new school say there is geographic inequity. The public law school nearest the state’s southernmost region is more than 300 miles away, at the in Austin. In addition, they point out, the Rio Grande Valley has one of the lowest lawyer-to-citizen ratios in the state.
Of course, never mind the fact that Texas has severe budget problems and a new law school costs $80 million. Never mind that their state higher education board is against it. Never mind that Texas pumps out an excess of graduates for the jobs available. And never mind that there is already a South Texas College of Law and a Texas Southern Thurgood Marshall College of Law, both in Houston. With those choice names gone, what's this fourth-tier monstrosity going to be called?
Are we seriously now building law schools just because some small percentage of the population has to move to go to law school? Are there actually elected officials out there who think this harebrained strategy is a good approach to higher education?
Texas already has four public law schools (Texas, U. of Houston, Texas Tech, and Texas Southern), two well-regarded private schools (SMU and Baylor) and a trio of bottom-tier private schools (St. Mary's, Texas Wesleyan, and South Texas). Another public, North Texas, is opening next year in Dallas, since the people there had to drive all the way to Austin or Lubbock to go to public school. Are they in some sort of competition with Florida or New York or flood their state with lawyers? Is the next Civil War going to be fought using the Federal Rules of Civ. Procedure or something?
I understand Texas has a growing population, but the reasons for building law schools become more silly and ripe for satire by the month. "Geographic inequity?" My God, this is law school, not buying groceries or voting. It's not really a big deal that some people might have to move if they want to take such a large career step.
Absolutely ridiculous. Being from Texas, I can tell you that you have to drive 300 miles to pick up your groceries, let alone do anything else like go to college. It is the nature of the state.
ReplyDeleteAspiring students from along the Texas-side of the Rio Grande have had no problems or complaints going to University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, or Baylor (just to name a few) for other aspects of their higher eduation. Law school is somehow miraculously different?
This is greed, plain and simple, played by scoundrels using the "equality" and "diversity" card. There was no inequality before, unless you want to argue that access to higher education is frought with inequality in the first place (which is a seperate argument all together). This still has nothing to do with law school education or the need for more access, and everything to do with fleecing future students and dumping them on the market with few to no opportunities.
Heckuva job, "supporters"! Thank you for contributing to our collective circling of the drain! Mission Accomplished!