Law School Psychology 101 And A Texas A&M Law School?

When researchers study the psychology of consumers, they often find that individuals will continue researching information about a product they've already purchased after they've bought it in order to rationalize their behavior and cure any buyer's remorse.

We see this all the time among law students. Today's example would be Marisa Mittelman, who seems excited about going to the University of San Diego Law School in the fall:

When choosing between my final two schools (UC-Hastings and USD), however, I have to say that from every angle these things seemed nearly equal. I heard amazing things from students at both schools, saying they loved their professors, that the administration is always helpful and available, and that job prospects weren’t looking great anywhere. Is this last part discouraging? Of course. The fact is, though, that students who are working hard are still getting jobs. Clearly, the market is not what it once was. That applies to any law school, though, and I think that if you’re one hundred percent sure you want to be an attorney, you need to just sort of go for it. I plan to work my ass off and hope for the best—I don’t think there’s anything more that someone who is intent on practicing law can do.

Here's an idea: How about getting rid of this idea that's it's justifiable to make a bad decision so long as you're "intent on practicing law." Can you imagine this logic applying to any other product?

"But, honey, I was intent on being a Bentley owner! That's why I signed the papers!"

And Marisa is remarkably cavalier about the lack of job opportunities. "[S]tudents who are working hard are still getting jobs" is (a) complete crap that's disrespectful to recent graduates and unemployed 3Ls who are probably smarter than her; and (b) not dispositive of whether she'll have a job if she works hard. (On the bright side, you may not have a job, but you'll integrate words like "dispositive" into your everyday vocabulary.)

Again, this type of logic never shows up in intelligent investment situations. "Yes, I understand the entire sector is down in the toilet and has limited prospects, but this little stock is the best of this small, affordable bunch, so I'll buy it." Not quite. Getting a law school degree right now is like buying a house in 2007. It may work out for you. You might have a nice place to live. But it's a catastrophic financial decision even if you're "100 percent sure" you want to be a homeowner. There are much better options out there. A helpful administration and lovable professors can't pay bills or compensate for the loss of your mid-20s.

USD is an amazing school...Call me an eternal optimist, but I can’t wait to become a lawyer. And I can’t wait to begin my time at the University of San Diego School of Law.

Reality check: USD may be the best school in San Diego, but it is not a well-regarded law school outside that city, therefore it cannot be "an amazing school." This woman wants to be a family law attorney. There are two other law schools in San Diego who feed into areas like family law in addition to the transplants from places like Loyola and Pepperdine. And if she has any designs on moving back to New York, she'll be in for a rude awakening when Brooklyn Law School grads are beating her out for jobs.

And it's not like family law is generally a field for self-styled "eternal optimists," anyway, but she may be saved from that rude awakening by the rude awakening that a much-smaller-than-advertised segment of her graduating class will have full-time employment, no matter how hard they work.

As if it were bad enough that places like San Diego are still reeling in those blinded by an irrational desire to be a lawyer at all costs, Texas Governor Rick Perry threw out the idea of a Texas A&M law school:

Gov. Rick Perry floated the notion in an offhand comment today as he began a speech honoring women in the state Legislature. After being introduced by actress and conservative activist Janine Turner, the governor talked about trying to convince Turner’s 13-year-old daughter, an aspiring lawyer, to enroll at A&M, his alma mater.

“By the time you get there, they will have a law school,” Perry predicted.

With the rate they're being proposed by insane politicians, it wouldn't surprise me if he was serious in his intent to mar a great university with a bubble-fueled law school.

"Great World University" Binghampton Contiues Its Streak of Idiocy

As law school plans are being sensibly scrapped elsewhere, Binghampton University has decided to continue its pursuit of building a law school.

If ignorance is bliss, these guys must live on a natural orgasm-on-crack-level high.

"A law school at Binghamton would be very good academically and affordable, which are two great strengths," said John Appelbaum, pre-law adviser at BU. "I do think there is a need for a legal education that comes at reasonable price — that would be a public law school."

You mean like SUNY-Buffalo, which charges about 55-60k in tuition for in-state residents for a degree that may increase earning power only minimally and decrease other opportunities? You mean that kind of "reasonable" price?

And I'm sure Pace and Touro are "very good academically," too. It doesn't stop them from being completely unnecessary places and inefficient wastes.

"I think Binghamton has taken a number of steps over the past couple of decades not only toward becoming a great regional school but a great world university," said John McNulty, a political science professor at BU. "Providing law degrees is important for this expansion."

Yes, because that's exactly what schools like Princeton and M.I.T. needed to become "great world universit[ies]." And when I think of Binghampton, I think of a "great world university" like Yale, Cambridge, or the University of Tokyo.

[Prof. Jonathan] Krasno said he believes that the state could use more affordable graduate school choices.

"Almost every state has public law schools. I think New York state is way below the national average," he said.

New York state currently has two public law schools: University at Buffalo Law School and CUNY Law School.

That's the standard? Whether you're not as saturated with public law schools as other places? How did these people make it through grad school?

In any event, California has five public law schools. Virginia, Florida, Texas, and Ohio have four. Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan have three. After that, everyone is at 2 or less, so I don't think New York is below the national average. Even if they were, their private schools make up for it. And for the record, many of those public schools (e.g., UC-Irvine, Texas Southern, Wayne State, Northern Illinois, Florida A&M) have no real reason for existence, and are hardly a list you'd want to be associated with.

But there's more garbage Kresno has to spout:

"This is investing in public education, which is an effective way to spend money," he said. "There is also economic development for the city, and it will bring in more students. But more than anything else, turning out lawyers with less of a debt load after three years of public law school, who tend to stay in the state, will be a very good thing."

If we could close down Touro or Pace or Albany and replace it with a public school, that would be true. But it's not, because those places aren't going to close. What will happen is that they'll continue to spit out debt-ridden students while Binghampton adds more debt-ridden students to the pile.

To go to a public school like Binghampton, one would still have to take out 55k+ for tuition (in-state) and would probably need to take out an additional 60k+ for living expenses. Students who go there sans scholarship will regularly carry debt loads north of 100k (excluding undergraduate debts) with little to no increase in earnings potential.

New York is the most saturated state in the union. Can the Binghampton idiots not read that? Somehow, New York doubles the saturation of California, Texas, and Minnesota. That's impressive.

There is no reason for this, and it will bring nothing of value to the Binghampton area compared to the damage of indebtedness and unemployed people who can't find work in their chosen profession, all depressed at burning three years out of their prime.

These people are as bad and delusional as 0Ls who still think they'll go to law school and wind up driving a Mercedes and arguing thrilling trials every day. Either that or they're just dishonest.