Northwestern Law School To Reduce Class Size?

By Soyoung Kwak in News on Jun 3, 2012 6:00PM

It is no secret that attending law school can be a huge, expensive risk these days. Three law schools in Chicago are being sued as part of a larger lawsuit for advertising sketchy job placement statistics that rivals that of Groupon's accounting strategies. It comes as no surprise that law schools are striving to redeem themselves amongst all the negative press.

In an effort to combat the tough legal market and bad press, law schools in and around Chicago are looking to change with the times and find a way to help law school graduates find work. As first-year enrollment in law schools in Chicago was down this past academic year, law schools need to stay relevant and attractive to prospective students. For Northwestern University's law school, which has a graduating class of 300 this year, the primary solution is to reduce class size:

Although there is no timetable for a decision, law school Dean Daniel Rodriguez says he is “taking a very close look at (whether) we are the right size for the education program we have.”

As Crain's points out, reducing class size could have a lot of other repercussions, such as increased tuition to make up for revenue loss. However, not all schools are looking to reduce class size to bounce back. or example, Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology is offering classes and programs that can help students find employment in areas of legal job growth.

We agree that it is time for law schools to change with the times and to take action, but it is tough to say reducing class size will be an effective measure to encourage more students to apply to law school and to pursue a career in law.