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Loyalty & Respect
Lawsuits Over Job-Placement Rates Threaten 20 More Law Schools
By Katherine Mangan
Twenty more law schools on Wednesday found themselves in the cross hairs of a team of law firms whose spokesman predicted that "nearly every law school in the country" will face litigation over their allegedly deceptive job-placement rates.
The eight law firms held a news conference on Wednesday afternoon to announce that they were seeking to file class-action lawsuits challenging the following schools in late May:
American University Washington College of Law (D.C.), Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (N.Y.), Chapman University School of Law (Calif.), Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America (D.C.), Loyola Marymount University Law School (Calif.), Loyola University Chicago School of Law (Ill.), New England School of Law (Mass.), Pace University School of Law (N.Y.), Pepperdine University School of Law (Calif.), Roger Williams University School of Law (R.I.), St. John's University School of Law (N.Y.), St. Louis University School of Law (Mo.), Seattle University School of Law (Wash.), Stetson University College of Law (Fla.), Syracuse University College of Law (N.Y.), University of Miami School of Law (Fla.), University of St. Thomas School of Law (Fla.), Valparaiso University School of Law (Ind.), Western New England University School of Law (Mass.), and Whittier Law School (Calif.).
The team filed a batch of 12 lawsuits in February and has vowed to sue 20 to 25 schools every few months. Three additional lawsuits were filed last year.
Graduates of the 20 schools owe an average of nearly $115,000 in student loans, the lawyers said. Seventy-five law-school graduates have joined their names to the earlier batch of lawsuits so far, David Anziska, one of the lead lawyers, said in a written statement. "But there are tens of thousands of young lawyers saddled with massive debt and few job prospects," he added. "I truly believe that at the end of this process, nearly every law school in the country will be sued."
The lawyers said several law schools had revised their employment data since the initial lawsuits were filed. The new data show much lower percentages of students securing full-time jobs and reveals that salary statistics are based on small percentages of students who reported their incomes, they said.
Referring to an early report from one of the schools, Mr. Anziska said, "It's almost as if Bernie Madoff was doing their numbers."
He said the team was hoping the law schools, under pressure from the courts, regulators, and legislators, would eventually enter into a "global settlement."
By Katherine Mangan
Twenty more law schools on Wednesday found themselves in the cross hairs of a team of law firms whose spokesman predicted that "nearly every law school in the country" will face litigation over their allegedly deceptive job-placement rates.
The eight law firms held a news conference on Wednesday afternoon to announce that they were seeking to file class-action lawsuits challenging the following schools in late May:
American University Washington College of Law (D.C.), Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (N.Y.), Chapman University School of Law (Calif.), Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America (D.C.), Loyola Marymount University Law School (Calif.), Loyola University Chicago School of Law (Ill.), New England School of Law (Mass.), Pace University School of Law (N.Y.), Pepperdine University School of Law (Calif.), Roger Williams University School of Law (R.I.), St. John's University School of Law (N.Y.), St. Louis University School of Law (Mo.), Seattle University School of Law (Wash.), Stetson University College of Law (Fla.), Syracuse University College of Law (N.Y.), University of Miami School of Law (Fla.), University of St. Thomas School of Law (Fla.), Valparaiso University School of Law (Ind.), Western New England University School of Law (Mass.), and Whittier Law School (Calif.).
The team filed a batch of 12 lawsuits in February and has vowed to sue 20 to 25 schools every few months. Three additional lawsuits were filed last year.
Graduates of the 20 schools owe an average of nearly $115,000 in student loans, the lawyers said. Seventy-five law-school graduates have joined their names to the earlier batch of lawsuits so far, David Anziska, one of the lead lawyers, said in a written statement. "But there are tens of thousands of young lawyers saddled with massive debt and few job prospects," he added. "I truly believe that at the end of this process, nearly every law school in the country will be sued."
The lawyers said several law schools had revised their employment data since the initial lawsuits were filed. The new data show much lower percentages of students securing full-time jobs and reveals that salary statistics are based on small percentages of students who reported their incomes, they said.
Referring to an early report from one of the schools, Mr. Anziska said, "It's almost as if Bernie Madoff was doing their numbers."
He said the team was hoping the law schools, under pressure from the courts, regulators, and legislators, would eventually enter into a "global settlement."