Originally Posted by Quick2K,Dec 11 2008, 11:28 PM

LSAT registrations are way up because a lot of people are opting to get law degrees rather than face this bleak job market. I don't know if these people realize that the legal market itself is taking a huge hit in this downswing; several major firms have dissolved entirely and many are laying off staff and attorneys. So, mourn for this year's jobless graduating 3Ls...it may not be a bad idea to enter law school in '09 because you won't graduate until '12, and by then the market might have picked up. But it's a gamble.

As for UCI, it's well-funded and has a really solid founding faculty. It's serving Orange County and San Diego, and I expect it to be ranked solidly among the leading regional law schools in southern California soon after ABA accreditation. But, don't expect to land a job in New York, Chicago, or D.C. (or even San Francisco, which is a freaking legal wasteland at the moment) out of UCI.

Cliff notes: If you choose to enter law school right now, you're gambling that the market for legal services will pick up in the next 3 years. I'm skeptical. And, be realistic about the location and type of legal job you can get out of the school you go to. Very few professions are as name-conscious as law, at least at the entry-level.

Quick2k