[quote=walterwhite]the whining law school kids with the 200,000 debt actually have a valid whine. You’re not really putting yourself in their shoes. if the 200,000 would just stay a stable number, i’d agree, no whining. but they’ve been given a LIFTEIME of debt, that will grow like a cancer, with interest penalties and fees if they’re not making money, really good money, that they can never get rid of forever and ever. if you don’t find a way to start servicing it soon, you will be screwed on the balance sheet of life for the rest of your life. which again, i would agree, no whining, if it were just a matter of getting out there and hustling, which will work for some, but not all of the suckers who were processed through the educational loan system….

and sure, you say, dont go get the degree. you know what you signe dup for.

but as the lawsuits start unfurling, it’ll be argued that the schools misrepresented the employment statistics and numbers….

and maybe that problem applies to others without law school degrees. i don’t know. but there are limits to growth for a society, and wouldnt that play out to individual limits for people, where the rubber hits the road?[/quote]

scaredy, I really think this lack of REAL jobs in CA for recent bar-card recipients is due to the “WWII set” NOT retiring. Many licensed in the late fifties/early sixties are still practicing. I recently heard a “good” and later “winning” argument at the 4th DCA here in SD from an 81 yr old. If they are not sole practitioners, many STILL have their “finger in the pot” as “partners” on paper, acting “of counsel” and otherwise consulting and mentoring in med-size to large firms, while continuing with their local philanthropy endeavors and charity golf tournaments :=] Most have caseloads, if even one complex case or class-action suit they are still “handling.” These old-timers keep people like me busy, as they don’t know what to do with a computer except hang their coats over it, lol! Doesn’t matter … they can still talk it and walk it, with their hands tied behind their backs and that’s all that counts :=]

As far as ex-law students with $200K loans who can’t seem to pass the bar … there are a few of these, too, which is unfortunate. Believe it or not, there are STILL (public AND private) law schools around where a JD can be earned for =<$120K. $200K of student loan debt is excessive in this economy, IMHO ... "prestigious name" be damned. I DO think many recent college grads enroll in law school with unrealistic expectations as to the amount of jobs available everywhere. Many new JDs (awaiting bar results) and recent bar-card recipients work as paralegals or "certified legal interns" out of necessity ... often for years. A one-year paralegal certificate from a private school only costs $4500 to $6500 (that's "hundreds"). A two-year community college certificate/Assoc degree in "paralegal studies" costs even less. A HS diploma is all that's required to enroll in the CC course.