Law students are rethinking their future in light of the recession, according to a study released on Jan. 6. The percent of law students who expect to work for private law firms dropped in 2009 from 58 to 50 percent, according to the Law School Survey of Student Engagement.
At the same time, the percent of students planning to go into public interest work has risen from 29 to 33 percent. Also, more students now say their legal education “had substantially strengthened their commitment to serving the public good.”
The report also concludes that more students feel law school “positively affected their capacity to perform with integrity in personal and professional settings.”
On the downside, one-third of all students say that their legal education places little emphasis on acting with integrity in personal and professional settings.
