ABA Journal:  Law grads who can’t find a job may want to try expanding their horizons, according to the publication that ranks law schools.

There are success stories outside of law practice, says the U.S. News & World Report’s Law Admissions Lowdown. The blog lists five alternative careers for grads that “reinforce the versatility of a law degree, which brings with it a plethora of marketable skills.”

U.S. News lists these five careers and illustrates with the names of law grads who succeeded:

1) Journalism. Law grad success stories include Geraldo Rivera and Star Jones.

Read the otherlaw four alternative jobs for  grads.

Law.com:  Law schools on the whole have not done a great job of providing comprehensive job placement data for the class of 2010, Law School Transparency reported on Jan. 17.

The group looked at the Web sites of 197 American Bar Association-accredited law schools in early January to assess the amount and quality of the job placement data provided. More than a quarter of those schools— 54 — offered no meaningful information, and 22 offered no information at all, according to the report.

The remaining 32 schools used “consumer-disorienting behavior”— for example, citing figures for the kinds of workplaces in which graduates found jobs but nothing about the types of jobs, the organization reported.

“Our findings play into a larger dialogue about law schools and their continued secrecy against a backdrop of stories about admissions fraud, class action lawsuits, and ever rising education costs,” the organization wrote. “These findings raise a red flag as to whether schools are capable of making needed changes to the current, unsustainable law school model without being compelled to though government oversight or other external forces.”

Read more about Law Schools’ Disclosures Raises Red Flag.

National Law Journal:  “Judge José Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2d Circuit offered a three-part remedy for what ails the U.S. legal academy before a packed ballroom of legal educators who gathers in Washington for the Association of American Law Schools annual meeting.  Cabranes, like others before him, noted that law schools are in ‘something of a crisis,’ given the skyrocketing cost of tuition, ever-higher graduate debts and a growing feeling that legal scholarship is of little use to the bench or practitioners. . . . ‘For years,

ABA Journal:  For Andrea, a past decision to ensure her future in law has left her in a stressed and distressful present. Concerned over how it might affect her job prospects, she would not allow use of her real name. And there is reason for concern: She’s been laid off twice since her 2009 law school graduation, including from a position where she earned $20 an hour at a small firm practicing as a licensed attorney. For the 29-year-old, who’s supported herself since college, the financial repercussions of law school may amount to the worst investment of her life, despite a degree from a second-tier school and a resumé that boasts a position on law review and coveted summer associate positions.

“I deferred my loans because of economic hardship the first time,” says Andrea, who borrowed nearly $110,000 to finance her education. “After that,” she falters, “they might be in forbearance … accruing interest … I just don’t know.”

Andrea’s situation is far from unique. In 2010, 85 percent of law graduates from ABA-accredited schools boasted an average debt load of $98,500, according to data collected from law schools by U.S. News & World Report. At 29 schools, that amount exceeded $120,000. In contrast, only 68 percent of those grads reported employment in positions that require a JD nine months after commencement. Less than 51 percent found employment in private law firms.

The influx of so many law school graduates—44,258 in 2010 alone, according to the ABA—into a declining job market creates serious repercussions that will reverberate for decades to come.

Continue reading here.

ABA Journal:  “In 2010, 85 percent of law graduates from ABA-accredited schools boasted an average debt load of $98,500, according to data collected from law schools by U.S. News & World Report. At 29 schools, that amount exceeded $120,000. In contrast, only 68 percent of those grads reported employment in positions that require a JD nine months after commencement. Less than 51 percent found employment in private law firms.  The influx of so many law school graduates—44,258 in 2010 alone, according to the ABA—into a declining job market creates serious repercussions that will reverberate for decades to come. . . . Legal education may soon provide an object lesson of what happens when we do nothing: Bad things happen when lawyers and law professors stick their heads in the sand. The republic may be in need of some world-class lawyerly judgment. And maybe soon.”

Bring on the class action lawsuits against law schools and law professors.