Alumnus Career Law School Villanova

Alumnus Career Law School Villanova

Alumnus Career Law School Villanova

Despite many reports of unemployed lawyers still struggling to find or keep jobs, two early 2010 articles in the Boston Globe showed an interesting juxtaposition of the legal landscape in Boston as the profession battled an economic recession alongside many other industries.

Amid Layoffs, Some Law Firm Partner Payouts Increased

On Feb. 5, 2010, the Boston Globe's website, Boston.com, noted that the most emailed article was one entitled "Profits Soar for Law Partners" by Globe Correspondent Kit Challel. The article reported that even though most large law firms continue to undergo massive layoffs, 2009 was the most profitable year for at least three of Boston's largest firms.

Bingham & McCluthen, Fish & Richardson, and WilmerHale, three Boston powerhouses, had their highest ever profit-per-partner in 2009, with average payouts well over a million dollars per partner in 2009. Meanwhile, the three firms collectively laid off more than 100 Boston-area support staff and lower level attorneys.

Comments on Boston.com mostly came from infuriated readers calling for change in the profession and empathizing with young laid off lawyers. A few posts pointed out that partners work so hard to get where they are, they deserve the high salaries. However, the majority scoffed because gross revenue at these firms actually increased that year, begging the question whether the firms simply used the economy as an excuse to trim the fat.

New Law School Hopes to Increase Draw to Public Interest Positions

The same week the Globe reported on massive partner profits, the Massachusetts state Board of HIgher Education approved the state's first public law school. According to"UMass Wins Approval for Public Law School" written on Feb. 3, 2010 by Globe staffer Tracy Jan, the first public law school in Massachusetts will focus on public interest law, concentrating on areas like civil and human rights.

The soon-to-be-renamed Southeastern New England School of Law, a Massachusetts law school that is not accredited by the ABA, will work on becoming accredited now that it has the backing of the University of Massachusetts system. The school will be a relatively cheaper option, around $25,000 for in-state tuition, reportedly around $15,000 less than the comparable Suffolk University School of Law and New England School of Law.