Job seekers in today’s tough economy need to know what they are up against when applying for a position. You need to know what you are worth and what the average starting salary of that company you are applying to actually be. How bad is it, then, if you go into the career field of your choice, or were convinced by many to go into, only to find out that the job opportunities and salary information you received was wrong?
That is exactly what happens to graduates of law schools around the country, according to Jeffrey Keller, a practicing attorney for Keller Grover LLP , a Bay Area employment attorney. The first class action lawsuit was filed against New York Law School and Thomas M. Cooley Law School. The lawsuit states that both schools failed to print the correct information about post-graduate job statistics, according to Keller.
This article explains what’s really going on at Thomas Cooley Law School:Â Thomas Cooley Law School Exposed (and Why Much of the Legal Profession is a Scam)
It is kind of bizarre really, to see schools that teach students the ethics of law, lie about how much their graduates can make in today’s economy. These students are charging the schools, saying that the law schools posted the distorted salaries and information as a way to entice prospective students into entering into their program.
Today, these students are graduating law school with a debt to the tune of $100,000. The jobs the schools promised are not there, along with the potentially high yearly salary, according to Keller. Keller works in San Francisco as a consumer protection agency lawyer.
The lawsuit also states that these students most likely would not have gone through the rigorous schooling if they had known the end result would have been something different from what they were told, according to Wired PR News.com.
Law.com reports that, along with New York Law School and Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 15 more universities might find themselves on the list. These schools include:
Southwestern Law School, Albany Law School of Union University, Widener University School of Law, Brooklyn Law School, Villanova University School of Law, St. John’s University School of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, Pace Law School, California Western School of Law, University of San Francisco School of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, The John Marshall Law School (Chicago.) DePaul University College of Law and Florida Coastal School of Law.
Each of these schools report their student job placement rates at above 90 percent, according to Law.com. The American Bar Association is looking into changing its rules regarding what the law colleges can advertise when it comes to job placement statistics. In the past, the American Bar has not regulated what the school can advertise regarding job placement and salary information but this is bound to change very soon.