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The Perennial (and Stubborn) Challenge of Cost, Affordability, and Access in Legal Education

October 2019

Featured in Power, Legal Education, and Law School Cultures (Ashgate Publishing)

Are students willing to borrow higher amounts to pay increasing levels of tuition in light of the jobs and salaries they can expect upon graduation? What happens when the value – the well-paying lawyer jobs – is no longer a guarantee, leaving the value proposition resting only on overtly optimistic student perceptions of job opportunities? Despite the dropping number of enrollment in law schools and the ever-increasing price of higher education, the current business model for legal education has continued to muddle through, working passably for many years. Daniels considers the history of law school accreditation, tuition, and accessibility that has led to the current business model of legal education in this chapter of Power, Legal Education, and Law School Cultures.