Why Law School Applications Are Up and What It Really Means
March 20, 2025
Privacy Plus+
Privacy, Technology and Perspective
As privacy and technology lawyers frequently asked for career advice, we've been watching a striking trend: law school applications have jumped 20% nationwide, with Georgetown receiving 14,000 applications for just 650 spots and Michigan seeing a 30% increase. This week, let’s consider how these statistics prompt important questions about the changing legal landscape.
Why Students Are Flocking to Law School
We think that the surge is driven by three motivations:
The Search for Economic Stability. During economic downturns, professionals from disrupted industries seek refuge in law. Real estate agents during housing crashes, software engineers during tech busts, and physicians frustrated with healthcare complexities all turn to law school. But experienced lawyers know the profession isn't truly "stable" anymore. The technology transformation we witness daily is disrupting traditional legal career paths at an unprecedented rate.
Safe Harbor in a Storm. Applicants still hear they "can do anything with a law degree," and it's partly true—rigorous legal training provides valuable skills across sectors. Look at the businesses whose senior executives were once lawyers. However, about 30 minutes into their first class, law students typically forget the universe of possibilities beyond traditional practice. In the privacy sphere, we increasingly see the most valuable roles existing outside legal departments in compliance, operations, and technology implementation.
The Elusive Escalator. For some, law school represents a search for a structured escalator that will carry them to riches and fame. They imagine squeezing through the needle-eye openings and being set for life. But our clients and industry data tell us otherwise. The assumption that specializing in privacy or technology law automatically creates premium opportunities is increasingly questionable as these fields mature and operational staff and technology take over many functions.
Our Advice to Prospective Law Students
Know Your "Why": Only go to law school if you really want to study law, not as an escape from another field. Know why you are going; otherwise, you'll struggle against institutional models of "success" that may not fit you. This is especially true in technology-adjacent legal fields where the most fulfilling roles may not follow traditional paths.
Reset Expectations: Do not depend on big law firms or other institutions to provide stability, safe harbors, or escalators to success. Do insist upon up-to-date, personalized training, and persistent use of technologies like AI to speed production and aid in developing your own judgment.
Beware of Prestigious Traps: Be very careful about rushing toward historically prestigious starting jobs. What have long been considered the most enviable positions are rapidly changing in value. In the technology and privacy space, the most prestigious roles five years ago may now be declining in relevance as operational models evolve. Choose positions that build transferable skills rather than relying on institutional prestige.
The most secure legal careers today may be in relationship-based practices resistant to automation—like family law and business counseling—where trust, judgment and interpersonal skills remain front and center.
Further Reading
To review a Wall Street Journal article on the law school applications surge, click the following link:
For interesting details about this near-universal trend among regions, genders, and other metrics, click the following link to the American Bar Association report:
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Hosch & Morris, PLLC is a boutique law firm dedicated to data privacy and protection, cybersecurity, the Internet and technology. Open the Future℠.