Education

Law Student Surplus/Diminishing Graduate Opportunities Numbers of law students expanding faster then graduate opportunities Graduate Opportunities acutely below student expectations at the commencement of their legal studies. Flow on effects: Changes in legal education Vocational approach to curriculum Embedded PLT Hyper-competition which may be linked to mental health outcomes Diminishing return on investment for legal qualifications

National Centre for Vocational Education Research Research suggests there is a general effect In 1997, 80 per cent of higher degree graduates had a job in the top quintile for skills and income. By 2011, the situation was worse, much worse. Just 60 per cent of the higher degree group were in the top 20 per cent of jobs (and this is adjusted for growth in numbers, the unscaled figure is 55 per cent). Bachelor graduates were down to 65 per cent in the top 20 per cent of skilled jobs and 45 per cent for the first fifth of incomes.

Interacting Effect Growing dominance of PLT/GDLP Increased rhetoric about legal education: ‘law is the new arts’ Law schools drive prestige in developing universities Industry Driven Factors Legal Process Outsourcing

Models for change Decreasing Supply Greater restrictions (ie, not opening additional law schools, limiting to current 34). Greater Awareness (more frank information being available prior to law school enrolment) Non-vocational law degree Student Capping – Direct limit on student numbers Tieing numbers to market demand – current med school model Increasing Demand Promoting law students to non-traditional employers Maintaining and expanding opportunities for law graduates (entry level)

Counter-issues Profit incentives for universities Capping numbers will reduce critical mass Reducing the number of law schools/variety of providers The rise of the JD may make legal education more exclusive Effective means of change

Moving Forward This is not a one term project This term will largely only be the research stage Potential for a working party next term to define concrete goals Gaining momentum Council of Australian Law Deans Law Council of Australia Government

Election Priorities Mental Health in Law We don’t need awareness raising, we need solutions Gender Gap in Graduate Salaries Research/Investigation into whether Law Student Surplus/Graduate Opportunities Financial support for students Youth Allowance/Aus Study

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