A recent study by the Equal Justice Works, the National Association for Law Placement and the Partnership for Public Service, has revealed that sixty-six percent of law school graduates are prevented from taking jobs advancing the public interest by their law school debts. With over ninety-four percent of law school students borrowing money to cover tuition costs that average just under $23,000 a year, the average amount of debt that a law school student graduates with is $84,000. With the federal government set to lose half its workforce to retirement over the next decade, these economic pressures on new lawyers to take higher paying private sector jobs is a major concern.
See "Law school debts forcing recruits to private sector", Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, November 17, 2002