Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Law quarterly:

Big Boyd tuition hike didn’t affect enrollment

boyd

Students study in the Wiener Rogers Law Library at the UNLV’s Boyd Law School in February 2008.

The nearly doubling of in-state tuition and 50 percent increase for out-of-state students haven’t dampened interest in UNLV’s Boyd Law School.

The school’s enrollment of 158 new students this year matches the previous two years — 153 in 2007 and 157 in 2008 — and applications have remained steady.

The law school received 1,737 applications for the 2009 class and admitted 381 students. That’s in line with the last two years. In 2007 it received 1,737 applications and admitted 395 students and in 2008 it received 1,755 applications and admitted 407 students.

The school, however, has increased tuition this year for Nevadans from $9,800 to $18,000 and for out-of-state students from $19,600 to $30,000. In 2010 tuition will increase to $20,000 for residents and $33,400 for nonresidents.

Law schools have historically had a lot of interest when the economy slumps, and UNLV officials are expecting even more applications next year.

“That is generally the way it is when the job market is bad,” said Frank Durand, dean of student advancement. “People go to school (to increase their skills) so when they are in the job market, they will have opportunities at a later point.”

Despite the increase in tuition, Durand said it remains competitive with other law schools in the West.

“I would expect more people to go to law school because if they graduate from college and cannot find a job, what people do is continue their education and hope the economy recovers by the time they get out,” said Kathleen England, president of the State Bar of Nevada.

Nathan Neeley, director of admissions and financial aid, said students are applying to more law schools than in the past. Previously, someone may have applied to six schools and today it may be nine, he said

“I am hearing a lot of people say they got laid off and are still young and want to go to law school,” said Byron Francis, managing partner of Armstrong Teasdale law firm. “But that is quite a bit tempered by the fact that it is not a great market to become a lawyer.”

John White, dean of Boyd, said it’s too soon to speculate on the legal job market’s effect on the school, but enrollment hasn’t been affected.

Law school is on the back of many people’s minds and is an incentive if they aren’t going anywhere in their career, White said.

The recession has changed the interest of students, who appear to be more interested in bankruptcy law now, White said. That’s matches what’s going on in private practice where firms have more work in that area and less in real estate, he said.

Larger coastal firms seem to be the most affected by the economy and that could prompt more students to show an interest in studying law in Las Vegas, White said. West Coast schools’ pipelines to firms have been curtailed, and many students find better opportunities at smaller firms in Las Vegas, he said.

Still, White, said there are concerns about what the future holds.

“I am more concerned about the unknowns in the region’s practices over the next 5 to 10 years,” White said. “What is the nature of the practices going to be with the economy? What is going to be the demand from firms?”

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