By Kelsey Swanekamp
Buffalo Law Journal

After 15 years in the workplace, Lawrence Gallick will be dusting off his bookbag and heading back to school this fall.

The 38-year-old will be leaving full-time employment behind to earn his juris doctor degree at the University at Buffalo Law School, all while raising a family and telecommuting part-time for his job in Web development.

"I'm nervous about having so much to juggle," he said. "I'm not in the position of a lot of students, where it's just me. I have a family."

But Gallick isn't alone in his decision to go to law school. This past year has seen a jump in applicants seeking law degrees.

The number of students taking the Law School Admissions Test exam has risen dramatically over the last year. This June, 32,595 people sat for the exam, an increase of nearly 13 percent from the previous June.

Ann Levine, owner of LawSchool-Expert.com and a consultant on law-school admissions, said that she has "absolutely, without question" seen an increase in applications, citing the jump in LSAT takers as concrete evidence.

"It started last fall when the economy started to falter, and it's only increased since then," said Levine, author of "The Law School Admissions Game."

She credited the jump in applicants to an influx of two groups: those in the workforce returning to graduate school and undergraduates immediately beginning their graduate educations.

"People out in the job market are finding their jobs are eliminated or their options are limited. They decide to sit out of the workplace and increase their skills and marketability," she said.

The American Bar Association reported a 4.3 percent increase in law-school applications for the 2008-2009 year.

"I thought it was a good time to go back to school and let the economic fallout pass," said Gallick.

According to Jeff Thomas, director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions has seen a 20 percent jump in enrollment for its free LSAT practice test over last year's enrollments. "Historically, economic downturns spark an increased interest in law school," he said.

Thomas pointed to a 17 percent jump in law-school applications in 2001. That same year, there was a 26 percent spike in students taking the LSAT in December from that month in the previous year.

But the bump in law-school applicants begs the question of whether there will be jobs available for them when they graduate.

"The short answer is yes, there will be," said Lisa Patterson, the associate dean of career services at UB Law. "The next questions are whether they will be the same jobs we've always seen, if they will be advertised and processed the same ways, and what types of candidates will be the most competitive for them."

Enrollment numbers for UB Law's incoming class of 2012 are not yet available. But Lillie Wiley-Upshaw, associate dean for admissions and financial aid, said that the school experienced a modest decrease - 9 percent - in applications for students starting out this fall.

She predicts steady growth in the application numbers for next year, but doesn't anticipate an unmanageable flood of applicants.

Last August, Patterson said, 222 new students started out as UB Law first-years, and the 2,304 applications the school received for that class represented a 52 percent increase from 2007-2008.

For Sarah Lasher, a 28-year-old mother of two who is entering UB Law this fall, the lapsing job market is a major concern.

"It's a huge worry, especially with the amount of loans I'll have," said Lasher, who just completed her bachelor's degree at Buffalo State College. "It's definitely influencing how hard I'm going to work in law school. But if there's no jobs, there's no jobs."

Gallick, too, is anxious. "I'm hoping my work experience, combined with my law degree, will make me stand out," he said.

However, Frank Ewing, a 29-year-old financial consultant also headed to UB Law, doesn't worry about finding a job after graduation.

"I think (the perception that law jobs aren't available locally) is a misnomer. Maybe I've had blind luck so far," he said. Still, he thinks that qualified and hard-working people will always find career opportunities.

Ewing, who works in the financial-crime/regulations sphere, doesn't intend to solely look for a job in a law firm when he graduates.

"I'm going to leave my options open," he said. He plans to use his JD to maximize his opportunities within the business world. "I've seen how far it can get you," he said. "I'm not thrilled about losing three years of earnings, but it's not a three-year decision. It's a 30-year decision."

Ideally, said Lasher, she would like to combine her bachelor's degree in social work with her law degree. "I want to be a social-justice lawyer." she said. "I want to make a big change."