WSJ: Law School Enrollment Down

U.S. Law School Enrollments Fall

Lack of Jobs Has Students Steering Away From Legal Career

. Some schools have relaxed admissions standards to keep up class size, while others have intentionally shrunk the number of students they admit to preserve their standing in law school rankings that factor in entering students' grades and test scores.

But the news isn't all bad. For example, this year 27 law schools expanded their first-year class sizes by 10% or more, according to the ABA.

"Some schools may have corrected and are now in a position to increase their enrollment," the ABA's Mr. Currier said. "Some schools are still in the process of correction."

The decline also means potentially less competition for law school seats among applicants and for jobs among future graduates.

Leandro Quatel, a first-year student at Charlotte School of Law in North Carolina, hopes the shrinking pool of students will improve his prospects in the job market after graduation.

"I'm one of those students who is counting on a decline of my competition," Mr. Quatel, 26, said in an email. "I keep telling my wife that the more people drop out of law school or decide not to enroll or even apply, the better it could be for me in the long run."