Puerto Rico law school graduates earn the lowest salaries in the nation. According to FindLaw, the median net income for law graduates four years post-graduation is $72,000. Graduates from top institutions earn significantly more, with Columbia Law School graduates leading at $253,800. In contrast, Inter American University of Puerto Rico-School of Law graduates earn $29,000, and Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico-Ponce graduates earn $22,000. Several factors give us insight on this disparity.
Puerto Rico has a high number of lawyers. With 13,944 lawyers as of 2023, it has more lawyers total than 24 other states. In a 2018 study, Puerto Rico ranked 9th in lawyers per capita, with 43 lawyers per 10,000 residents.
In a 2016 study, Puerto Rico ranked last in the number of employed lawyers. Currently, Puerto Rico has 4.24 lawyers per 1,000 residents, with only eight states having more lawyers per 1,000 residents.
In 2021, 42.7% of Puerto Rico’s population lived below the poverty level, with a median household income of $24,002. Only 40% of able workers participate in the workforce, limiting business activity.
In 2020, Puerto Rico had 45,451 businesses, with 25% employing fewer than 20 employees. In comparison, Florida has 143 small businesses per 1,000 residents, while Puerto Rico has only 13.9, well below the lowest-ranked state, West Virginia, which has 62.2.
Moreover, the current minimum salary of $9.50 rising to $10.50 per hour results in a yearly salary of almost $22,000, not far from the expected salary out of law school, a sad situation given the investment of time and money for seven years of study. Paralegals in the US fare much better, with a median salary of $60,970 according to the US Bureau of Labor & Statistics.
These factors suggest that the issues extend beyond law schools to the supply and demand for legal services. There are too many lawyers and too few clients able or willing to pay for their services.
Given the high number of lawyers, low demand for legal services, and economic constraints, it is worth considering whether law schools should adjust their admission rates or curricula to better align with market needs. Puerto Rico also has some of the lowest bar exam passing rates in the nation, a historically persistent issue that, given the circumstances, many seem content with.
Prospective students should be advised of these real-life challenges before investing time and money in pursuing a legal career. Law schools should focus on areas less theoretical and more in tune with higher market demand to better equip graduates for the evolving job market. Additionally, they must ensure professors, many of whom are part-time adjuncts, are up to the task. Being a lawyer is not so much an academic pursuit but rather a professional one.
Caveat: This analysis is based on internet sources, and I am not an economist, so there may be errors in the calculations. However, the overall difficult panorama is evident.
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