People are now taking a second look at the Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI) study reported in the NYT Economix blog that says there's an oversupply of lawyers everywhere but Washington, D.C., Wisconsin, Nebraska and Wyoming. And guess what? There might be an oversupply there, too. The methodology (people passing the state's bar compared to estimated job openings) doesn't quite fit those jurisdictions. EMSI's updated explanation:
Lawyers in good standing and licensed in other states can practice in D.C. — or be “waived into” membership — which explains why there are very few who actually take the bar exam there. In Wisconsin (and perhaps Wyoming and Nebraska, as one commenter noted) graduates from law schools in the state do not have to pass the bar before practicing. This is one reason why looking at the completers data from NCES is helpful; not all law schools grads at Wisconsin will practice in the state, but there’s a good chance the completer number for Wisconsin (691) is a more accurate measure of the supply than the bar exam passer number (248). The same is true for D.C.
Law School Tuition Bubble has an analysis and links to other studies, including its own.
