Law school applications go mobile


Students can start their law school application process on an iPad.

Twenty-somethings use their smart phones for anything, even applying to law school.

John Marshall Law School (JMLS) in Atlanta launched a mobile application Oct. 3 that lets prospective students submit their application via iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and computer tablets like Apple’s iPad.

JMLS officials will still require prospective students to send their academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement that proves critical to the application process.

But allowing applications via smart phone means potential students won’t have to go home, fire up their laptop, go to the school’s website, and find the application page.

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“We want students to be able to come to a law school forum, tour our campus, talk to us, and apply immediately,” said Alan Boyer, associate dean of recruitment and marketing at JMLS. “If they have to wait until they get home and turn on a computer, they may not apply.”

JMLS has included a financial incentive for prospective students: Anyone who applies using the school’s mobile application will have the $50 application fee waived. The offer is expected to expire soon.

“We think because students are wired, we needed this method for them to apply,” Boyer said. “Using today’s technology is one more thing that helps prospective students understand we’re advancing and leading in this area. … Any school that leverages technology like this is going to catch students’ attention.”

The move to mobile applications comes as law schools nationwide have seen a sharp drop in applications.

Law school applications fell by 11.5 percent between 2010 and 2011, according to a report from the Law School Admission Council, marking the lowest total since 2001.

It’s the first time law school applications have dropped since 2005.

Studies cite the depressed job market as a primary reason for the drastic drop in law school applications. The average law school student now graduates with more than $100,000 in student loan debt, according to the American Bar Association.

“People aren’t sure they want to take out the loans to actually afford to go [to law school], then on the back end, they don’t know if they’ll have employment,” Boyer said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty there right now.”

Boyer said a couple applications have been submitted via mobile device since the Oct. 3 launch, and with a promotional push set for later this year, JMLS officials expect a steady increase in the number of potential students using their tablets and smart phones to start their law career.

“We’d like to think that we are using tools and technologies that ease the application process,” he said. “This is one more step in engaging prospective students.”

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