Opening a public law school at the right time
in the right place
State, national, and local studies indicated a compelling need for the new, downtown Dallas public law school.
State Outlook
- Since 1980, Texas' population has grown from 14.3 million to an estimated 23.9 million in 2007, but no additional opportunities for legal education have been added.
- The last public law school in Texas opened in 1967. Since 2000, the number of bachelor degrees is growing at an average rate of 2,400 per year.
- Houston has three law schools (two public, one private). In 2007, Houston area law schools awarded 902 degrees. By comparison, the more populous DFW region had only two private law schools and awarded 457 degrees.
- In 2007, 13,026 students graduated with a bachelor's degree from Houston area public universities, and there were 1,256 first-year law seats available in the region. DFW area public universities awarded 18,899 bachelor's degrees and had only 538 first-year seats available. The ratio of bachelor's degrees to first-year law seats for the Houston area was 10:1, while the DFW region had a 35.1 ratio.
- More than 89% of Texas law school graduates are employed within nine months of graduation.
National Outlook
- With approximately 6.1 million residents, the DFW region was the largest metropolitan area in the United States without a public law school.
- Economic activity and population density are prime factors driving the need for legal services. In 2006, Texas ranked second in Gross State Product, but fourth in the legal workforce necessary to remain competitive.
- Texas ranks second in the nation for law school graduates remaining in the state, with 87% of students working and living in Texas upon graduation.
Local Outlook
- The number of law school seats in the North Texas region grew only 11.3% between 1996 and 2006, while the region's population increased 38%.
- The Department of Labor finds job growth for lawyers will continue to be concentrated in salaried jobs, which tend to be located in urban areas, government agencies, law firms, and large corporations. In 2006, the State Bar of Texas reported 96% of its members practice in a metropolitan county.
- The DFW economy generates 1,400 new legal jobs annually; however, North Texas area employers had to recruit trained attorneys from other regions and state every year to meet hiring needs. They now can recruit graduates of the UNT Dallas College of Law.
Page last updated on March 8, 2012
For questions regarding content, contact Jack Ferguson at john.ferguson@unt.edu.
© 2012 University of North Texas System.
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