According the Law School Admission Council, applications to start law school in the U.S. have dropped 11.5% since least year. This is lowest level of application in over a decade. Turns out, a J.D. is no longer a guarantee of a good job.
From ABA Journal.com:
After widespread publicity about the hard-hit legal economy, it appears many prospective applicants have gotten the message that a law degree isn't necessarily a ticket to well-paid employment or even a legal job, the Wall Street Journal reported.
"When the economy first went down, students saw law school as a way to dodge the workforce," says pre-law adviser Ryan Heitkamp of Ohio State University. "The news has gotten out that law school is not necessarily a safe backup plan."