Career Building

“For decades, the American law school has served as a popular hedge against a cooling economy. When the ‘Help Wanted’ signs disappear, the ‘J.D.’ applications surge.” Well, applications to law schools are surging. Big time. “The number of U.S. law school applicants for the 2026 cycle is up an estimated 17 percent from last year, according to data from the American Bar Association compiled by the Law School Admission Council. That figure is a staggering 44 percent increase from just two years ago.” But this cycle, things are a little more uncertain. And that’s not just because it’s unclear whether we’ll have laws in America by the time these students graduate. “New limits on student loans that go into effect this year could make financing a degree more expensive. And artificial intelligence threatens to bring major changes to the industry, affecting which jobs are available and how much they pay.” Interest in Law School Is Surging. A.I. Makes the Payoff Less Certain.

+ Too bad you can’t get a graduate degree in becoming a data center. Amazon to Cut 16,000 Jobs in Latest Round of Layoffs. “The e-commerce giant has been cutting costs while pouring resources into building data centers to compete in the race to dominate artificial intelligence.”