Controversy over the Law School System: Legal Associations Respond

Recently, President Lee Jae-myung expressed personal concerns about the law school (professional graduate school of law) system, stating, "There seems to be an issue with the pathway for nurturing legal professionals."

As expectations grew about a potential resurgence of the bar exam, legal associations have raised their voices in concern.

On the 27th, the Korean Bar Association (KBA) responded to various allegations regarding the law school system through a commentary.

The KBA stated, "Many of the allegations against the law school system have been proven to be factually incorrect by the Advisory Committee for Legal Professional Training under the National Assembly's Legal Affairs Committee in 2015." Additionally, they emphasized, "The admission process for law schools is conducted through objective and multi-faceted evaluations, and the fairness and rationality of this selection process have already been verified through various occasions."

Refuting Claims of Law School as a 'Modern Nepotism' with Statistics

The KBA rebutted claims from certain quarters stating that law schools represent a 'modern version of nepotism' by providing concrete statistics.

"According to the statistics from the Council of Professional Graduate Schools of Law, 19.11% of all students received full scholarships between 2017 and 2022, and 50.17% benefited from scholarships," they explained. Furthermore, they asserted that "from 2009 to 2021, a total of approximately 402.4 billion KRW in scholarships was awarded to students by law schools, equating to an average of about 31 billion KRW in scholarships paid out annually."

The KBA added, "The notion that poor students cannot study in law schools is merely an ideologically flawed assertion that greatly contradicts objective statistics and reality; in fact, the entry of socially vulnerable individuals into the legal profession has significantly increased."

Kim Ki-won, the president of the Korean Bar Association, also defended the law school system, stating, "The law school system, being university-based rather than an exam system, is more favorable for underprivileged groups," and noted, "Many law school students are in tougher financial situations than several undergraduates." He further explained, "While both law schools and the bar exam represent significant challenges, there are relatively fewer cases of life being ruined by choosing medical or law schools, due to the rational nature of the university system."

Suggestions for Improving the Law School System

The KBA also expressed the position that while the law school system should be maintained, improvements in its operation are necessary. They stated, "A comprehensive inspection is needed to determine whether law schools are operating properly as intended by the Law Reform Promotion Committee." They stressed, "Discussions should take place regarding the normalization of the number of lawyers and the promised consolidation of adjacent qualification examinations."

Additionally, the KBA proposed, "The law school vacancy replenishment system should be abolished, and the legal admission quotas strictly adhered to in order to normalize the quality of education." They suggested, "If there are law schools lacking the capability as institutions to nurture legal professionals, they should be boldly consolidated."

Image source: President Lee Jae-myung holds a town hall meeting with Gwangju citizens and Jeonnam residents at the National Asia Culture Center in Gwangju on the 25th. / News1 (Provided by the Presidential Office), News1