The New York Times has  an article that begins, “In an effort to bolster the number of lawyers for the poor, New York State’s top judge has cleared the way for law students to take the bar exam early in return for devoting their last semester to pro bono work.”

The article goes on to say, “Judge Lippman said the plan took aim at twin malaises afflicting the legal industry. Applications to law schools have plummeted in recent years as the cost of a legal education has soared and well-paid jobs for lawyers have dried up. Nearly half of graduates are not employed as lawyers nine months after they leave school, despite carrying record student-loan debts, the American Bar Association has reported. First year enrollment is lower than it has been since 1977.

At the same time, a scarcity has arisen of lawyers who serve low- and middle-income people in civil matters like foreclosures and tenant-landlord disputes, a stubborn problem Judge Lippman has called ‘the justice gap.'”

The full article is here.