Paul Campos proposes 30% cut to Stanford Law School's fees

The debate over law school fees is a controversy that seems to continue without precipitating a whole lot of change for the better. Now, Paul Campos has proposed an idea for a solution to the problem, and he put it to his audience at Stanford University, where he went to speak earlier this week. Campos proposed that Stanford Law School unilaterally cut its tuition fees for JD students by 30 percent. The discount amounts to around $33,000 per year, putting fees at 2004 levels. The cost of the move would be about seven million dollars, assuming that the school maintained the current level of scholarships and grants. It seems like a large sum, but when you consider that Stanford University’s endowment is currently probably about $17 billion dollars (this figure is derived by guesswork on the part of Campos) the cost seems less significant. In addition, says Campos, the school could finance the tuition cuts with a fundraising appeal premised on the proposition that SLS is taking the lead in moving American legal education toward crucial structural reforms. The move may even enhance the school’s prestige and ranking, causing a step up from the school's current position as the # 3 law school in the US. Such a move would have a domino effect, predicts Campos, with other law schools following suit to cut their tuition fees.

Paul Campos proposes 30% cut to Stanford Law School's fees abovethelaw.com Tue, Mar 13, 2012