Survey of Law School Faculty 2025: Trump Administration Impact on Law Schools and the Legal Profession
Description
This timely report provides an in-depth look at how law faculty across the United States perceive and respond to the Trump Administration’s actions affecting law schools, law firms, and the broader legal sector.
Key Findings of this 100-page report:
Overwhelming Opposition to Punitive Efforts: Nearly 79% of faculty view the Trump Administration’s attempts to punish law firms employing attorneys who opposed the administration as a “dangerous and illegal effort to undermine the US legal system.” Only 4% expressed support for these actions.
Academic Freedom at Risk: 78% of respondents are concerned that political scrutiny will limit academic freedom in law schools, with concern highest among older, left-leaning, and international law faculty.
Faculty Activism and Institutional Response: About one-third of faculty have taken action to oppose the administration’s efforts, primarily through petitions. However, most faculty report no direct involvement.
Divided Views on Law School Stance: While 45% of faculty favor open institutional support for law firms resisting federal intimidation, 37% prefer neutrality—especially among younger and conservative faculty.
Speech and Accreditation Concerns: 71% expect faculty speech outside the classroom to come under political pressure, and most anticipate at least some impact on law school accreditation from changes in federal oversight.
Report Contents: The report presents detailed survey data and analysis on faculty views regarding:
The Trump Administration’s efforts to influence law firms and legal education
Perceived student reactions to law firms’ cooperation with the administration
Faculty activism and protest actions
Law school policies and support for academic freedom
Anticipated effects on accreditation and faculty speech
Stakeholder influence on law school responses
Open-ended faculty recommendations for protecting academic independence
The study includes subgroup analyses by age, academic rank, political orientation, field of law, and institutional characteristics, as well as extensive open-ended commentary from faculty.
Key Findings of this 100-page report:
Overwhelming Opposition to Punitive Efforts: Nearly 79% of faculty view the Trump Administration’s attempts to punish law firms employing attorneys who opposed the administration as a “dangerous and illegal effort to undermine the US legal system.” Only 4% expressed support for these actions.
Academic Freedom at Risk: 78% of respondents are concerned that political scrutiny will limit academic freedom in law schools, with concern highest among older, left-leaning, and international law faculty.
Faculty Activism and Institutional Response: About one-third of faculty have taken action to oppose the administration’s efforts, primarily through petitions. However, most faculty report no direct involvement.
Divided Views on Law School Stance: While 45% of faculty favor open institutional support for law firms resisting federal intimidation, 37% prefer neutrality—especially among younger and conservative faculty.
Speech and Accreditation Concerns: 71% expect faculty speech outside the classroom to come under political pressure, and most anticipate at least some impact on law school accreditation from changes in federal oversight.
Report Contents: The report presents detailed survey data and analysis on faculty views regarding:
The Trump Administration’s efforts to influence law firms and legal education
Perceived student reactions to law firms’ cooperation with the administration
Faculty activism and protest actions
Law school policies and support for academic freedom
Anticipated effects on accreditation and faculty speech
Stakeholder influence on law school responses
Open-ended faculty recommendations for protecting academic independence
The study includes subgroup analyses by age, academic rank, political orientation, field of law, and institutional characteristics, as well as extensive open-ended commentary from faculty.
Table of Contents
100 Pages
- Table 1.1 What do you think of the Trump Administration effort to punish law firms that have employed attorneys that opposed the Trump Administration in some way?
- Table 2.1 In your opinion have students at your law school reduced their pursuit of internships and positions at law firms that acceded to demands from the Trump Administration to provide pro bono legal help in exchange for the Trump Administration dropping bans on federal security clearance and other strictures?
- Table 3.1 Do you personally believe that law school students should disfavor in job seeking law firms that negotiated settlements with the Trump Administration rather than fought them in court?
- Table 4 Have you personally taken any of the following actions?
- Table 5.1 Should law schools openly support law firms resisting federal intimidation, or remain neutral?
- Table 6.1 Do you expect changes in federal oversight to affect accreditation standards for law schools?
- Table 7.1 How concerned are you that political scrutiny will limit academic freedom in law schools?
- Table 8.1 To what extent do you believe faculty speech outside the classroom (e.g., social media. op-eds) will come under political pressure in this administration?
- Table 9.1 Which campus stakeholders do you expect will most influence how law schools respond to Trump-era policies?
- Table 10.1 How satisfied are you with how your law school administration has responded to challenges to the higher education community from the Trump Administration?
- Table 11.1 How likely are you personally to speak publicly (op-eds, testimony, expert commentary) against Trump’s higher education initiatives?
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