LEGAL SCOOPS — Graduate school loans constitute most of the $160,000 average law student debt and 74% of law students have a law school debt to pay off. This debt includes their undergraduate debt, a major burden in law studies, the cost of the bar exams, and other expenses. U.S. Department of Education data shows how school choice can influence law graduate debt. At the lower end, the average student has a $52,000 obligation when graduating from the Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law. In contrast, those graduating from Southwestern Law School have an average debt of $200,000. After passing their bar exam, young lawyers are ready to seek employment. Pay varies according to the various legal industries, but data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor for 2020 show that the annual mean wage for lawyers was $148,901. Their data indicates that the lowest 10% of lawyers earned below $61,490 compared to the highest 10% who made more than $208,000. Low-paying legal jobs are generally in public employment and relief services, whereas the highest-paying jobs are in specialized services and the tech industries.