As the Lawyer Exam Pass Rate Becomes Important, Research Takes a Backseat
In the legal academia, other causes for the decline in the number of papers include △ the decrease in the number of law departments since the introduction of law schools △ the law school atmosphere that prioritizes lectures over research. It is analyzed that as the number of law departments decreased after the introduction of law schools, the number of law professors writing papers naturally declined as well. A law school official stated, “Since law schools prefer professors with practical experience, even if full-time researchers write many papers, their chances of becoming professors are low,” adding, “Professors also focus more on lectures than writing papers because the bar exam pass rate is important for the law school’s reputation.”
40% Decrease in University Law Departments Over 15 Years
The total number of law departments has decreased since the introduction of law schools. As the venues for research diminished, research professors lost their places, and the number of papers inevitably declined, creating a vicious cycle. When law schools were introduced in 2009, there were 209 law departments nationwide; this number dropped to 190 in 2010, 185 in 2011, then to 133 in 2021, 124 in 2022, and 117 in 2023, marking a 44.1% decrease compared to 2009. Universities without law schools are converting their law departments into police administration departments or public talent departments aimed at preparing for civil service exams. In 2009, the number of graduates from general university law departments was 8,824. This number sharply declined to 7,565 in 2015, 6,490 in 2016, 5,782 in 2017, and 4,969 in 2018. It further decreased to 4,034 in 2021, 3,874 in 2022, and last year dropped to 3,470, a 60.7% decrease compared to 2009.
A law professor from a provincial university explained, “As nearly half of the law departments disappeared, even ‘adjunct lecturer’ positions where full-time researchers could lecture and conduct research have largely vanished,” adding, “Since vacant law professor positions due to retirement are not being filled, the decrease in the number of law professors itself likely affects the decline in the number of papers.”
Law Schools Becoming ‘Academies,’ Research Takes a Backseat
With a bar exam pass rate (relative to test takers) of only 50%, the dominant atmosphere in law schools is to focus on lectures rather than research and paper writing.
Professor Kim Jung-kwon of Chung-Ang University Law School said, “According to Hegel’s ‘law of transformation of quantity into quality’ (when quantitative changes accumulate, qualitative changes occur), the decrease in the number of law papers signals a ‘yellow’ warning light for law as an academic discipline,” adding, “Universities consist of education and research, but since the introduction of law schools, the bar exam results have been overly emphasized, causing most professors to lean more toward education than research.”
There is also a perception that obtaining a law degree and bar qualification by attending law school is more advantageous for becoming a law school professor than earning a doctorate and writing many papers.
A law school professor from a provincial area said, “In the past, there was a so-called ‘virtuous cycle’ where professors moved from provincial universities to Seoul-area universities, or from smaller to larger universities by writing many good papers,” adding, “Now, unless you are a judge, prosecutor, or lawyer, it is difficult to become a law school professor even if you write many papers.” Concerns about the decline in paper quality are also growing. A law school professor in Seoul pointed out, “Some professors only meet the minimum number of papers required by the university for promotion to full professor,” adding, “There are also many ‘performance’ papers that are only seen by reviewers and submitters.”
Reporter Lee Soon-gyu, Legal Newspaper
※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.
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