As with any other field of study, the ability to get a job out of law school obviously depends on where a person went to school and how he or she performed. In fact, legal education is still an excellent choice for those committed to serving others in a rewarding career. A recent conversation between the deans of various public policy and international affairs schools in Foreign Policy suggested that law degree graduates were faring much better than both doctoral and master’s students in specialty programs such as international studies.

Although the market for “Big Law” is changing because major law firms continue to hire many fewer new graduates than they used to, large corporate law firms are not the only, or even the most common, place for new lawyers to work. Legal education must continue to educate those who seek to serve as legal “problem solvers,” not only in the board room or courtroom, but in all areas of civil society — our legislatures, administrative agencies, schools, workplaces and beyond.

The supposed crisis of the increased cost of attending law school is, of course, part of the overall increase in the costs of higher education. Since 1978, the cost of going to college has increased 1,120 percent (far outpacing the rate of inflation). For law schools, the increased costs can be attributed to a variety of factors: significant decreases in state funding at public law schools, increased faculty salaries, the growth in clinical education that requires smaller classes, and providing more services to students.

The cost of higher education, and the amount of debt that students graduate with, should be of concern to all. Law schools specifically should do more to provide need-based financial aid to students — rather than what most law schools have been doing in recent years, which is to shift toward financial aid based primarily on merit in order to influence their rankings. This has amounted to “buying” students who have higher grades and test scores.

Finally, the talk of a crisis often cites the decrease in law-school applications for each of the last three years. This overlooks the fact that the number of applications has fluctuated for decades. Many law schools have reduced the size of their classes, to be sure, but this is simply to balance supply and demand.