Law schools have shed 7% of their full time faculty in the last five years
The ABA disclosures reveal trends over time. And they reveal that law schools have shed about 7% of their full time faculty in the last 5 years, from 2017 to 2022—around 700 people (from 10,026 to 9.342). They may be partially replacing them with part-time faculty, which have increased by around 300 in that time (from 16,783 to 17,081). Or they may be “right sizing” as the long tail of the recession and the decline of interest in legal education. Or it could be that law schools are facing challenges staffing faculties. Or maybe other things altogether. (Full-time faculty include tenured, tenure track, and any other instructional faculty status, as long as they have full time employment at the law school.)
41 schools saw a 20% decline in full-time faculty over this period. And, of course, some declines can appear larger at schools with starting base faculty sizes, so I also list the total faculty in 2022 and 2017.
| Law School | FT 2022 | FT 2017 | Change |
| Atlanta's John Marshall | 15 | 26 | -42.3% |
| Pittsburgh | 35 | 55 | -36.4% |
| Catholic | 24 | 37 | -35.1% |
| Faulkner | 17 | 26 | -34.6% |
| Buffalo | 40 | 61 | -34.4% |
| West Virgnia | 29 | 43 | -32.6% |
| Western State | 15 | 22 | -31.8% |
| William & Mary | 44 | 64 | -31.3% |
| Kentucky | 29 | 42 | -31.0% |
| Denver | 60 | 85 | -29.4% |
| Nova Southeastern | 40 | 56 | -28.6% |
| Chicago-Kent | 48 | 67 | -28.4% |
| Barry | 28 | 39 | -28.2% |
| Akron | 23 | 32 | -28.1% |
| Chapman | 36 | 50 | -28.0% |
| Western New England | 21 | 29 | -27.6% |
| Arkansas | 36 | 49 | -26.5% |
| Liberty | 20 | 27 | -25.9% |
| Ohio Northern | 18 | 24 | -25.0% |
| Southern Illinois | 24 | 32 | -25.0% |
| American | 71 | 94 | -24.5% |
| Toledo | 22 | 29 | -24.1% |
| Cooley | 41 | 54 | -24.1% |
| Missouri | 29 | 38 | -23.7% |
| Washington | 49 | 64 | -23.4% |
| DePaul | 36 | 47 | -23.4% |
| Detroit Mercy | 23 | 30 | -23.3% |
| Pepperdine | 40 | 52 | -23.1% |
| Touro | 34 | 44 | -22.7% |
| Northern Illinois | 24 | 31 | -22.6% |
| UC-Davis | 40 | 51 | -21.6% |
| Loyola-New Orleans | 40 | 51 | -21.6% |
| Wake Forest | 48 | 61 | -21.3% |
| San Francisco | 37 | 47 | -21.3% |
| Montana | 15 | 19 | -21.1% |
| Indiana-Bloomington | 49 | 62 | -21.0% |
| New Mexico | 38 | 48 | -20.8% |
| District of Columbia | 23 | 29 | -20.7% |
| Oklahoma City | 23 | 29 | -20.7% |
| McGeorge | 35 | 44 | -20.5% |
| Samford | 20 | 25 | -20.0% |
That said, 11 schools saw significant faculty growth in this period.
| Law School | FT 2022 | FT 2017 | Change |
| Southern | 54 | 33 | 63.6% |
| Lincoln Memorial | 22 | 14 | 57.1% |
| Roger Williams | 32 | 23 | 39.1% |
| UNT Dallas | 22 | 16 | 37.5% |
| Appalachian | 13 | 10 | 30.0% |
| Campbell | 33 | 26 | 26.9% |
| South Dakota | 20 | 16 | 25.0% |
| Penn State Law | 52 | 42 | 23.8% |
| Washington University (St. Louis) | 96 | 78 | 23.1% |
| Florida International | 39 | 32 | 21.9% |
| Dayton | 30 | 25 | 20.0% |