A bunch of recently graduated and unemployed lawyers are suing their law schools for false hope.

A group of fresh, unemployed lawyers have banded together to sue law schools. 73 alumni have filed at least fifteen class-action lawsuits, alleging the schools inflated employment figures and salary data to attract students and increase rankings. The real goal of the lawsuits seems to be to effect systemic change in the education industry and associations that accredit law schools, like the American Bar Association.

The New York Daily News reported that graduates from the Brooklyn Law School accuse the school of fraud, saying that “attending Brooklyn Law and forking nearly $150,000 in tuition payments is a terrible investment.”

The school’s Web site reported employment rates of 88 to 98 percent within nine months of graduation, but the students allege these figures included students who had part-time or temporary work unrelated to the legal field, according to the Daily News.

Recent graduates from New York Law School filed a $200 million class action suit in damages for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and violations of business law.

Financial writer Flexo at Consumerism Commentary says that the goal of the lawsuits seem not to merely receive compensation, but to “effect systemic change in the education industry and associations that accredit law schools, like the American Bar Association.”

He also says it’ll be hard for the students to win their case, since there are many “factors that contribute to unemployment, including the overall economy, local job markets, and the effort, skills, and self-marketability of each alumnus.”

Source: BI, Courthousenews