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Alcohol Not Cool in Law School

By William Vogeler, Esq. on November 14, 2017 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

When it comes to alcohol in law school, times have changed.

A few years ago, critics raged against university administrators who banned alcohol at student functions. But like tobacco use, it is not so cool to drink in law school anymore.

It only took a few hazing incidents, sexual assaults, and deaths to change everything. For Florida State University, one alcohol-related tragedy was enough.

Alcohol Ban

Andrew Coffey, an FSU student, died at a fraternity party. Police investigators, removing liquor bottles from the scene, said alcohol was a likely factor in his death.

Since the incident, President John Thrasher has banned alcohol at all student events. He said it's a "serious problem" and time for a "culture change."

Lex Lorenzo, in charge of a student organization at the law school, complained to the president in an open letter. She said the ban created a "logistical nightmare" for students at an event to meet attorneys, judges, and public officials.

"As an unintended consequence of your action, I would not be surprised to see a drop in our law school's rankings as job placement and alumni involvement suffers," she wrote in the Tallahassee Democrat.

Are You Drunk?

Staci Zaretski, writing for Above the Law, said the alcohol ban will not affect job placement and law school ranking. She said the notion is "absurd."

"You'd have to be drunk to think these things will happen," she wrote."The legal profession is in crisis from a drinking standpoint, and the belief that job placement will suffer due to a lack of alcohol at these mixers only further proves that point."

It is a well-known fact that alcoholism is more prevalent in the legal profession than in the general population. According to studies, the problem is getting worse.

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