The days of Elle Woods revolutionizing Harvard Law School could soon be over – or so recent trends would have you believe. While top schools like Harvard and Yale haven’t suffered much, moderate and lower law schools have experienced significant drops in interest and effectiveness.

With the closing of Whittier Law School – the first accredited law school to shut down – other signs of demise are on the horizon. While the employment rate for the class of 2015 was a healthy 86.7 percent, that’s down five percent from the employment rate in 2007. Both the number of job opportunities in law and the number of law school graduates have decreased – a 10 percent drop in graduates between 2010 and 2015.

The main reason for these decreases is technology. Automation and online services have made low-level tasks unnecessary for actual people to complete, meaning there has been a drop in opportunities for young lawyers.

Despite the loss of opportunities, automation has made existing lawyers more productive. While that means law firms aren’t hiring as many lawyers, there is now more efficiency and accessibility for clients seeking professional law advice, thereby enriching the benefits of becoming a lawyer.

To read the full article in USA Today, click here.