THE Union of Students of Ireland has warned that yesterday's High Court ruling against law undergraduates hoping to become solicitors will lead to a long term decline in legal education standards.
The union said it fears that universities will in future be forced to restrict the broad nature of legal education.
It said it will raise the issue with the Minister for Education, Ms Breathnach, in a meeting next week.
The 800 students yesterday lost their challenge against a recent change in the Law Society's regulations which requires them to pass an entrance exam for a place on the solicitors' training course in Blackhall Place.
Until last September, law graduates from five universities in the Republic - UCD, UCC, TCD, UCG and UL - were exempt from the exam which graduates from other disciplines had to sit to get a place in Black hall Place.
The exemptions were struck down following a September High Court ruling in an action taken by Northern law students. Last December, the society decided not to re introduce the exemptions for law graduates from the Republic. Yesterday's High Court ruling upholds that decision.
According to USI's education officer, Mr Malcolm Byrne, the ruling means that law graduates will in future spend more time studying for the eight subjects in the entrance exam instead of getting a broad legal education.
Mr Byrne said he was "worried" about the position of law graduates in years to come.
He said: "The standards of legal education will drop because the courses will have to concentrate in the final year on offering either exemption subjects or revision courses. Essentially, legal education will become far more focused on getting the eight exemptions into Black hall Place instead of studying a wide range of legal topics."