If you practice law, or know someone who does, mark May 2013 on the calendar. That s when the legal job market could get a lot more competitive.

A record number of people are ready to opt out of what Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has called a weak job market, and wait it out in the halls of America s law schools.

More than 60,000 aspiring attorneys sat for the LSAT this fall, more than any year kept on record by the Law School Admission Council, or LSAC. That s about 20% more than fall 2008. And because the American Bar Association, or ABA, gives accreditation to a few new law schools a year, there are more places for them to go.

People do tend to turn to graduate education as a way to ride out a slowdown, said Wendy Margolis, an LSAC representative.

Margolis says there are 5% more law school applicants this year than there were in 2008, and the average number of applications per applicant has risen as well. It appears they realize it s competitive, she says.

Although not all law students end up practicing law, ABA Commission Chairman Allan Tanenbaum says there will be a backlog of people with law degrees. And come 2013, the legal profession could look a lot different.

There s going to be a whole new model, he says, adding that the ABA is exploring whether to assemble a group for skilled lawyers interested in public service akin to Teach for America or AmeriCorps.

Challenging times force people to think a little bit outside the box, he says.