Snippets
of Information on Legal Careers*
Where do law graduates find jobs?
- 77% of graduates find jobs in the same region as their law school
- 65% of graduates find jobs in the same state as their law school
- New York, California, Illinois, Texas and Washington, D.C. provide the most
jobs
How do GPA and Class Rank Impact Job Prospects
- Large law firms with a national presence seek top
students from "nationally known" law schools
- 60% of law firm jobs acquired by graduates nationwide
are with small or medium-sized firms
- 90% of the law graduates who were hired were not in
the top 10% of their classes
What type of Jobs did Law Graduates of 2001 Acquire?
- Private Practice - 58%
- Government - 13%
- Judicial Clerkships - 12%
- Business and Industry - 11%
- Public Interest - 3%
- Academic -1%
Why is Timing Important?
- 71% of jobs acquired before graduation
- 74% of all law firm jobs are acquired before graduation
- 61% of public service jobs are acquired before graduation
How Much do Attorneys Make? (class of 2001 median
salaries)
- All Full Time Jobs - $55,000
- Private Practice - $90,000
- Business and Industry - $60,000
- Academic - $40,000
- Government - $41,000
- Judicial Clerkships - $40,000
- Public Interest - $35,000
How Does Base Compensation Vary by Firm Size?
- 2-5 Attorneys - $49,154
- 26-50 Attorneys - $67,818
- 51-100 Attorneys - $82,224
- 101-250 Attorneys - $100,496
- 251-500 Attorneys - $114, 905
- 500+ Attorneys - $120,242
How Often Do Associate Quit?
- 9.2% depart within one year of hire
- 26.5% depart within two years of hire
- 49% depart within three years of hire
What Are Some Important Characteristics of Youngest
Attorneys?
- Confident, self-reliant but need leadership and adult supervision
- need immediate gratification
- have strong work ethic but demand life balances
- embraces equity and fairness
- believes that "people matter most"
* Information from National Association of Law Placement