You’ve graduated from law school with that degree in hand…now what? Life after law school can be a wild ride especially in today’s economy. Long gone are the days when a law degree was your quick ticket to a great first job. In fact, many law schools have come under intense scrutiny because of the “delusions of grandeur” put into the minds of law students about their chances of post law school success.
A recent study of 192 ABA accredited schools showed that 88.3% of students had jobs. That figure is the lowest since the 1990’s. But it actually gets worse. Of those 88.3% of students only 70% of them held jobs that even required a JD degree. The study also found that a quarter of those jobs were temporary and that 42% of the jobs were on-campus college related jobs.
Those dismal numbers do not mean people should stop pursuing a JD it just means that law schools need to be held accountable for their fuzzy employment statistics they show on their websites and students need to have realistic expectations.
The newly minted law school graduate should have an open mind when it comes to applying for jobs. A JD is still an impressive achievement and brings with it a lot of skills and knowledge that are highly desired by many types of employers. Many law school graduates go to work consulting, start their own business, go into journalism, or continue with their schooling. For those looking to practice law there are several different opportunities including:
If you are hired on at a large law firm there is an alarming trend going on that some say is the equivalent of outsourcing. Today the biggest law firms no longer have the partner career path as the only option. In the old days attorneys would distinguish themselves at promising revenue generators and would get on the partner track. The others who could make it would opt out of the career or go to a different firm.
Today the model now consists of two paths: partner track and career track. What these firms are doing is creating a lower class of career track attorneys that may never make over $60,000 a year. This new model has its benefits and drawbacks. For those who want a steady income without working until all hours of the night the career track is a good fit. The downside is that it can breed resentment and unhealthy competition. Another danger is that new hires can be placed in the wrong career track and be labeled a “career associate” therefore hindering their opportunities to make partner.
A recent study of 192 ABA accredited schools showed that 88.3% of students had jobs. That figure is the lowest since the 1990’s. But it actually gets worse. Of those 88.3% of students only 70% of them held jobs that even required a JD degree. The study also found that a quarter of those jobs were temporary and that 42% of the jobs were on-campus college related jobs.
Those dismal numbers do not mean people should stop pursuing a JD it just means that law schools need to be held accountable for their fuzzy employment statistics they show on their websites and students need to have realistic expectations.
The newly minted law school graduate should have an open mind when it comes to applying for jobs. A JD is still an impressive achievement and brings with it a lot of skills and knowledge that are highly desired by many types of employers. Many law school graduates go to work consulting, start their own business, go into journalism, or continue with their schooling. For those looking to practice law there are several different opportunities including:
- Government
- Private Practice
- Non-Profit
- Teaching
- Clerkship
- Corporation
- Large Law Firm
If you are hired on at a large law firm there is an alarming trend going on that some say is the equivalent of outsourcing. Today the biggest law firms no longer have the partner career path as the only option. In the old days attorneys would distinguish themselves at promising revenue generators and would get on the partner track. The others who could make it would opt out of the career or go to a different firm.
Today the model now consists of two paths: partner track and career track. What these firms are doing is creating a lower class of career track attorneys that may never make over $60,000 a year. This new model has its benefits and drawbacks. For those who want a steady income without working until all hours of the night the career track is a good fit. The downside is that it can breed resentment and unhealthy competition. Another danger is that new hires can be placed in the wrong career track and be labeled a “career associate” therefore hindering their opportunities to make partner.
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