Late last month, the National Association for Law Placement announced record-high employment figures for members of the Class of 2023. Their markswerved well in four key employment categories that NALP monitors.
Reasons behind such achievements can be complex and variable; to gain better insight, we consulted some NYU School of Law alumni.
High Grades
Grades and class rankings are integral components of law school enrollment decisions; however, prospective lawyers should not use these metrics as indicators of quality legal education; using such metrics solely may cause more damage in the long run than good.
Employment rate fluctuations depend heavily on two figures: graduates’ numbers and available jobs requiring law degrees. Recently, this ratio has averaged around 2:1.
Top-ranked law schools tend to boast impressive employment rates; however, not all graduates from top law schools go on to work at top firms. Prestigious firms seek excellence, such as valedictorian or salutatorian status or being among the top 10-20% of your law school class; however your GPA shouldn’t prevent you from landing an excellent position at a renowned firm if your resume is impressive enough.
Internships
Law students completing summer internships can gain valuable work experience and insight into how a legal practice operates. Interns might help prepare legal documents, research statutes and court cases, write memos to attorneys about current issues or forthcoming trials in their cases or future trials, assist deposions/motions practice sessions or compile timelines of medical records for discovery purposes.
NALP recently issued its annual report on employment rates for law school graduates, showing that the Class of 2023 broke records across four metrics it tracks–employment rate, bar passage employment requirements jobs filled, median and average salaries–with these employment rates as measured 10 months post graduation.
Numerous schools provide internship programs to encourage their students to become engaged with various legal markets. Vanderbilt hosts an inaugural “Fall Mingle” event each October for first year (1L) students where representatives from firms are invited to meet them in person and discuss career opportunities. Events like these can be particularly effective at connecting graduates and employers.
Networking
Legal professionals tend to know each other and collaborate often in the legal industry, making a connection between alumni from your law school and landing employment an essential one after graduation.
Networking effectively can set you apart from other candidates when competing for highly desirable clerkship and associate positions at top firms, providing invaluable experience that will propel you quickly ahead in your career path.
The class of 2024 boasts much better employment prospects than previous classes; however, it remains possible that the market may contract and lead to lower employment rates in future classes. Therefore, it’s critical that law students start building connections early and build them throughout their law school careers by becoming involved with student organizations, attending networking events, building relationships with alumni or legal professionals, etc.
Professional Experience
As you compile a resume, don’t overlook all of your achievements that demonstrate your abilities in the workplace. That includes not just summer jobs and student activities but even things such as serving hungry patrons at a restaurant or volunteering pro bono for organizations helping those unable to afford lawyers.
Law school professors seek graduates who can demonstrate an ability to work well within teams, solve complex problems and show creativity – qualities often acquired through professional experience rather than legal education.
ABA-accredited schools must disclose various information, such as employment data about their graduates. Last year, an unprecedented high of 92.66% of their graduates reported being employed full-time, long-term jobs that required Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage certification or were even more competitive due to having a JD advantage (Source: NALP.). Note: these figures may not reflect overall employment rates for their class as reported to schools by students themselves.