Law is a broad field with endless opportunities. Graduates may pursue private practice work or enter politics, journalism, academia or financial planning – while some even become clerks on the Supreme Court!
Employability among 2023 graduates has reached its highest point since at least 2010 according to the American Bar Association (ABA), making this news doubly encouraging for new lawyers entering practice.
Number of Law Schools
Most law degrees require full time attendance and most graduates leave with more than $100,000 in student loan debt. Many graduates claim their law degrees were worth the financial investment, though others question the high costs and long repayment timelines associated with law degrees.
Employment rates among new law school graduates have reached record heights. Over 88% of ABA-accredited law graduates found full-time positions requiring the bar exam or accepting JD degrees according to an ABA press release, the report states.
Students pursuing law degrees typically do so out of an interest in public service, a desire to make a difference and an attraction to challenging work as motivators for enrolling. Private attorneys who plan on practicing may find more success attending top-ranked law schools, while some law schools also provide internship and scholarship opportunities that give students valuable experience before entering legal practice.
Number of Students
In 2024, there were 139,306 students enrolled at 197 ABA-approved law schools. While law school enrollment can differ depending on which law school it attends, in general law school enrollment tends to be significantly higher than other postsecondary institutions – perhaps explaining why getting into law school can be so competitive.
Candidates when considering law schools consider many factors, including employment rates of graduates. Recent graduates’ unemployment has reached its lowest point since 2007, while employment rates at top law schools have improved as well.
Law schools offer various services to assist graduates with finding jobs post-graduation. This may include career advising, interview programs and one-on-one support with job search strategies; they may also support summer public interest fellowships as well as academic work funding for academic work done during summer breaks. Students may become editors for major legal scholarly journals (a sign of academic distinction); many law schools also provide student organizations that focus on specific legal fields like international or environmental law that help facilitate these endeavors.
Number of Graduates
Law degrees are among the many varieties offered by higher education institutions, the most prevalent being professional doctorates degrees. Law degrees are open to students of all ages; most colleges, schools and universities provide law programs.
Many individuals choose law as their course of study because they’re drawn to its intricate system and want to make an impactful difference within it. Some students study law solely for financial gain while others do it because it brings joy through learning more about law itself.
Law students typically pursue an array of courses. Admissions committees at law schools look for well-rounded college educations from students applying to study law. They expect subjects such as history, economics, government philosophy science mathematics literature classics as opposed to solely vocational training being covered during their education.
New ABA data shows that more 2023 graduates found full time, long term attorney jobs than any previous class – which is encouraging news – but underemployed and unemployed graduates still outnumber those holding such roles.
Number of Jobs
Banner headlines of record employment numbers for the Class of 2023 may create a false sense of security in the job market, however. While their employment figures appear impressive, only 85.6% of graduates from ABA-approved law schools were working full-time and long-term positions that required Bar passage for Bar passage requirements or JD Advantage jobs that utilized legal degrees at least in some way (Figure 4).
The American Bar Association (ABA) has also implemented measures to disaggregate data to more clearly demonstrate which jobs fall into which categories. While this new format is more useful than before, it still excludes non-employed graduates as well as short-term or part-time work arrangements.
The American Bar Association data also shows that employment at large law firms isn’t evenly spread among law schools, with certain schools having more access to these positions than others. Public service jobs remain popular with graduates – accounting for 29.5% of employed graduates versus 29% the year prior.
