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Employment up, with UPenn leading way

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A higher percent of law graduates from 2014 landed full-time, long-term jobs compared to graduates from 2013, according to figures from the American Bar Association. But the overall numbers were down slightly due to a smaller class size. 

Ten months after graduation, 71 percent of the class of 2014 were employed in a long-term, full-time position that either required them to pass the bar exam or preferred those with law degrees. That number was up from 67 percent last year.

There were 43,832 graduates in 2014 compared to 46,776 in 2013.

University of Pennsylvania reported the highest percent of graduates with full-time, long-term bar passage required or JD preferred positions at 97.8 percent. It was followed by New York University, University of Virginia, Cornell University and University of Chicago. Thirteen schools reported employment at 90 percent or higher. Thirty-seven schools reported employment between 80 and 90 percent, and 67 reported between 70 and 80 percent. The median was 72 percent.

On the other side, 19 schools reported full-time, long-term bar passage required or JD preferred positions at less than 50 percent. That included the three schools in Puerto Rico, which reported three of the four worst employment rates.

Other than the three Puerto Rican schools, the law schools with the lowest employment numbers were Golden Gate University at 31.7 percent,  Thomas Jefferson School of Law at 40.9 percent and Appalachian School of Law at 42.1 percent.

The American Bar Association breaks employment data in several categories. Only 9.8 percent of graduates were unemployed and seeking employment. For the class of 2013, 11.1 percent were unemployed and seeking employment. But this year, the ABA measured the data ten months after graduation, one month longer than the year before. In both years, employment status was unknown for an additional two percent of graduates.

The biggest improvement in job placement came for long-term, full-time bar passage required jobs. The percent improved from 57 to 59.9 percent, suggesting a modest improvement in the legal employment market. Part-time and short-term jobs decreased.

For type of employer, law firms with two to 500 attorneys improved 1.1 percent, from 39.6 percent to 40.7 percent. It was higher than all other categories. Government was second with a 1 percent increase.

 

50 law schools with highest FT, LT Bar passage req. or JD preferred employment

PENNSYLVANIA, UNIVERSITY OF 97.8%
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 96.7%
VIRGINIA, UNIVERSITY OF 96.6%
CORNELL UNIVERSITY 96.3%
CHICAGO, UNIVERSITY OF 96.2%
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 95.7%
CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY, UNIVERSITY OF 95.5%
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 94.4%
MICHIGAN, UNIVERSITY OF 93.3%
STANFORD UNIVERSITY 93.0%
DUKE UNIVERSITY 93.0%
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 91.1%
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 90.0%
EMORY UNIVERSITY 89.9%
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 89.2%
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 89.0%
KENTUCKY, UNIVERSITY OF 88.7%
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY 88.4%
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY 87.9%
CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES, UNIVERSITY OF 87.5%
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY 87.2%
NEBRASKA, UNIVERSITY OF 87.2%
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY 87.1%
OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY 87.0%
IOWA, UNIVERSITY OF 86.9%
TEXAS AT AUSTIN, UNIVERSITY OF 86.6%
NEW MEXICO, UNIVERSITY OF 86.5%
YALE UNIVERSITY 86.1%
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSITY OF 85.7%
NOTRE DAME, UNIVERSITY OF 85.5%
ALABAMA, UNIVERSITY OF 85.4%
CALIFORNIA-IRVINE, UNIVERSITY OF 84.9%
TULSA, UNIVERSITY OF 84.7%
BOSTON COLLEGE 83.9%
HOUSTON, UNIVERSITY OF 83.6%
SETON HALL UNIVERSITY 83.5%
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY 83.4%
SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY 82.7%
INDIANA UNIVERSITY – BLOOMINGTON 82.4%
CINCINNATI, UNIVERSITY OF 82.4%
WILLIAM AND MARY LAW SCHOOL 82.3%
CALIFORNIA-DAVIS, UNIVERSITY OF 82.2%
ILLINOIS, UNIVERSITY OF 82.2%
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY 82.0%
ARIZONA, UNIVERSITY OF 81.9%
RICHMOND, UNIVERSITY OF 81.9%
MINNESOTA, UNIVERSITY OF 81.5%
MISSOURI, UNIVERSITY OF 80.7%
LOUISVILLE, UNIVERSITY OF 80.4%
BOSTON UNIVERSITY 80.1%
Jack Crittenden

Jack Crittenden

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