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% |