According to new statistics compiled by the American Bar Association (ABA), 78.6% of last year’s graduates were employed in “full-time long-term Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage jobs roughly 10 months after graduation.” This compares to a 75.3% rate for those graduating in 2017’s class. Additionally, the long-term, part-time working students’ cohort also enjoyed employment gains; the 2018 jobs rate was 69.1%, compared to 66.2% in 2017.
“The employment market for law graduates has stabilized since 2012-13 and is showing incremental improvement,” according to the trade association. “The higher percentage of students so employed, however, results from both a modest increase in jobs and an approximately 2% decrease in the size of the graduating class.”
More complete informationMore complete information (PDF) shows the number of total graduates in the class of 2018 was 34,339, while it was 34,922 in the class of 2017. More precisely, this is a 1.7% decrease. According to the report, the actual number of full-time, long-term bar passage and JD Advantage jobs rose 2.72% from 26,293 to 27,007. As such, the number of students looking for a job or are unemployed is 2,503 for the class of 2018 (7.3%). For those measured in the 2017 class, that number was 2,755 (7.9%).
In the wake of the new report, Law School Transparency executive director Kyle McEntee, offered a warning, noting the industry should not rest on its laurels simply because the data showed an improvement.
From Twitter:
NJ Law Journal @NJLJ 8h8 hours ago
“Schools will suffer consequences unless we see an uptick in the actual number of jobs." —Law School Transparency executive director Kyle McEntee
Employment isn’t the only aspect of legal education and work undergoing changes, though. The composition of the students is also changing.
BYU Enrolls More Women Than Men, Alum Calls for Greater Equality
Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, for the first time ever, enrolled more female students than male students, according to information from Above the Law. But, one alumnus is still calling for even more women in the field. Recently, 2016 graduate Kurt London said more women in the legal field will allow a greater diversity of experience and made a plea to those who may have a calling to enter law school.
“No longer can the law be considered a structure for the ‘good old boys.’ Having a large number of women enroll in law school not only changes the law school atmosphere, it changes the legal culture. The culture changes as it is forced to be more inclusive of everyone,” London told the Daily Universe. “If you have any interest in the law, pursue your dreams. The law is in dire need of women. Without women, there is no process, and the rights and voices of millions go unheard. There will be many obstacles, but it is of the utmost importance that women also participate in the legal system as their male counterparts do.”