Summary: While the employment numbers are looking better for the law school graduates, there is still room for improvement in law school enrollment and full-time, long-term positions after graduation.
Recent data compiled and released by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar shows a slight increase in employment rates for recently graduated law students. The data shows that almost 60 percent of the 2014 graduating class is employed in full-time, long-term legal jobs requiring a legal license. This increase may be due to the fact that class sizes have decreased, leading to less competition for available positions.
Last year’s numbers reported 57 percent of the 2013 law school graduates to be in full-time, long term legal jobs that required a legal license. An increase of 3 percent is not jaw-dropping but is a step in the right direction.
In addition to the 60 percent, 11.2 percent were employed in full-time, long-term jobs that preferred a law degree. Last year’s number was 10.1 percent for this type of position.
The number of unemployed and seeking work graduates decreased from 11.2 percent for the 2013 class to 9.8 percent for graduates of the 2014 class.
The data collected reflects the status of the graduates 10 months after graduation.
The 2014 enrollment rates at the 204 ABA-approved law schools were down 7 percent from 2013. The number of 119,775 full-time and part-time students is 18.5 percent lower than the 2010 high.
Source: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/job_market_for_new_law_grads_is_improving_data_shows/
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