Data shows 85.6 percent of graduates secured full-time jobs within ten months of graduation
The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has released new employment data for the law class of 2023, revealing the highest employment rates in a decade for recent law graduates.
According to the data, 85.6 percent of graduates from ABA-approved law schools secured full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage or providing a J.D. advantage within ten months of graduation.
This latest figure represents an increase from the previous year, where 84.6 percent of the class of 2022 achieved similar employment outcomes. The data, reflecting responses from all 195 ABA-accredited law schools, underscored a steady recovery and growth in the legal job market, particularly following a dip to 77.4 percent employment during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This dip was attributed to the pandemic's impact on the legal sector, disruptions in bar examination schedules, and a slight increase in the size of the graduating class.
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Bill Adams, the managing director of ABA Accreditation and Legal Education, commented on the trends, "The percentage of recent law school graduates employed in full-time, long-term Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage jobs has reached its highest level in the past decade." Adams highlighted the resilience of the legal job market and its positive trajectory since the pandemic's initial setbacks.
The ABA's detailed employment reports are available to the public and can be accessed on the ABA Required Disclosures page. These reports offer comprehensive insights into national outcomes, providing side-by-side comparisons for the classes of 2022 and 2023, along with links to individual school outcomes and aggregated data. Law schools have the opportunity to make corrections to their reported outcomes for the Class of 2023 until June 14, ensuring that the data remains accurate and reflective of the actual employment landscape.
Under ABA rules, particularly Interpretation 509-2 of Standard 509, law schools are encouraged to publish additional employment data as long as it adheres to the principles of completeness, accuracy, and transparency. This standard is crucial in maintaining trust and clarity for prospective law students and the broader legal community.
