Poor employment outcomes have plagued law school graduates for several years. Legal scholars have debated whether these outcomes stem from macroeconomic cycles or from fundamental changes in the market for legal services. This Article examines that question empirically, using a database of employment outcomes for more than 1,200 lawyers who received their JDs in 2010. The analysis offers strong evidence of structural shifts in the legal market. Job outcomes have improved only marginally for the Class of 2010, those outcomes contrast sharply with results for earlier classes, and law firm jobs have dropped markedly. In addition to discussing these results, the Article examines correlations between job outcomes and gender, law school prestige, and geography. In a concluding section, it offers four predictions about the future of the legal market and the economics of legal education.

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Conclusion

The results of this study offer discouraging forecasts for both newly licensed lawyers and traditional JD programs. Even after several years in the workforce, members of the Class of 2010 struggle to secure jobs that require bar admission. Law firm jobs are scarcer than in the past, and other employers have not made up the shortfall. Most positions fall within modest paying categories: solo practice, small firms, government work, and business jobs that do not require bar admission. These outcomes are challenging for students who borrowed heavily to finance their degrees; they are also discouraging for graduates who hoped to work as practicing lawyers but were not able to secure those positions.

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