NALP Bulletin+, September 2023
One year ago, the Class of 2021 achieved the strongest employment outcomes that NALP has ever recorded; however, the Class of 2022 entered an even more robust employment market for new law graduates, shattering many of the highs notched by the previous class. According to the latest findings from NALP's Employment Report and Salary Survey, the Class of 2022 attained the best employment rate in 35 years and a record share of graduates working in bar passage required jobs, among other high-water marks.
The employment rate for the Class of 2022 improved by 0.2 percentage points, to 92.1% of graduates for whom employment status was known, compared to 91.9% for the Class of 2021. This is the best employment rate recorded since the Class of 1987, when the rate was just slightly higher at 92.2%. However, in 1987 the employment rate was collected as of six months post-graduation, whereas NALP now measures the employment rate as of ten months post-graduation (as of March 15) for the typical May graduate. (See Table 1.)
In addition to the improvement in the employment rate, another historic high obtained by the Class of 2022 was the percentage of graduates working in jobs for which bar passage is required or anticipated. This percentage grew by 1.7 percentage points to 79.9% for the Class of 2022 — reaching a new all-time high for the period since 2001 when NALP began using the current job classifications. Overall, the percentage of jobs for which bar passage is required or anticipated has increased by 15.5 percentage points since reaching a low of 64.4% for the classes of 2012 and 2013.
The Class of 2022 also achieved new record high salaries. The national median salary grew to $85,000, up 6.3% compared to the median of $80,000 for the Class of 2021, and the fourth consecutive year of growth. The median law firm salary surged by 14.1% to $150,000, compared to $131,500 for the previous class. (See Chart 1.) This private practice salary growth can be attributed to increasing median salaries across all firm sizes, as well as a greater share of law firm jobs in the largest firms of more than 500 lawyers, where the median salary was $215,000.
Overall, 58% of employed graduates obtained a job in private practice, the highest this percentage has been since 2002. The share of employed graduates in law firm jobs had sunk to a low of 49.5% in 2011 but has risen since then - and for the classes of 2019-2022 has finally returned to within the 55-58% prevailing range observed from 1993-2009. However, while the percentage of jobs in private practice has increased for the last eight years and the overall number of law firm jobs has grown in each of the past five years, the total number of law firm jobs taken by the Class of 2022 is still down by 1,860 total jobs when compared to pre-Great Recession levels.
As shown in Table 2, the share of jobs in firms of more than 100 lawyers was at an all-time high for the Class of 2022.1 However, the distribution of law firm jobs by firm size has fluctuated over time. For many years, jobs in firms of 1-10 lawyers outnumbered those in firms of more than 100 lawyers. In 1998, that trend reversed, and through the Class of 2009 the number of jobs taken in firms of more than 100 lawyers outnumbered those taken in firms of 1-10 lawyers.
Beginning with the Class of 2010 there was a sharp reversal, with jobs in small firms outnumbering those in firms of more than 100 lawyers. This differential grew wider with the Class of 2011 before beginning to decline. By 2016, the two categories accounted for close to equal percentages. Since the Class of 2017, the share of law firm jobs in the largest firms has once again exceeded that of the smallest firms. Nonetheless, it remains the case that law firm jobs are concentrated in the smallest and largest firm sizes and the proportion of jobs in either firms of 1-10 lawyers or firms of more than 100 lawyers has accounted for at least 70% of law firm jobs since 2000. Lastly, the percentage of law firm jobs reported as solo practitioners — that is, graduates who started their own solo practice after law school — has decreased considerably since 2011 and the percentage for the Class of 2022 (0.9%) is at an all-time low.
Of employed Class of 2022 graduates, just 7.8% were seeking a different job, also a new record low. This is another indicator of the strength of the job market and showcases whether graduates are relatively satisfied with their post-law school employment. Prior to the Great Recession, this figure had been between 11-15% in most years. It spiked during the Great Recession, peaking at nearly 25% for the Class of 2011, and subsequently declined in each year except for a small increase observed for the Class of 2020. (See Chart 2.)
Overall, the Class of 2022 entered one of the strongest employment markets on record for new law graduates. However, these employment metrics may be approaching their peaks, as some firms have responded to a drop in legal demand by delaying Class of 2023 start dates and instituting layoffs. These actions, coupled with an upcoming Class of 2024 that will be much larger than previous classes, may hint at a more challenging job market for future classes.
Jobs & JDs: Employment and Salaries of New Graduates, Class of 2022 is now available for pre-order through September 22, 2023, on the Class of 2022 page.
Table 1. Employment Trends — Classes of 1985-2022
| OF THOSE FOR WHOM EMPLOYMENT STATUS WAS KNOWN | ||||||||
| Year | % Employed | % Employed Legal Full-Time |
% Employed Legal Part-Time |
% Employed Other Full-Time |
% Employed Other Part-Time |
% Not Working | % Continuing Studies | % of Jobs in Law Firms |
| 1985 | 91.5% | 81.6% | 2.6% | 6.7% | 0.8% | 7.0% | 1.5% | 60.6% |
| 1986 | 91.3 | 81.8 | 2.5 | 6.2 | 0.8 | 7.2 | 1.5 | 62.3 |
| 1987 | 92.2 | 84.1 | 2.0 | 5.6 | 0.5 | 6.6 | 1.2 | 63.5 |
| 1988 | 92.0 | 84.5 | 2.0 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 6.9 | 1.1 | 64.3 |
| 1989 | 90.8 | 82.7 | 2.2 | 5.2 | 0.5 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 62.4 |
| 1990 | 90.3 | 82.1 | 2.4 | 5.2 | 0.7 | 8.2 | 1.4 | 62.9 |
| 1991 | 85.9 | 76.1 | 3.3 | 5.6 | 0.9 | 12.6 | 1.5 | 60.8 |
| 1992 | 83.5 | 72.5 | 4.0 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 14.5 | 1.9 | 59.0 |
| 1993 | 83.4 | 70.3 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 1.5 | 14.6 | 2.0 | 57.1 |
| 1994 | 84.7 | 69.6 | 5.2 | 8.1 | 1.8 | 13.1 | 2.2 | 55.0 |
| 1995 | 86.7 | 70.7 | 5.4 | 9.0 | 1.6 | 11.2 | 2.1 | 56.1 |
| 1996 | 87.4 | 71.4 | 4.7 | 9.7 | 1.6 | 10.5 | 2.1 | 55.7 |
| 1997 | 89.2 | 73.6 | 4.4 | 9.9 | 1.5 | 8.6 | 2.2 | 55.6 |
| 1998 | 89.9 | 74.9 | 3.7 | 10.0 | 1.4 | 7.9 | 2.2 | 55.0 |
| 1999 | 90.3 | 75.5 | 2.9 | 9.8 | 1.1 | 7.8 | 1.9 | 55.1 |
| 2000 | 91.5 | 77.3 | 2.5 | 9.6 | 1.0 | 6.4 | 2.1 | 54.8 |
| % Employed in Positions Requiring Bar Passage | % Employed in Positions Where JD Is an Advantage | % Employed in Other Professional Positions | % Employed in Non-Professional Positions | |||||
| 2001 | 90.0 | 75.9 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 7.6 | 2.4 | 57.8 |
| 2002 | 89.0 | 75.3 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 58.1 |
| 2003 | 88.9 | 73.7 | 6.5 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 8.4 | 2.7 | 57.8 |
| 2004 | 88.9 | 73.2 | 7.5 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 8.6 | 2.5 | 56.2 |
| 2005 | 89.6 | 74.4 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 1.4 | 8.2 | 2.2 | 55.8 |
| 2006 | 90.7 | 75.3 | 7.9 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 7.0 | 2.2 | 55.8 |
| 2007 | 91.9 | 76.9 | 7.7 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 5.8 | 2.3 | 55.5 |
| 2008 | 89.9 | 74.7 | 8.1 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 7.7 | 2.4 | 56.2 |
| 2009 | 88.3 | 70.8 | 9.2 | 5.4 | 1.8 | 8.7 | 3.1 | 55.9 |
| 2010 | 87.6 | 68.4 | 10.7 | 5.6 | 1.9 | 9.4 | 2.9 | 50.9 |
| 2011 | 85.6 | 65.4 | 12.5 | 5.3 | 1.9 | 12.1 | 2.2 | 49.5 |
| 2012 | 84.7 | 64.4 | 13.3 | 4.9 | 1.8 | 13.2 | 2.1 | 50.7 |
| 2013 | 84.5 | 64.4 | 13.8 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 13.6 | 1.8 | 51.1 |
| 2014 | 86.7 | 66.3 | 14.8 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 11.7 | 1.6 | 50.9 |
| 2015 | 86.7 | 66.6 | 14.5 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 11.6 | 1.7 | 51.3 |
| 2016 | 87.5 | 67.7 | 14.8 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 10.8 | 1.7 | 52.9 |
| 2017 | 88.6 | 71.8 | 12.3 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 9.8 | 1.6 | 54.4 |
| 2018 | 89.4 | 72.8 | 12.5 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 9.2 | 1.4 | 54.8 |
| 2019 | 90.3 | 76.2 | 10.7 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 8.3 | 1.4 | 55.2 |
| 2020 | 88.4 | 74.6 | 10.4 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 10.2 | 1.4 | 56.8 |
| 2021 | 91.9 | 78.2 | 10.6 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 6.9 | 1.2 | 57.0 |
| 2022 | 92.1 | 79.9 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 6.9 | 1.0 | 58.0 |
Note: Overall employment rates for 1990-1998 are based on all graduates for whom employment status was known, excluding a small number known to be employed but for whom basic job type was not known. Overall rates for all other years include such graduates, and thus may not necessarily be obtained by adding up figures for individual job types. Also, in 1985 and 1986, multiple jobs held by one person were reported separately; hence legal and other employment percentages for these years reflect positions taken rather than individuals and cannot be added to obtain the overall employment rate. The percentage not working includes graduates seeking employment as well as those neither working in any capacity nor actively seeking a job. Starting in 2011, the figure includes graduates who had accepted an offer of employment but had not started the job as of February 15 (class years 2011-2013) and March 15 (class years since 2014). New job classifications effective with the Class of 2001 preclude direct comparisons of job types with prior years.
Source: NALP's Employment Report & Salary Survey/Jobs & JDs, Classes of 1985-2022
Chart 1. Overall and Law Firm Median Salaries, Classes of 2006 - 2022
Table 2. Law Firm Jobs by Firm Size — Classes of 1985-2022
(percent of law firm jobs taken in each size firm)
| Year | SIZE OF FIRM (NUMBER OF LAWYERS) | |||||
| Solo | 1-10 | 11-25 | 26-50 | 51-100 | 101 or more | |
| 1985 | 5.0% | 35.7% | 15.1% | 11.7% | 12.0% | 20.6% |
| 1986 | 4.3 | 32.4 | 15.6 | 12.0 | 12.5 | 23.2 |
| 1987 | 3.3 | 31.6 | 15.3 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 24.1 |
| 1988 | 2.7 | 28.6 | 14.5 | 12.2 | 13.4 | 28.6 |
| 1989 | 2.8 | 24.6 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 14.8 | 30.2 |
| 1990 | 3.6 | 28.7 | 13.1 | 11.6 | 12.2 | 30.8 |
| 1991 | 5.2 | 33.1 | 12.5 | 10.3 | 10.0 | 28.9 |
| 1992 | 6.8 | 38.0 | 13.5 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 23.6 |
| 1993 | 7.5 | 41.5 | 13.1 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 22.2 |
| 1994 | 6.2 | 41.0 | 12.2 | 7.6 | 8.1 | 24.9 |
| 1995 | 6.0 | 40.9 | 12.3 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 25.8 |
| 1996 | 6.1 | 39.3 | 11.8 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 27.9 |
| 1997 | 5.7 | 36.4 | 12.0 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 30.6 |
| 1998 | 3.8 | 33.5 | 11.5 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 35.5 |
| 1999 | 3.2 | 31.4 | 11.1 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 39.1 |
| 2000 | 2.7 | 30.2 | 10.8 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 41.0 |
| 2001 | 2.8 | 29.9 | 10.3 | 6.9 | 7.4 | 42.6 |
| 2002 | 2.4 | 31.4 | 10.7 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 41.2 |
| 2003 | 3.3 | 34.5 | 11.6 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 36.6 |
| 2004 | 3.6 | 34.9 | 11.5 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 36.4 |
| 2005 | 3.2 | 36.0 | 10.7 | 6.8 | 6.0 | 37.3 |
| 2006 | 2.9 | 34.3 | 10.4 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 39.5 |
| 2007 | 3.0 | 33.2 | 9.6 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 42.3 |
| 2008 | 3.5 | 33.0 | 8.8 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 43.2 |
| 2009 | 5.5 | 35.1 | 7.9 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 41.7 |
| 2010 | 5.9 | 41.1 | 9.3 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 33.7 |
| 2011 | 6.1 | 44.0 | 10.7 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 27.7 |
| 2012 | 5.2 | 43.8 | 10.1 | 5.8 | 4.6 | 30.5 |
| 2013 | 4.9 | 42.6 | 10.1 | 5.7 | 4.6 | 32.1 |
| 2014 | 4.4 | 41.8 | 10.2 | 5.7 | 4.3 | 33.5 |
| 2015 | 3.4 | 40.1 | 10.4 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 35.7 |
| 2016 | 2.9 | 38.2 | 10.5 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 37.8 |
| 2017 | 2.5 | 35.6 | 10.4 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 40.5 |
| 2018 | 2.0 | 34.1 | 10.8 | 6.4 | 5.2 | 41.5 |
| 2019 | 1.5 | 31.9 | 11.0 | 6.7 | 5.3 | 43.7 |
| 2020 | 1.6 | 33.1 | 10.9 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 42.9 |
| 2021 | 1.2 | 30.8 | 11.3 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 44.4 |
| 2022 | 0.9 | 28.6 | 11.4 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 45.6 |
Note: Figures for 1989 and 1990 reflect only full-time law firm jobs; for all other years, figures reflect all law firm jobs acquired by graduates. Percentages in this table differ slightly from those published in national reports (Employment Report & Salary Survey/Jobs & JDs) because law firm jobs for which firm size was not reported are excluded from the base. The 1-10 category includes graduates who are working for a solo practitioner.
Source: NALP's Employment Report & Salary Survey/Jobs & JDs, Classes of 1985-2022
Chart 2. Percentage of Employed Graduates Still Seeking Other Employment: Classes of 2000 – 2022
