The table below presents some findings on the employment status and salary levels for the law school graduating class of 2002. With the help of ABA-accredited law schools around the country, NALP gathers and analyzes information on graduating classes every year. The results are published each summer in one of NALP's foremost research publications, Jobs & J.D.'s: Employment and Salaries of New Law Graduates.
Class of 2002 National Summary Chart
| Graduates | Number reported | % of Reported | Full Time Salaries | |||||
| # with Salary | 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | Mean | ||||
| Total graduates, Class of 2002 | 38,576 | |||||||
| Total reported on survey | 36,943 | |||||||
| By Gender | ||||||||
| Women | 17,579 | 48.3 | 9,828 | 41,049 | 55,000 | 105,000 | 70,777 | |
| Men | 18,783 | 51.7 | 10,339 | 43,000 | 60,000 | 110,000 | 74,022 | |
| No. respondents reporting gender | 36,362 | |||||||
| By minority status | ||||||||
| Minority | 6,869 | 20.2 | 3,390 | 42,298 | 60,000 | 120,000 | 74,905 | |
| Non-minority | 27,109 | 79.8 | 15,722 | 42,000 | 57,500 | 100,000 | 71,345 | |
| No. respondents reporting race | 33,978 | |||||||
| By minority status and gender | ||||||||
| Minority women | 3,920 | 11.6 | 1,990 | 42,000 | 60,000 | 115,000 | 73,011 | |
| Minority men | 2,874 | 8.5 | 1,380 | 45,000 | 67,500 | 125,000 | 77,786 | |
| Non-minority women | 12,426 | 36.8 | 7,292 | 41,000 | 55,000 | 100,000 | 69,732 | |
| Non-minority men | 14,526 | 43.0 | 8,379 | 43,000 | 60,000 | 105,000 | 72,816 | |
| No. respondents reporting gender and race | 33,746 | |||||||
| By employer type | ||||||||
| Private sector | 21,608 | 68.8 | 14,117 | 52,500 | 85,000 | 125,000 | 85,518 | |
| Public sector | 9,004 | 28.7 | 6,230 | 36,000 | 41,200 | 46,000 | 42,279 | |
| No. respondents reporting employer type | 30,612 | |||||||
| By job type | ||||||||
| Academic | 530 | 1.7 | 193 | 36,000 | 40,000 | 53,000 | 46,724 | |
| Business | 3,349 | 10.7 | 1,298 | 47,000 | 60,000 | 85,000 | 69,167 | |
| Judicial clerk | 3,571 | 11.4 | 2,983 | 36,900 | 42,000 | 45,285 | 41,333 | |
| Private practice | 18,259 | 58.1 | 12,819 | 55,000 | 90,000 | 125,000 | 87,174 | |
| Government | 3,995 | 12.7 | 2,527 | 37,000 | 42,000 | 48,000 | 44,022 | |
| Public interest | 908 | 2.9 | 527 | 32,000 | 36,000 | 40,000 | 37,648 | |
| Unknown type | 793 | 2.5 | 58 | 45,000 | 85,000 | 125,000 | 82,558 | |
| No. respondents with a job | 31,405 | |||||||
Note: Private sector includes jobs in law firms and business. All other jobs are considered public. Jobs with employer type reported as unknown are not included in either sector.
Sources of jobs
| Source of job | Number reported | % of reported |
| Fall OCI | 6,840 | 25.3 |
| Job fair/consortia | 503 | 1.9 |
| Job posting | 4,154 | 15.4 |
| Commercial Internet site | 352 | 1.3 |
| Return to prior job | 2,185 | 8.1 |
| Referral | 3,607 | 13.4 |
| Start own practice | 590 | 2.2 |
| Self-initiated contact/letter | 5,519 | 20.4 |
| Spring OCI | 412 | 1.5 |
| Temporary or search agency | 361 | 1.3 |
| Other | 2,471 | 9.2 |
