NALP Bulletin, October 2008

Of law firm jobs taken by the Class of 2007, just over half (51%), were taken in the 20 cities providing the most jobs to that class (Table 1). However, as Table 1 also shows, racial/ethnic minorities as a whole were more likely to take a law firm job in one of these cities than were non-minorities (58% versus 46%). Looking at specific racial/ethnic groups, Asian/Pacific Islander graduates are most concentrated in these cities (62% of law firm jobs). In contrast, most law firm jobs taken by Native American graduates are located outside of the 20 cities.

At the same time, as Table 2 shows, the proportion of jobs taken by minorities in each of the 20 cities ranged from a high of almost half in Miami to less than 17% in Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. In some cities, one specific group dominates minority graduates. In Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle it is Asian/Pacific Islanders; in Miami it is Hispanics; and in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Indianapolis it is Black/African-American graduates. In Philadelphia, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Black/African Americans are equally prevalent. In a few cities — Chicago, Dallas, and Houston — the mix between these three groups is relatively even.

Table 1. Geographic Distribution of Law Firm Jobs Taken by the Class of 2007

Note: All counts exclude law firm jobs for which location was not reported. All counts, except the overall count, exclude jobs taken by graduates for whom race/ethnicity was not reported. The Asian/Pacific Islander category includes East Indian/Pakistani graduates.

Table 2. Distribution of Law Firm Jobs by Race/Ethnicity in 20 Cities — Class of 2007

Note: Law firm jobs taken by graduates for whom race/ethnicity was not reported are excluded from this table. The Asian/Pacific Islander category includes East Indian/Pakistani graduates.