NALP Bulletin+, September 2025
The Class of 2024, the largest graduating class in nearly a decade, defied most legal industry predictions by shattering many of the employment records set just one year ago by the Class of 2023. This class entered law school in fall 2021 with a 1L class size that was about 12% larger than the Class of 2023 and other recent classes, prompting concern that the legal market may not be able to absorb this larger class. However, despite graduating with approximately 3,700 more graduates than the previous class, the Class of 2024 achieved the highest ever employment rate — both overall and within bar admission required/anticipated jobs. Not only were the vast majority of the Class of 2024 employed, but a record low 6.8% of those with jobs were seeking other opportunities — signaling high satisfaction with their employment post-graduation.
Among one of the several high-water marks set by this year's class is the percentage of graduates who were employed as of March 17, 2025, approximately ten months post-graduation. With an overall employment rate of 93.4%, this figure was 0.8 percentage points higher than the previous record set last year by the Class of 2023. To put this record in context, it was only 11 years ago when the entry-level legal employment market was struggling to absorb the largest JD class in history and to overcome the lingering effects of the Great Recession. These twin effects resulted in the employment rate for the Class of 2013 falling to 84.5%, nearly nine points lower than this year's class. (See Table 1.)
In addition to the improvement in the employment rate, another historic high obtained by the Class of 2024 was the percentage of graduates working in jobs for which bar admission is required or anticipated, more commonly known as attorney positions. This figure grew by 2.2 percentage points to 84.3% - marking a new all-time high dating back to when NALP introduced the current job classifications in 2001. Overall, the percentage of jobs for which bar admission is required/anticipated has increased by nearly 20 percentage points since descending to a low of 64.4% for the Classes of 2012 and 2013.
The Class of 2024 also set new records when it comes to compensation. For the sixth consecutive year, the overall median salary increased —climbing by 5.6% to $95,000. However, for the first time since the Class of 2011, the median private practice salary declined, falling by 3.0% to $160,000. Despite this decrease, few law firms have actually decreased their starting salaries. Rather, the lower median salary is the result of multiple factors, including shifts in the distribution of jobs across firm sizes, the heightened merger and acquisition activity that can change how firms are categorized from year to year, and better overall salary reporting from law graduates working in small and mid-sized firms. (See Chart 1.)
In terms of employment destinations, 58.9% of employed graduates obtained a job in private practice, the highest percentage since 1992. In the 51-year history of NALP's employment reporting, the only other periods in which law firm employment exceeded 58% were between 1983-1992 and 2002. Not only did the percentage of law firm jobs continue to rise this year, but with a larger class, this resulted in more than 2,260 additional graduates employed in private practice compared to the Class of 2023. In total, 20,810 graduates obtained jobs in private practice - the highest number on record.
As shown in Table 2, the share of private practice jobs in firms of more than 100 lawyers was also at an all-time high for the Class of 20241. 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 again 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, and 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 most law firm jobs are concentrated in either firms of 1-10 lawyers or firms of 101+ lawyers — with these firms accounting for at least 70% of private practice 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 figure for the Class of 2024 (0.8%) was a record low.
Across all employment sectors, just 6.8% of employed Class of 2024 graduates were seeking a different job, also an all-time low. This is another indicator of the strength of the job market and demonstrates that graduates are relatively satisfied with their post-law school employment. Prior to the Great Recession, 11-15% of graduates were typically seeking other employment. This figure spiked during the Great Recession, peaking at nearly 25% for the Class of 2011, and subsequently declined in each year since, except for a small pandemic-related bump in 2020 (See Chart 2.)
Although the market was extremely strong for the Class of 2024, future law graduates should brace for a likely contraction in BigLaw and federal hiring. NALP's Perspectives on 2024 Law Student Recruiting report indicates that many firms pulled back on their 2024 and 2025 summer associate hiring, suggesting that there will be fewer graduates employed by large firms over the next few years. Additionally, a federal hiring freeze enacted under the new presidential administration means that, at least for the Class of 2025, there will likely be far fewer graduates working for the federal government, a sector that typically accounts for about 3% of all new law graduate jobs. However, the Classes of 2025 and 2026 are once again smaller classes, with nearly 5,000 fewer entering 1Ls as compared to the Class of 2024. With fewer graduates competing for jobs, employment outcomes for these cohorts could remain relatively resilient.
Jobs & JDs: Employment and Salaries of New Graduates, Class of 2024 is now available for pre-order through Sept. 19, 2025.
1. The firm size of “101 or more” is used in this table to provide comparative figures dating back to 1985, when this was the largest firm size within the survey.
Table 1. Employment Trends — Classes of 1985-2024
| Year | OF THOSE FOR WHOM EMPLOYMENT STATUS WAS KNOWN | |||||||
| % Employed | % Employed Legal Full-Time | % Employed Legal Part-Time | % Employed Other Full-Time | % Employed Other Part-Time | % Not Working | % Continuing Graduate 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 Admission | % Employed in Positions Where JD Is an Advantage | % Employed in Other Professional Positions | % Employed in Other 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 |
| 2023 | 92.6 | 82.1 | 7.8 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 6.4 | 1.0 | 58.2 |
| 2024 | 93.4 | 84.3 | 6.9 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 58.9 |
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. In 1985 and 1986, multiple jobs held by one graduate 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 not working or 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 and Salary Survey/Jobs & JDs, Classes of 1985-2024
| 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 |
| 2023 | 1.0 | 27.0 | 11.0 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 47.6 |
| 2024 | 0.8 | 25.7 | 11.4 | 7.9 | 6.4 | 47.8 |
Note: Figures for 1989 and 1990 reflect only full-time law firm jobs; for all other years, figures reflect all law firm jobs obtained 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 and Salary Survey/Jobs & JDs, Classes of 1985-2024
Chart 1. Overall and Median Law Firm Salaries, Classes of 2007-2024
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest $10.
Chart 2. Percentage of Employed Graduates Still Seeking Other Employment: Classes of 2000-2024
Source: NALP's Jobs & JDs, Classes of 2000-2024
