NALP first published its latest edition of "Selected Findings" on June 20, 2013. I have been waiting for these bitches and hags to publish the employment summary report since that time. Evidently, the rats finally posted this info, in the last couple of days.
Summary:
http://www.nalp.org/uploads/NationalSummaryChart2012.pdf
According to the NALP Class of 2012 National Summary Report, 84.7 percent of this massive cohort was employed within nine months of graduation. Of course, this figure includes non-law positions, attorney jobs, part-time and full-time work, plus long term and temporary posts. For $ome rea$on, the law school pigs prefer this broad definition.
Overall, there were 46,364 members of the JD Class of 2012 – competing for a total of 28,567 jobs labeled “bar passage required.” Keep in mind that not all of those positions were traditional attorney openings. Then again, only 45,434 graduates had their info sent to NALP. Using the entire class size, a mere 61.6% of all JDs ended up finding such legal work, i.e. 28,567/46,364. However, this figure jumps all the way up to 64.4 percent, when relying on those for whom employment status was known, i.e. 28,567/44,339.
Head to page two of this PDF, and then scroll down to the subheading Type of Law Firm Job. You will notice that a total of 16,312 members of this class reported working as private lawyers. Presumably, this figure includes desperate solos and recent grads who decided to hang a shingle with their classmates. This represents 36.8 percent of those who supplied their employment status, i.e. 16,312/44,339.Imagine if dental or medical school grads faced similar job prospects, after completing their professional schooling.
At the bottom of the second page, you will see a small chart entitled “Job Characteristics by Employer Type.” A total of 9.2% of all jobs reported were listed as short term, whereas 9.8 percent were described as part-time. Lastly, the next graph reflects the fact that 1,418 JDs, from this class, started their own practice. Plus, self-initiated contact and letters comprised the largest segment of Job Source.
Selected Findings:
http://www.nalp.org/uploads/Classof2012SelectedFindings.pdf
Take a look at the organization’s press release, which was misleadingly entitled “Law School Class of 2012 Finds More Jobs, Starting Salaries Rise – But Large Class Size Hurts Overall Employment Rate.” In particular, review this opening:
“The overall employment rate for new law school graduates fell to 84.7%. Even though the overall number of jobs obtained by this class was higher than the number of jobs obtained by the prior class, the Class of 2012 was also bigger. When coupled with fewer law-school funded positions, this resulted in the overall employment rate for the Class of 2012 falling almost a full percentage point from the 85.6% measured for the prior year. The overall rate has now fallen for five years in a row since 2008.” [Emphasis mine]
Apparently, many ABA-accredited dung heaps/diploma mills are no longer willing to spend money to hire recent, out of work grads to file paperwork – in order to artificially inflate their employment “placement” numbers. Perhaps, some of these commodes simply do not have the funds to do so.
Later on the first page, the piece continued:
“Despite signs of modest improvement, as evidenced by more law firm jobs as described below, there are still signs of structural weaknesses in the entry-level job market. For instance, of those graduates for whom employment status was known, only 64.4% obtained a job for which bar passage was required. This figure has fallen over 10 percentage points just since 2008 – and is the lowest percentage NALP has ever measured.” [Emphasis mine]
Notice that the hacks at NALP – not scambloggers – employed the phrase “structural weaknesses in the entry-level job market.” At some point, even the scammers and the leeches cannot deny reality.
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/grad-debt-rankings
Law Student Indebtedness Figures:US “News” & World Report furnished a list labeled “Which law school graduates have the most debt?” The page shows average indebtedness of 2012 graduates who incurred law school debt. If you are still planning on attending law school, ask yourself the following question: “Is it worth incurring an additional $135K-$160K in NON-DISCHARGEABLE debt, in order to receive a TTTT law degree from Whittier College?”
You should apply the same cost-benefit analysis with the school that has admitted you. At such soul-crushing levels of debt, you would need to land Biglaw – merely to have a chance at breaking even. Remember that these figures do not take undergraduate debt into account. They also do not include interest, which accrues while your ass is enrolled.
Conclusion: Are you still intent on pissing away your financial health and your future, for a dwindling chance to enter the GLUTTED U.S. lawyer job market, Lemming?!?! You are better off taking your chances in a casino. Hell, at least you can have gambling debts discharged in bankruptcy – which is NOT an option for student loans. You simply DO NOT NEED to incur a mountain of debt, in order for the “professors” and administrator pigs to live handsomely – for producing minimal “work.” If you truly want to throw away money, just pay me $5,000 to kick you square in the face. The pain will be temporary, and you will not have ruined your life in the process.