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The Daily OrangeLaw school grads now face tougher market
Increase in lawyers, decrease in jobs changes landscape for students
By Julia Terruso
Posted: 10/23/07, 11:21 PM EST Section: News
This year, earning a professional degree in law may not be met with pomp and circumstance.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, a tightening job market is posing challenges to law school graduates.
The number of accredited law schools has increased by 11 percent since 1995 and the number of students earning law degrees has increased by nearly 6,000. As the pool of applicants grows, the slowing economy causes the job market to shrink, offering fewer employment opportunities to those fresh out of college.
The majority of the students affected by the tightening market come from middle- to lower-ranked schools. Top law schools such as Cornell, Harvard and Yale universities have yet to feel the crunch.
John DeRosa, assistant dean for student and career services at Cornell's Law School, said the school's post-graduation placement average of 98 to 99 percent has remained steady through the years.
The dip in employment opportunity is partly attributed to big firms pairing up with high performing, big-name schools. This leaves third and fourth tier schools, like Syracuse University's College of Law, at a potential disadvantage.
While the larger, big-city firms fill up, medium and smaller firms are hiring fewer and fewer people. The slowed economy has also lead to a decline in the average starting salaries in many of these smaller firms.
Jennifer Walters, director of professional development and career opportunities at SU College of Law, is not as concerned with employment opportunities.
"At this point, we're very familiar with the things that are happening with the market in general," Walters said. "Eventually, it may affect us, but we recognize it will always be a competitive market, and we're confident that our students will be prepared."
While SU did not make the U.S. News and World Report's top 100 law schools, Walters notes there are specific strengths going for the program.
"We are a very competitive law school," she said. "We do a lot of unique things to prepare our students, such as the Law Success Program."
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, a tightening job market is posing challenges to law school graduates.
The number of accredited law schools has increased by 11 percent since 1995 and the number of students earning law degrees has increased by nearly 6,000. As the pool of applicants grows, the slowing economy causes the job market to shrink, offering fewer employment opportunities to those fresh out of college.
The majority of the students affected by the tightening market come from middle- to lower-ranked schools. Top law schools such as Cornell, Harvard and Yale universities have yet to feel the crunch.
John DeRosa, assistant dean for student and career services at Cornell's Law School, said the school's post-graduation placement average of 98 to 99 percent has remained steady through the years.
The dip in employment opportunity is partly attributed to big firms pairing up with high performing, big-name schools. This leaves third and fourth tier schools, like Syracuse University's College of Law, at a potential disadvantage.
While the larger, big-city firms fill up, medium and smaller firms are hiring fewer and fewer people. The slowed economy has also lead to a decline in the average starting salaries in many of these smaller firms.
Jennifer Walters, director of professional development and career opportunities at SU College of Law, is not as concerned with employment opportunities.
"At this point, we're very familiar with the things that are happening with the market in general," Walters said. "Eventually, it may affect us, but we recognize it will always be a competitive market, and we're confident that our students will be prepared."
While SU did not make the U.S. News and World Report's top 100 law schools, Walters notes there are specific strengths going for the program.
"We are a very competitive law school," she said. "We do a lot of unique things to prepare our students, such as the Law Success Program."
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