Class of 2022 Law Grads “Shatter” Employment and Salary Records

One year after the legal job market for the Class of 2021 was named “one of the strongest on record,” a report from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) details record-breaking employment for 2022 law grads.

For the Class of 2022, the overall employment rate increased to 92.1 percent, the highest since the Class of 1987 (92.2 percent). The vast majority of graduates, 79.9 percent, obtained “bar passage required/anticipated” jobs, which is the highest since 2001, when the NALP started to use the current job classifications. Graduates also garnered higher pay. The national median salary ticked up to a record $85,000 from 2021 graduates’ median $80,000. And 2022 graduates reported feeling content with their jobs, with a record low of 7.8 percent currently looking for a new job.   

The number of graduates entering private practice increased by one percentage point from the Class of 2021 to 58.0 percent, the highest in the last 20 years. And their median salary in private practice increased to $150,000, a 14.1 percent increase from that received by 2021 graduates. At the biggest firms (more than 500 lawyers), the median salary rose to $215,000. 

The percentage of 2022 graduates entering into public service (30.7 percent) also increased slightly from the Class of 2021 (30.5 percent). This increase was driven by those entering jobs in government and public interest. Judicial clerkship positions declined slightly from 10.7 percent to 10.1 percent. 

The report also identified a trend away from law school graduates entering business, which has historically employed the second highest number after private practice. In 2019, a shift in graduates away from business started to occur, and it continued among 2022 graduates. Just 9.8 percent of the Class of 2022 entered into business, making it the lowest since 1992. 

Study Finds that Most 2019 Law School Graduates are Satisfied with Their Jobs

Almost half, 47 percent, of lawyers from the Class of 2019 report that they are “extremely satisfied” with their current employment. This is according to the recently published Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction, a joint study by the NALP and NALP Foundation. Another 38 percent of the Class of 2019 reported that they feel “somewhat satisfied” with their employment. And a record low, 13 percent of respondents, reported that they are actively seeking a new job. 

The annual study collects information from law school graduates three years after graduation to learn more about their employment and satisfaction. This year’s data included 1,927 graduates from 42 U.S. law schools. The high rate of satisfaction for the Class of 2019 compares favorably to last year’s report (which included 2018 graduates), where only 42 percent reported being “extremely satisfied.” 

Respondents’ reports of high satisfaction, however, may disguise the high mobility they have experienced in the few years since departing law school. Almost three-quarters, 71 percent, reported having had two or more sequential positions since graduation. Among the group who had more than one position since law school, most switched jobs for better compensation/bonuses (62 percent) or because of “attitude ‘fit’ concerns” (42 percent). School debt continues to impact their choice of job and employment sector, as well as other life decisions, including purchasing a home and having children. 

Survey Finds Majority of Summer Associates Felt Law Firm Cared About their Mental Health

Summer associates surveyed by American Lawyer expressed positive feedback on their work experiences in the 2022 Summer Associates Satisfaction Survey. Over 5,400 associates responded to the survey, which asked questions on a range of topics including partner access and mentorship, associate interactions, interest in the work, and firms’ alignment with their own goals and self-image. Based on average scores across the categories, American Lawyer ranked the 2022 best firms for summer associates:

1. Blank Rome, 5.0 (tie)

1. Duane Morris, 5.0 (tie)

3. Kramer Levin, 4.993

4. Paul Hastings, 4.980

5. O’Melveny & Myers, 4.997

6. Stroock, 4.956

7. Allen & Overy, 4.944

8. Day Pitney, 4.935

9. Proskauer Rose, 4.929

10. Akin Gump, 4.915

The majority of the law firms received high ratings and nearly 90 percent of third year respondents said that they would accept an offer from their summer firm for full-time employment. Just under three-quarters of respondents said that they expected to have a career at their law firm. The survey also asked summer associates to rank their concerns. Alongside work-life balance, mental health and emotional well-being emerged as key priorities for respondents. Many summer associates felt that their firms adequately addressed those concerns and almost three-quarters said that they felt that their firm genuinely cared about their mental health.