Gaining admission to Law School can feel like crossing the finish line after a long, hard race.
But even though admissions may take many months, admission to law school is only the starting line for a lifelong legal career. And your decision about the law school you attend can shape the course ahead.
However, law school applicants may not have fixed career goals commitment to a legal career is important.
Still, even as an applicant, thinking about the job market after law school can help you narrow down your target list, formulate an appeal best law schools, and weigh the costs and benefits of studying law.
Consider these four elements regarding legal employment for law applicants:
- Bar exam requirements.
- Potential employment pathways.
- Regional job markets.
- Assessment of diverse job opportunities.
Bar Exam
With rare exceptions, graduates of law schools must first pass through the State Bar Bar exam before they can practice.
While you don’t have to attend law school in the state where you plan to take the bar exam, it can be helpful, especially for law schools that primarily cater to the local market.
Note that it is often possible to pass the exam for two different states. Some states also have reciprocity, which allows experienced lawyers to gain admission to the bar without taking an exam.
When evaluating target law schools, it is important to consider their speed through the bar. The bar exam is graded on a pass/fail basis, so it is cause for concern if a law school does not adequately prepare its students to take this test.
Opportunities that can Lead to Employment
Achieving high grades or a high class in law school provides a clear boost to your job search. But outside of the classroom, law school has many other ways to get ahead in the job market, especially after graduation in the first year.
Summer positions can be a stepping stone to graduate employment. Lawyers who want to work in the private sector can pursue a summer associate position with a company they might want to work for, especially after their second year. Public interest lawyers could focus on relevant summer internships or internships.
During law school, legal clinics law journals, student activities, externships, and conversations with colleagues and professors may also provide opportunities to explore legal areas gain valuable experience, and establish contacts with potential employers.
Geographic markets
Law applicants who are not geographically limited for personal reasons should not only think about choosing a law school based on where they want to live but also the local legal market.
Due to economic or demographic factors, some legal markets are either small or experiencing a decline. Others, such as Boston and Washington, DC, are robust but serve many highly regarded local law schools.
However, growing cities in states like Florida and Texas, as well as other growing regions like the Pacific Northwest, are more open because they have more jobs than local law schools can serve.
Considering potential job opportunities, applicants should strategically plan for legal markets.
Evaluation of Different Jobs
Law school applicants coming out of college often think about law majors like choosing a major. But lawyers are often generalists and many fields overlap. Many legal positions involve many different types of law, such as legal counsel for a company or government agency.
Rather than focusing on the legal discipline, it may be more useful to think about more kind of legal career you would like on an everyday level. What holds more importance to you: financial security, work-life balance, or doing meaningful work? Do you prefer to work solo, in a small team, or as part of a large organization? Do you like work that is predictable or that requires you to think on your feet?
These are the kinds of questions that can help differentiate between legal roles that may seem superficially similar.
During the three years of law school, students have plenty of time to learn more about different areas of legal work. But having the right questions in mind can give you a head start on the next stage of your career.