Bigger Legal Market? Seattle/Denver/Phoenix Forum

[DevilDaze]

So I'm having a real difficult time choosing a school. I'm gotten WL to a couple T-14's. I know I want to work somewhere out West, either Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Portland, or possibly California. I know LA and San Fran are obviously the biggest legal markets but out of Denver, Seattle, and Phoenix, which one is the biggest legal market and/or easiest to find a job? I'm looking at U Colorado, U Washington, and either ASU or U of A so I'm probably going to be stuck in whichever area I end up going to. I'm also going to try to negotiate scholarships from all of them but if money is equal which one has the best job prospects?

Thanks all.

[chasgoose]

I mean Phoenix is the largest city and metro area of the three, so I would imagine Phoenix, but maybe all the companies headquartered in Seattle might push it over the top.

[bellamy]

So I'm having a real difficult time choosing a school. I'm gotten WL to a couple T-14's. I know I want to work somewhere out West, either Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Portland, or possibly California. I know LA and San Fran are obviously the biggest legal markets but out of Denver, Seattle, and Phoenix, which one is the biggest legal market and/or easiest to find a job? I'm looking at U Colorado, U Washington, and either ASU or U of A so I'm probably going to be stuck in whichever area I end up going to. I'm also going to try to negotiate scholarships from all of them but if money is equal which one has the best job prospects?

Thanks all.

Check with the state bar in each case. They will be able to tell you haow many active members they have in each city

[JusticeHarlan]

This info is only for NLJ 250 jobs, so it's an imperfect measure for the size of each legal market, but might give you an idea:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNL ... hbxlogin=1

DENVER: 1,242 attorneys
• 35 NLJ 250 firms

PHOENIX: 1,084 attorneys
• 30 NLJ 250 firms

SEATTLE: 1,046 attorneys
• 18 NLJ 250 firms

Make of that what you will.

[Slevin Kelevra 2011]

That is a useful link.

[BeautifulSW]

Just a thought...until pretty recently, Arizona had no reciprocity rule. Everyone had to take the AZ bar. Both Washington State and Colorado have reciprocity rules of long standing. One consequence is that Arizona is nowhere near as over-lawyered as Washington State and Colorado are. Does it matter? I don't know but math sometimes does represent reality.