Recent Grads Forum

[Ele]

Poll for the recent graduating law class. What compensation range do you fall into? Given the debt most of us face (or are about to undertake), this poll should be of interest. Feel free to expound, if you can (Tier school, how many offers, etc.) Thanks.

[reverendt]

Just graduated from T2 that dominates its mid-sized market. Finished in the top 1/3, maybe top 1/4 (they don't rank). Still looking, along with most of my classmates.

[bk1]

I'm sure the results of this poll will be useful and in no way skewed and generally useless.

/sarcasm

[thesealocust]

I'm sure the results of this poll will be useful and in no way skewed and generally useless.

/sarcasm

[Kilpatrick]

Um hello, where is the option for negotiating up to 200K??

[Ele]

This is just a simple, non-scientific, TLS sample survey about TLS Grads entering the legal profession.

I'm sure the results of this poll will be useful and in no way skewed and generally useless. /sarcasm

Unlike your +12,000 posts (who has the time to do that??) which are undoubtedly very useful . . . that is what real sarcasm looks like!

[chem]

This is just a simple, non-scientific, TLS sample survey about TLS Grads entering the legal profession.

I'm sure the results of this poll will be useful and in no way skewed and generally useless. /sarcasm

Unlike your +12,000 posts (who has the time to do that??) which are undoubtedly very useful . . . that is what real sarcasm looks like!

I've actually found bk187's advice very useful

[Helmholtz]

This is just a simple, non-scientific, TLS sample survey about TLS Grads entering the legal profession.

I'm sure the results of this poll will be useful and in no way skewed and generally useless. /sarcasm

Unlike your +12,000 posts (who has the time to do that??) which are undoubtedly very useful . . . that is what real sarcasm looks like!

On the other hand, all thirty-two of your posts have been awful (including when you told people that your reference to "T4" was "Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Columbia" as opposed to "Tier 4").

Goodbye, troll. Enjoy your ban.

[Anonymous User]

[0LNOOB]

I know this isn't a scientific poll, anyone willing to give approx school/rank while voting in poll??

[Anonymous User]

T14/magna/law clerk/under $70k (but around $120k if the clerkship bonus is considered deferred compensation).

[Anonymous User]

T30-40/Median/PMF/GS-9 (~$52k).

[boaltrising3l]

Nice bro, PMF, care to share how you landed that? Really interested myself.

[Anonymous User]

Very encouraging to see a third at +150K. I wonder how many are holding onto to offers but have not pulled the trigger in hopes of a better proposition.

[thesealocust]

Very encouraging to see a third at +150K. I wonder how many are holding onto to offers but have not pulled the trigger in hopes of a better proposition.

It's easy as fuck to come up with these numbers for the entire student population, I have them memorized.

100,000 take the LSAT, 50,000 enroll in law school, 45,000 graduate, 30,000 get legal jobs, and 5,000 of those start at roughly 6-figures+.

You feelin' lucky?

[Anonymous User]

T15, top 30%, no LR but BOA and leadership/elected positions, work experience, etc. 160,000

[Kirk]

Very encouraging to see a third at +150K. I wonder how many are holding onto to offers but have not pulled the trigger in hopes of a better proposition.

It's easy as fuck to come up with these numbers for the entire student population, I have them memorized.

100,000 take the LSAT, 50,000 enroll in law school, 45,000 graduate, 30,000 get legal jobs, and 5,000 of those start at roughly 6-figures+.

You feelin' lucky?

OK, I’m game. I am guessing there are 4,000 students in a typical [combined] T-14 graduating class. You say there are 5,000 six-figure jobs. If 2,000 of the 4,000 T-14 folks get 40% of the $100+K jobs, that leaves 3,000 six-figure spots open for everyone else. Lets narrow “everyone else” to the next 50 ranked schools. Roughly 20,000 grads are aiming for these remaining 3,000 spots.

Bottom line, 17,000 grads just paid +$200K for a salaried job that pays less than $100K. Is this the math?

[thesealocust]

Very encouraging to see a third at +150K. I wonder how many are holding onto to offers but have not pulled the trigger in hopes of a better proposition.

It's easy as fuck to come up with these numbers for the entire student population, I have them memorized.

100,000 take the LSAT, 50,000 enroll in law school, 45,000 graduate, 30,000 get legal jobs, and 5,000 of those start at roughly 6-figures+.

You feelin' lucky?

OK, I’m game. I am guessing there are 4,000 students in a typical [combined] T-14 graduating class. You say there are 5,000 six-figure jobs. If 2,000 of the 4,000 T-14 folks get 40% of the $100+K jobs, that leaves 3,000 six-figure spots open for everyone else. Lets narrow “everyone else” to the next 50 ranked schools. Roughly 20,000 grads are aiming for these remaining 3,000 spots.

Bottom line, 17,000 grads just paid +$200K for a salaried job that pays less than $100K. Is this the math?

Yes, but "less than 100K" is usually around 40-50K. OP's poll is fucking hilarious.

And yeah, the 'back of the envelope' numbers I remember from when I gathered the data and crunched the numbers was roughly 5K in the T14, roughly half of the big law jobs going there an the other half everywhere else.

At least you'll get a free drink if you just go to Vegas and put all your chips on red...

[ndirish2010]

Very encouraging to see a third at +150K. I wonder how many are holding onto to offers but have not pulled the trigger in hopes of a better proposition.

It's easy as fuck to come up with these numbers for the entire student population, I have them memorized.

100,000 take the LSAT, 50,000 enroll in law school, 45,000 graduate, 30,000 get legal jobs, and 5,000 of those start at roughly 6-figures+.

You feelin' lucky?

OK, I’m game. I am guessing there are 4,000 students in a typical [combined] T-14 graduating class. You say there are 5,000 six-figure jobs. If 2,000 of the 4,000 T-14 folks get 40% of the $100+K jobs, that leaves 3,000 six-figure spots open for everyone else. Lets narrow “everyone else” to the next 50 ranked schools. Roughly 20,000 grads are aiming for these remaining 3,000 spots.

Bottom line, 17,000 grads just paid +$200K for a salaried job that pays less than $100K. Is this the math?

Yes, but "less than 100K" is usually around 40-50K. OP's poll is fucking hilarious.

And yeah, the 'back of the envelope' numbers I remember from when I gathered the data and crunched the numbers was roughly 5K in the T14, roughly half of the big law jobs going there an the other half everywhere else.

At least you'll get a free drink if you just go to Vegas and put all your chips on red...

Black seems to win more often from my experience.

[thesealocust]

Black seems to win more often from my experience.

Haha, fair point.

[BarbellDreams]

While these polls are entertaining, the problem with them is they are on TLS, meaning that the majority of people will be attended either t14's or T30's. Also, I would say majority of people on TLS are above median (based on their own reporting anyway). These two factors will heavily skew data, along with the fact that there is a large range of random variables that cannot be accounted for.

[Kirk]

While these polls are entertaining, the problem with them is they are on TLS, meaning that the majority of people will be attended either t14's or T30's. Also, I would say majority of people on TLS are above median (based on their own reporting anyway). These two factors will heavily skew data, along with the fact that there is a large range of random variables that cannot be accounted for.

I agree with most of what you said, except the part about the majority of TLS people attend either t14's or T30's. To me, it seems like all the schools have plenty of activity, not just the upper tier schools.

That said, the survey (as of now is a bit weird), 9% of the grads are in-between $150K and $70K (or looking). The conclusion leads me to conclude that it is either “feast or famine.” Not that $70K is famine, but after debt service ($150k) , and taxes (20%), a bit under $3K a month is the likely take home.

[thesealocust]

While these polls are entertaining, the problem with them is they are on TLS, meaning that the majority of people will be attended either t14's or T30's. Also, I would say majority of people on TLS are above median (based on their own reporting anyway). These two factors will heavily skew data, along with the fact that there is a large range of random variables that cannot be accounted for.

I agree with most of what you said, except the part about the majority of TLS people attend either t14's or T30's. To me, it seems like all the schools have plenty of activity, not just the upper tier schools.

That said, the survey (as of now is a bit weird), 9% of the grads are in-between $150K and $75K (or looking). The conclusion leads me to conclude that it is either “feast or famine.” Not that $75K is famine, but after debt service ($150k) , and taxes (20%), $3K a month is the likely take home.

Who are you? Why are you posting anonymously? If you learn one thing on this website, learn this: There are a ton of jobs that pay $160,000, a tiny number that pay well but less than that, and a ton of jobs that pay substantially less than $75,000 per year. I know dozens of students from my top 10 law school who would gnaw off an arm for a job that payed 75K per year. There's also unemployment, which pays food stamps and compound interest on the debt you owe.

A lot of people make great money as lawyers, a lot make good money as lawyers, and the majority make terrible money or fail to become lawyers. Your poll with a sprinkling of respondents and a foolish range of choices is meaningless.

[thedogship]

T-14/cum laude/$160K/NYC office of California-based biglaw firm

[Anonymous User]

T20/top10%/>$160K/lit boutique (non-NY)