theturkeyisfat wrote:romothesavior wrote:theturkeyisfat wrote:so how many people would you say get the 100k jobs? and are people who aren't from the area at a disadvantage? also, how well does the school place in KC?
These are my best guesses for NLJ firms PLUS clerkships (because most who clerk in Article III and some who do Article I will get an NLJ 250 firm)
Pre-boom: ~30% (some were started at slightly less than 100k because not all NLJ firms pay 6 figures to start)
Last year or two: Anyone's guess, but I'd say 20-25% or so (We were around 18-19% in the latest NLJ data, and then throw in clerks who got NLJ after clerking and its probably close to 25%)
This fall: Even more of anyone's guess, but probably guess back to about 25% of my class will get a biglaw SA. Not quite as high as pre-ITE, but better.
People who aren't from STL are at a disadvantage, but you can make up for it with good grades and a tangible reason for wanting to be here, especially if you are from the Midwest.
And yes, we place decently into KC. We're the best school that feeds into KC, and we send a decent number of people there every year. But again, it helps to be from there or have ties.
i saw the latest nlj data, but i was wondering if there was a significant number of people getting 100k jobs at local/regional firms that aren't in the nlj list. is this not the case? and this might be a vague/difficult question to answer, but what type of job should the "average" wustl grad expect?
as for kc, i'm from kansas, and i have a soft spot for kc. i hope that counts as ties
In a typical economy, the top 33% here will get NLJ 250 jobs, or clerkships that lead to such jobs. I'd say probably about half of those make about $160K, and the other half make market rate in the smaller city they choose to work in ($110-125K in STL or Milwaukee, $100K in Indianapolis, etc.). Keep in mind that given the cost of living in smaller cities, $100K fresh out of grad school is a TON of money.
As for the percentage of those who get midlaw jobs that pay near $100K, I have no idea. Data I've seen from similar schools such as UIUC and Vanderbilt suggests that an additional 10-20% get midlaw jobs paying in the neighborhood of $100K ($80K-110K). So in an average OCI year, you can expect maybe the top half of the class to be getting something $80K or higher.
As for the bottom half, I can't tell you, but I am pretty sure you have to resort to networking to get jobs. And many of these jobs will be in the neighborhood of $50-60K. I do know a somewhat recent graduate who wasn't all that motivated and smoked a lot of weed, and graduated below median. He had to start out with a hourly-rate temp job making about $40K, but he did such a good job there that they promoted him...and then soon after that, he lateraled into a smaller NLJ250 firm in STL and is now making well into 6-figures.
Also, keep in mind that some people in the top third or top half (or even top 10%) choose not to do big firm work, and instead do criminal law, government work, small-town work, or public interest. So just because 33% get biglaw jobs doesn't mean you have to be exactly in the top 33% to get them. And although government work doesn't pay a ton, you do get your loans forgiven after 10 years, which can be a HUGE perk if you don't have a huge scholarship. Plus, you're not killing yourself working 70 hours a week in a government job. If I could land a job with the EEOC or NLRB, I'd be extremely happy (I want to do labor/employment law).
Also, If you're from anywhere in Kansas, I'd consider that sufficient ties to KC in order to get a job there. All the best KC firms recruit here, and our name is very well known over there.
Keep in mind that these numbers have gone down recently, but I think that by the time you guys do OCI, they will be back up pretty close to normal. They may get close even this fall, when I do OCI (I hope). The news from Kirkland & Ellis and Sidley & Austin is very encouraging. There's also (and I'm just speculating here) a potential for an over-correction in the market, where firms have cut hiring too much over the last few years that they need to hire more than normal these days (although I can't see that happening unless this Middle East business settles down and the price of oil stops spiking).