Law school grads can also "rank" where they want a job. No one is saying OP - or any J.D. grad - must be New Mexico or bust. Only that they must be willing to be geographically flexible - very flexible. Of course "very flexible" does not mean they have to be okay with moving to Nome, Alaska. And of course they can (and absolutely should!) still prioritize certain states/locations over others.nixy wrote:I don’t think doctors are quite analogous. For one thing, they do rank where they want to do their residency, so while they can’t be too picky, they have a bit more choice and can have a better shot at identifying a place that would work for both them and, say, their working spouse. For another, they’re entering a profession that guarantees them a job in a way that law doesn’t, and also, it’s clear from the start that a residency ends and you will be able to leave and move on to something else. (On top of all that, I don’t think medical licensing is as restrictive as bar admission, although I don’t know enough to say that for certain.)
A residency to me is much more like a clerkship. And I would recommend pretty much anyone move anywhere for a year for a clerkship wherever. I’m not saying lawyers shouldn’t be willing to move for jobs; just they shouldn’t be expected to move for ANY job.
That law doesn't offer the same job stability as medicine supports the case for law school grads needing to be flexible.
It is fine to set an "end date" for working, say, in rural NM. The whole argument has been that, if a job in rural NM would help jumpstart one's legal career, and that person isn't able to find a first legal job in a more desirable (to them) locale, they ought to be willing to take that rural NM job for 2-3 years. No one is arguing that they ought to be willing to stay in rural NM for the rest of their career.
Re: bar admission being restrictive, that did use to be the case, but not so much anymore. The UBE has been adopted by 34 U.S. jurisdictions (soon to be 36, with Ohio and Texas coming on board soon). That opens up more than two-thirds of the country without a need to take another bar exam. (Yes, scores expire, but a new law school grad looking for their first job will have a fresh enough UBE score that they'd be able to port it to any UBE jx.)