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What are the hardest and easiest - and everything in between - markets to find legal employment in (at every level from biglaw to small firms)?

I'm guessing NYC is king of biglaw jobs? Anyone know what % of all biglaw jobs are located in NYC?

What about other states and areas? Can you work in mid-law, for xample, in a state like Alaska or Tennessee?

I want to know it all. Let's make a compilation (and cite evidence when available)!

Hard: NYC
Harder: Everywhere else

/thread

Depends on your school and class rank. Here at Penn its probably -

EASY
Texas [except Austin] (if ties)
Delaware
New York
Philly
Phoenix
SoCal/Chicago
D.C.
NorCal/Austin
Seattle
Portland
Denver
HARD

Nationwide and non-school specific I would probably say that Texas has the healthiest legal market w/r/t hiring but may look skeptically at outsiders wishing to enter. Likewise, I would probably say that the Pacific Northwest would be the hardest legal market in which to get a job.

SportsFan wrote:Hard: NYC
Harder: Everywhere else

/thread

hahaha. Good start man!

But are we talking about big/med/small law above?

I know NYC has like the most biglaw firms. But how about it's mid and smaller legal markets and difficult of getting jobs there?

Let's do state-by-state for every level of law!

Veyron wrote:Depends on your school and class rank. Here at Penn its probably -

EASY
Texas (if ties)
Delaware
New York
Philly
Phoenix
SoCal
D.C.
NorCal
Seattle
Portland
Denver
HARD

Nationwide and non-school specific I would probably say that Texas has the healthiest legal market w/r/t hiring but may look skeptically at outsiders wishing to enter.

w/r/t ??

I heard D.C. from other threads is super hard though. So at Penn D.C. is easy to get into for biglaw?

Please, make more lists based on unidentifiable, arbitrary, and subjective criteria from individuals giving anecdotal evidence that is extremely case-by-case specific.

scifiguy wrote:

Veyron wrote:Depends on your school and class rank. Here at Penn its probably -

EASY
Texas (if ties)
Delaware
New York
Philly
Phoenix
SoCal
D.C.
NorCal
Seattle
Portland
Denver
HARD

Nationwide and non-school specific I would probably say that Texas has the healthiest legal market w/r/t hiring but may look skeptically at outsiders wishing to enter.

w/r/t ??

I heard D.C. from other threads is super hard though. So at Penn D.C. is easy to get into for biglaw?

"With regards to"

DC is pretty hard its just that the markets below it are even harder. Top 1/3 at Penn is likely to get biglaw D.C. if desired but SF would be a crap-shoot. Think of the scale I laid out as being somewhat exponential.

Edit: Also Austin is much harder than other places in Texas at any level.

lukertin wrote:Please, make more lists based on unidentifiable, arbitrary, and subjective criteria from individuals giving anecdotal evidence that is extremely case-by-case specific.

Yes, which is why I edited my OP to ask for evidence.

But point well taken. Take these witha grain of salt too.

Veyron wrote: "With regards to"

DC is pretty hard its just that the markets below it are even harder. Top 1/3 at Penn is likely to get biglaw D.C. if desired but SF would be a crap-shoot. Think of the scale I laid out as being somewhat exponential.

Oops, didn't see the "HARD" at the bottomo f list until now.

I see what you're trying to do there now. Thank you very much!

scifiguy wrote:

Veyron wrote: "With regards to"

DC is pretty hard its just that the markets below it are even harder. Top 1/3 at Penn is likely to get biglaw D.C. if desired but SF would be a crap-shoot. Think of the scale I laid out as being somewhat exponential.

Oops, didn't see the "HARD" at the bottomo f list until now.

I see what you're trying to do there now. Thank you very much!

No problem.

DC is hardest in terms of grades. Nowhere else is so grade selective. But it's also a pretty big market, which makes it somewhat more predictable. So for someone with not great grades, it's pretty damn hard, but once you get those grades it's not as bad as some tiny markets where even grades might not be enough.

And the DC being hard and grade snobbish isn't just ITE thing. Old Xo threads talk about how it's the road to striking out, even when striking out was pretty damn rare.

What about Michigan/Detroit?

I have some roots there.

What areas have the best midlaw hiring?

Desert Fox wrote:DC is hardest in terms of grades. Nowhere else is so grade selective. But it's also a pretty big market, which makes it somewhat more predictable. So for someone with not great grades, it's pretty damn hard, but once you get those grades it's not as bad as some tiny markets where even grades might not be enough.

And the DC being hard and grade snobbish isn't just ITE thing. Old Xo threads talk about how it's the road to striking out, even when striking out was pretty damn rare.

Getting hubris- pwnd is an ageless law student tradition z

I can pretty safely say that Atlanta is one of the harder markets to find employment, as is Miami

People w/ good grades at UT (in approximate order of hardest to easiest):

Houston
New York
Dallas
L.A.
D.C.
Austin
Atlanta
Chicago
SF
Portland/Seattle

Don't really know anyone working in other markets, but the markets towards the bottom of that list are the ones I've heard people bitch the most about, and the ones at the top seem to be easiest to get

I don't know how there can be an easier market than North Dakota... if you go there you make $25 an hour as a waiter not to mention they can't find people to fill the state PD/Prosecutor positions.

scifiguy wrote:Anyone know what % of all biglaw jobs are located in NYC?

This data is old, but might be the best that we have. Looks like it's about a quarter to a third.

http://www.nalp.org/2004aprpatterespractices