What do you think about this article on the legal job market Forum

[senorhosh]

This is just ONE of the few recent articles about the legal job market.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailywee ... y_face.php

Since I'm completely new to this..
A. Was it always like this?
B. Are these mostly for those who go to a mediocre school, graduating with mediocre grades? Or are those who go to top 20-30 or graduate top 10% of their class typically exempt from this type of problem?

What do you think will happen in the next 5-10 years or so in the legal job market?

Anyway I just want more information on this. Thanks

[ran12]

This is just ONE of the few recent articles about the legal job market.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailywee ... y_face.php

Since I'm completely new to this..
A. Was it always like this?
B. Are these mostly for those who go to a mediocre school, graduating with mediocre grades? Or are those who go to top 20-30 or graduate top 10% of their class typically exempt from this type of problem?

What do you think will happen in the next 5-10 years or so in the legal job market?

Anyway I just want more information on this. Thanks

It's been like this for the better part of a decade or so. I would say top students are exempt from this situation. Even at the "worst" schools the top students will find something at a small firm. The problem is that people who have no idea what law school and law are like decide to go to law school and they screw up. Others go to law school b/c they're afraid of the economic climate and misinformed or just not ready to leave school and hope for better prospects later.

I've heard people argue that in the next decade or so that jobs will open up b/c of baby boomers retiring but that's complete bs b/c there are way too many lawyers to begin with that this argument is moot.

With that said, if you go to even a T3 and have the right mindframe to really want to be a lawyer and succeed, work hard and network, you will get a job. It may be as an associate at a small firm but if you do well there are def ways to move up

[senorhosh]

It's been like this for the better part of a decade or so. I would say top students are exempt from this situation. Even at the "worst" schools the top students will find something at a small firm. The problem is that people who have no idea what law school and law are like decide to go to law school and they screw up. Others go to law school b/c they're afraid of the economic climate and misinformed or just not ready to leave school and hope for better prospects later.

I've heard people argue that in the next decade or so that jobs will open up b/c of baby boomers retiring but that's complete bs b/c there are way too many lawyers to begin with that this argument is moot.

With that said, if you go to even a T3 and have the right mindframe to really want to be a lawyer and succeed, work hard and network, you will get a job. It may be as an associate at a small firm but if you do well there are def ways to move up

Thanks.
Oh btw... T3 means top 30 or top 300?... or top 3? (hopefully not..)

[kwais]

It's been like this for the better part of a decade or so. I would say top students are exempt from this situation. Even at the "worst" schools the top students will find something at a small firm. The problem is that people who have no idea what law school and law are like decide to go to law school and they screw up. Others go to law school b/c they're afraid of the economic climate and misinformed or just not ready to leave school and hope for better prospects later.

I've heard people argue that in the next decade or so that jobs will open up b/c of baby boomers retiring but that's complete bs b/c there are way too many lawyers to begin with that this argument is moot.

With that said, if you go to even a T3 and have the right mindframe to really want to be a lawyer and succeed, work hard and network, you will get a job. It may be as an associate at a small firm but if you do well there are def ways to move up

Thanks.
Oh btw... T3 means top 30 or top 300?... or top 3? (hopefully not..)

tier 3. schools below the top 100

[romothesavior]

This is just ONE of the few recent articles about the legal job market.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailywee ... y_face.php

Since I'm completely new to this..
A. Was it always like this?
B. Are these mostly for those who go to a mediocre school, graduating with mediocre grades? Or are those who go to top 20-30 or graduate top 10% of their class typically exempt from this type of problem?

What do you think will happen in the next 5-10 years or so in the legal job market?

Anyway I just want more information on this. Thanks

The only people realistically safe from this type of situation are at Harvard/Yale/Stanford (and the word is that even some Harvard students will struggle to find jobs at all). True, most students at the top 10 schools or so will be okay, but even at very good, very prestigious schools, it is a reality facing students in the bottom and even middle of the class. There have been recent articles in the WSJ and NYT that have talked about students at schools like Columbia and Northwestern being unemployed or moving back home with their parents. I go to a T20 and I am sure many, many people in my class will be unemployed at graduation or working for very little pay.

Top 10% students at most schools will be fine, but getting in the top 10% of any school is incredibly hard. At my school, for example, literally one poor grade can ruin your shot at top 10%. Even getting in the top 20-30% is difficult, because you are surrounded by equally bright, equally hard working, and equally dedicated students.

Law is not a path to riches or prestige for most students. It is very, very important that you understand that now if you are considering law school. Being a lawyer can be a fulfilling career and a financially viable option, but it is a very tough road for recent students and the odds are heavily stacked against you. It sounds like you do not have any grasp of how hard things are right now in the legal economy, so I highly recommend doing as much research as you can and really making sure you want to be a lawyer if you are considering it. Do not go because you think it is a path to big bucks, because it likely will not be.

[Fark-o-vision]

This problem is for everyone, and it is generally more real and more problematic depending on the tier and relative rank of the law school you attend as it relates to markets and as you relate to your class position.

for example, the bottom quarter students at Harvard (although Harvard doesn't rank, does it?) might have the same difficulties bottom third at CCN are having, which might be bottom half at the rest of the t14, with opportunities sort of shrinking along that band (for instance I read somewhere that Cornell was still placing like 35-40 percent in biglaw, but these students were almost exclusively going to NY sweatshop biglaw). Things get worse from there.

Of course, I don't have any experience with this stuff in my own life, but this is the impression I've gotten from reading around, speaking to attorney's, and talking to recent grads.