Ludovico Technique wrote:john7234797 wrote:illini22 wrote:3L here, if any of you have any questions, ask.
Based on what you've seen, how's the job outlook for Class of 2013?
Ready to lol here
Hard to say, I think it is better than the Class of 2012, which itself was better than the Class of 2011 (which was shit). I think the people without jobs are a lot louder than those with one, so it is hard to see percentage wise who has one and who doesnt. Also, it has become a thing that people who get jobs do not really tell everyone outside of their close group of friends because they do not want to be seen as assholes about it. I think that out of the recruiting season (Fall of 2L year) about 25% got a job for after graduation, which is mainly the big law jobs/ IP boutiques, some, but very few government ones. Then the rest is hard to say, I have heard things like 35% has a job already, to 60% has a job already, depending on who you ask. I do know that in the past two weeks things have picked up considerably, from pretty much a dead zone, to a few people within my circle of friends offers/interviews. The University also posted some of its "own jobs" ranging from public interest fellowships where you get a job at a public defender/prosecutor and they give you a 2k stipend for 1 year and other to work in-house for the U of I office of univeristy counsel in both Chicago and Champaign, making 36k a year salary. Some people are offended by this type of jobs, others see them as a great opportunity for people who want to get 1 year experience in areas that are pretty hard to get out of law school such as public interest jobs and in-house counsel.
I will tell you this. After the 2L recruiting, which is 80% based on grades, who gets a job is mainly who works harder at it. I know many of my classmates do not have jobs because either 1) they turn down opportunities at an earlier period because they thought "they could do better" and 2) some people are just not working hard enough at it and just say "ill look after the bar when things pick up." True, a lot of the hiring if done after the bar, but SOME hiring is done during 3L year. Within my close group of friends there are 3 people that got jobs (1 big law, 1 midsize firms that pays market, 1 clerkship) just in the Spring of 3L year.
