A down economy hasn’t dampened aspiring lawyers’ confidence in their ability to get a job in the legal field – just their confidence in their peers’ ability to do so.
According to a recent Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey of 330 pre-law students, 52 percent report that they are “very confident” that they will find a job in the legal field after graduating law school and passing the bar, but only 16 percent say they are “very confident” that the majority of their fellow aspiring lawyers will do the same.
In fact, only seven percent of respondents indicated a lack of confidence in their own ability to secure employment upon graduation. Pre-law students’ attitudes are in keeping with research showing that students aged 18-29 are more optimistic about their economic future – despite a sluggish job market – than past generations.
“Pre-law students’ confidence in their own job prospects are likely an indication not just of self-assurance, but of their optimism in an economic turnaround,” said Jeff Thomas, director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. “What’s interesting is the drop-off in confidence in their peers, which perhaps may just be an indication of the general competitive atmosphere that exists between pre-law students.“
Thomas also noted that he’s witnessed a growing number of pre-law students pursuing law degrees with the intent of seeking non-lawyer jobs. According to the National Association for Law Placement, as recently as 2008, only 56 percent of new law school graduates were working at a law firm, down from 64 percent in 1998.
All survey participants were Kaplan students who took the LSAT in February 2010.
Also in the Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey:
- 39 percent say that the economic downturn impacted their decision to apply to law school
- Only 5 percent of those surveyed say they think it is a smart admissions strategy to send a Facebook friend request to law school admissions officers
- If given the choice of submitting as part of their law school application a perfect 180 on the LSAT, a perfect 4.0 GPA or a letter of recommendation from a Supreme Court justice, 80 percent would opt for a perfect LSAT score.
