The American Bar Association released employment data for the graduating law class of 2022, showing positive growth for the second year in a row, but at a slower rate than the previous year.
The actual number of full-time, long-term Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage positions increased by 888 (+3%) from the previous year when the ABA reported an increase of 11.2%.
According to Bill Adams, managing director of ABA accreditation and legal education, the employment growth happened despite a slight increase of 1%, or 366 graduates, in the class of 2022 for the 196 ABA-approved schools accepting new students. The data is based on information submitted by ABA-approved law schools, according to an ABA announcement.
The combined school data for the class of 2022 reveals that 30,512, or 84.6%, of the graduates, were working full-time, long-term Bar Passage Required or J.D. Advantage jobs about 10 months after graduation.
The combined school data for the class of 2021 revealed that 29,624, or 83%, of the graduates, were working full-time, long-term “Bar Passage Required and J.D. Advantage” jobs about 10 months after graduation.
According to the combined school data from two years ago, 26,638 or 77.4% of the graduates were working full-time, permanent jobs.
“This is the second consecutive year of positive job growth,” Adams said. “While modest in the number of new jobs nationwide this year, when added to the previous year’s increase the job market for newly minted attorneys has clearly recovered. Interestingly, the growth in the number of jobs in law firms rather than other aspects of the law shows the largest gain in percentage points.”
