More than half of employed law graduates from the Class of 2021 (57%) were working in hybrid settings, according to a new study from The NALP Foundation and the National Association for Law Placement. That’s up slightly from 54% the year before.
The annual study, “Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction, Class of 2021” examined recent graduates’ employment status, compensation and mobility, and their assessment of how well their legal education prepared them for practice.
Among those in hybrid roles, 39% were required to work in the office three days a week. About a third (31%) said their employer had no formal policy about in-office expectations.
Hybrid arrangements were more common among graduates working at larger law firms.
Job satisfaction was high across the board — whether grads were working in-person, remote or hybrid. But those in hybrid roles reported the highest satisfaction overall.
Other findings about this second “pandemic class” three years post-graduation include:
Career shifts: 42% of graduates reported their initial career intentions shifted during law school, with 46% of those who experienced a shift indicating it occurred during or immediately after their second year. The overall leading reasons graduates cited for their career intention shifts during law school were “my interest changed” (62%) and “compensation” (38%).
Mobility: 65% of all graduates reported having held two or more positions by this point, a decrease from 70% the prior year. For the third year in a row, only a small percentage (13%) of graduates reported they were actively seeking a new job.
Debt: While remaining substantial, the average debt load decreased slightly for the second year in a row, with graduates reporting they carried an average of $88,669 of debt three years after graduation. Graduates continued to report their debt impacted their job choices and major life decisions and had a negative effect on mental health and well-being.
“The study’s new data on career trajectories, in concert with the ongoing results reflecting high mobility at this early career stage, provide important insights for law schools, law firms and other organizations as they seek to prepare, launch and recruit and retain these newly minted attorneys,” said Fiona Trevelyan, The NALP Foundation president and chief executive officer.
The report includes responses from 1,235 Class of 2021 alumni at 27 U.S. and two Canadian law schools. All ABA-accredited law schools were invited to participate, and data was collected between November 2024 and January 2025.
