The Class of 2018 had challenges when it came to launching legal careers, and it wasn’t just limited to learning the art of networking and writing an eye-catching resume. COVID reared its ugly head shortly after they entered the work force.
However, young lawyers appear to have handled it well. A recent joint survey done by the NALP Foundation and NALP called the “Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction, for the Class of 2018,” found that 82% of those surveyed were satisfied with their legal careers.
That’s only down slightly for the study done on the Class of 2017. This is the ninth such study done by the NALP partners. In this case, the data comes from nearly 1,500 graduates from 30 U.S. law schools.
But the survey showed that all members of the class did not fare equally. Students of color had significantly more debt — $123,336 — compared to white students who reported $85,397. Nearly all of it was law school related.
Also, women reported that the pandemic and economic crisis affected their mental health at much higher rates than men – 46% compared to 31%.
“While the good news is that employment satisfaction remains high overall for these recent law school graduates, the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the differentiated experiences of graduates of color and women both in law school and as they launch their careers merit specific attention as the legal ecosystem grapples with the future of work and the profession’s diversity,” said NALP Foundation President & CEO, Fiona Trevelyan Hornblower.
NALP’s Executive Director James Leipold noted that “the differential in debt levels between graduates of color and their white peers is particularly troubling, and ought to give all of us pause. Nevertheless it is encouraging to see overall career satisfaction ratings remaining so high despite the additional challenges faced during the pandemic era.”
One aspect of the survey seems vague to some legal education experts, and that is the satisfaction measurement. What exactly does satisfaction mean? Lawrence Krieger is a professor of law at Florida State University College of Law, who with social scientist Ken Sheldon did a study called “What Makes Lawyers Happy? A Data-Driven Prescription to Redefine Professional Success.”
He found that things such as autonomy and forging deep personal relationships — not necessarily money or prestige— were keys to happiness in the profession. And he wonders if a satisfied lawyer is also a happy one.
“We might assume that career satisfaction also means happy, but we know there are so many lawyers substantially satisfied with their jobs (they are successful and could leave or change but they don’t) who nonetheless are very unhappy and/or unhealthy.”
Krieger challenges the assumption that career satisfaction means well-being and says more research is needed.
NALP uses a five-point scale to determine satisfaction, with five equaling “extremely satisfied” and one being “extremely dissatisfied.”
“The study also probed employed participants’ satisfaction with several aspects of their current role,” said Jennifer Mandery, NALP’s vice president for research. “Alumni were most satisfied with ‘job security,’ ‘attitude’ or ‘fit’ with their organization’s culture,’ and ‘level of responsibility you have,’ while ‘support for mental health and well-being’ – one of the new aspects explored in this year’s study – received the lowest rating.”
A different study by Krill Strategies found that 1 in 4 women is contemplating leaving the legal profession due to mental health problems, burnout, or stress. 17% of male attorneys report the same thoughts.
