Law Library
Statistics
Employment prospects and salaries for new law graduates have been affected by the economy. For information on changes in the legal employment market and the impact on recent law graduates, please read the article titled The Changing Legal Employment Market for New Law School Graduates written by James G. Leipold, Executive Director of the Association for Legal Career Professionals (NALP). This article appeared in the November 2010 issue of The Bar Examiner (Volume 79, Number 4) and is referenced here with permission.
TYPE OF PRACTICE
The chart on the right indicates the various types of practice selected by members of the Class of 2012. Many Syracuse Law graduates pursue traditional careers in private practice with specialized or full-service law firms, or as judicial clerks in one of the many local, state, and federal courts. Other law graduates choose less traditional career alternatives following career exploration. Employment in government, business, and academia are a few career alternatives Syracuse Law students have chosen.
Of the members of the Class of 2012 whose employment status was known, 69 percent are employed in positions where their JD was required, 19 percent are working part-time, 13 percent are employed in short-term positions, and 35 percent of those employed are seeking a different position.
STARTING SALARIES
Law graduate salaries are influenced primarily by practice type and geographic location. Compensation can vary widely between public and private sectors and geographic locations, with larger metropolitan areas typically offering higher starting salaries.
Just over 59 percent of the Class of 2012 graduates reported their salary information and those salaries ranged from $165,000 for large firm practice to $36,000 for public interest law employment. The average salary reported by those in private practice law firm positions was $77,000. The average salary reported by those in public sector government jobs was $55,000, while the average salary reported by those in private sector jobs was $74,000. The average starting salary for all employment types was $67,000.
A survey of the Class of 2012 shows the following geographical breakdown:
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| New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) | 5% |
| Middle Atlantic (*NY, NJ, PA) | 59% |
| Midwest (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 4% |
| South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 16% |
| South (AL, KY, TN, AR, MS, LA, OK, TX) | 2% |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) | 1% |
| Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 11% |
| International | 2% |
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*graduates employed in NYS working in Metro NYC: 17% |
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For additional employment and salary information, please click on a class year listed below:
Class of 2012 - ABA Employment Summary
Class of 2012 - NALP Salary Summary Report
Class of 2012 - Employment, Salary and Geographic Summary
Class of 2011 - ABA Employment Summary
Class of 2011 - NALP Salary Summary Report
Class of 2011 - Employment, Salary and Geographic Summary
The above information is based on employment reporting by Syracuse University College of Law graduates and is subject to change. This information is prepared for the purposes of surveys and the reporting requirements of the ABA, NALP, and U.S. News & World Report and is reported according to the definitions set forth by NALP and the ABA. Employment statistics reflect positions including: part-time, full-time, contract, temporary, and permanent as well as legal and non-legal positions.
