NALP: 82% Of Attorneys Are Satisfied With Their Legal Careers Three Years After Graduating From Law School

The NALP Foundation and NALP Release Joint Study of U.S. Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction for the Class of 2018:

The NALP Foundation and NALP today released their ninth joint study, Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction, for the Class of 2018. The new data shows intriguing shifts within graduates three years after graduation, including: 

• Mobility: Overall alumni professional mobility remained consistent with 2017 levels, with over two thirds of alumni reporting having already held two or more sequential positions since graduating; however, alumni of color reported both changing positions and intending to do so at higher rates than their majority peers.
• Educational Debt: Alumni reported high levels of outstanding total educational debt, with the vast majority of this debt – 83% – attributable to law school alone. Overall educational debt levels for alumni of color at $123,336 were significantly higher than for their white peers ($85,397).
• Work Location and Satisfaction: In a reversal from last year’s results for the Class of 2017, graduates working solely from home reported lower overall job satisfaction than those working either full-time in the office or in a hybrid schedule.
• Law School Engagement: Alumni articulated distinct preferences about postgraduate engagement with their law schools, ranking networking events and mentoring programs as their top choices, while service in alumni associations and financial donations were of least interest. 
• Mental Health: Female alumni reported that the pandemic and economic crisis impacted their mental health at much higher rates than did their male counterparts – 46% vs. 31%.

Law360, Attorney Satisfaction Remains High 3 Years After Graduation:

About 82% of attorneys reported that they are satisfied with their overall legal careers three years after they graduated from law school, a tick down from last year's finding of 85%, according to a report released Monday from the National Association for Law Placement.

• ABA Journal, Only Half of Class of 2018 Law Grads Practice in Law Firms, NALP Report Finds
• Above the Law, Working At A Law Firm Really Isn't Where It's At
• Reuters, Recent Law Grads in Hybrid Work Have Highest Job Satisfaction — Survey