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Study Predicts Improved Attorney Job Prospects While LawCrossing.com Hiring Holds Steady
August 23, 2013
Pasadena, CA - While the market remains tough for new lawyers, a recent study suggests that declining law school enrollment could improve job prospects for attorneys who graduate a few years from now. In the face of overall cautious hiring practices, demand rose moderately for real estate, patent, and corporate attorneys on LawCrossing.com. Legal employment continues to be challenging for all of the oft-mentioned reasons: the recession, an overabundance of law graduates, budget-conscious clients, shrinking demand for legal work, and flat law firm hiring. However, one recent study managed to find a silver lining to the employment malaise. According to a report released this month by the University of North Caroline (UNC) at Chapel Hill-School of Law, declining law school enrollment could actually reduce job competition for lawyers who graduate a few years from now. Entering class sizes have shrunk dramatically at law schools in response to a market where only about half of law graduates are finding employment. Reduced law school classes now equal a smaller pool of attorneys competing for jobs three or four years from now. The study noted that this would primarily benefit new attorneys seeking employment at smaller or mid-sized firms and in the public sector or government. At the larger firms, competition will likely remain fierce among graduates who performed well at top-ranked schools. Attorney jobs have been notoriously difficult to find in the current market. Law firms have reined in unnecessary outside hiring, preferring when possible to promote from within or retool associates for other practice groups. Employers continue to be cautious about adding on associates at a time when the legal sector remains uncertain. Recent law school graduates have had the most difficult time in the current market, as most employers are hesitant to hire entry-level attorneys with little to no experience. On LawCrossing.com, the number of advertised attorney jobs has held steady over the past few months, even rising slightly as law firms take advantage of the traditional surge of new attorneys graduating in June. With over 7,000 new positions added in the past week alone, demand has been concentrated among patent, corporate, and real estate attorneys. In the current legal climate, it becomes even more imperative for new lawyers to be fully informed regarding all attorney jobs currently on the market. LawCrossing.com, the largest legal job board and aggregator in the world, does just that. By pooling all available information from every possible source, it helps recent graduates and entry-level associates find attorney jobs and, more importantly, know what all their available options are. Unlike other job sites that only post openings from employers who pay to advertise with them, LawCrossing is indiscriminate and thorough in the job information it provides. While there is no magic bullet to cure the current legal employment situation, aggregator websites like LawCrossing help recent graduates and attorneys stay informed of openings at a time when moving quickly in the job search process is paramount. About LawCrossing.com LawCrossing.com is a job search site based in Pasadena, CA. It is a part of the Employment Research Institute and owned by A. Harrison Barnes. Contact: Andrew Ostler LawCrossing 626-243-1801 aostler@er.org https://www.lawcrossing.com
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