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Employment Statistics

Every year, law schools report to the American Bar Association the employment status of their most recent graduating class nine months after graduation. The numbers for Vermont Law School reflect the following trends:

  • Because of the recession, the number of traditional jobs in large law firms has declined;
  • Because our graduates tend to prefer careers beyond these traditional positions, they are finding a broad range of opportunities in public interest organizations, government, and judicial clerkships well above the national average;
  • Because the need for lawyers is still strong, students seeking traditional law firm jobs are finding them in smaller and mid-sized regional law firms;
  • Because we attract students who often have a science or technical background, we have consistently had many students find positions that draw on their pre-law school background as well as their law background. This is a special strength of Vermont Law School and one that our Office of Career Services focuses on.

Employment Statistics for the Class of 2012

Employment Status Number Full-Time Part-Time
Number Reported % of Reported Long-Term1 Short-Term Long-Term Short-Term
Employed (Total) 158 77%        
   Bar Passage Read 108 52.5% 93 9 3 3
   JD Advantage 38 18.5% 27 8 2 1
   Professional 8 4.0% 2 2 1 3
   Non-Professional 4 2.0% 1 1 0 2
Pursuing Grad. Deg. FT 9 4.5%  
Unemployed (Total) 36 17.0%
   Not Seeking Job 11 5.0%
   Seeking Job 25 12.0%
Status Unknown 3 1.5%
Total Graduates 206 100%
1 A "long-term" position is one that either has no definite term or a term of one year or more. A "short-term" position is one that has a definite term of less than one year.


Please click on these links to view the complete data that we submitted to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and the American Bar Association (ABA). (Note that the updated NALP information will not be available until June 2013)


How to Succeed in Your Job Search

It's the perfect confluence of factors: Through our curriculum, which includes a number of on-campus and off-campus experiential offerings, and the powerful connections of our alumni and faculty, our graduates seek—and find—work that starts them on the road to their dream jobs. Successful graduates took the initiative as students to build relationships with our faculty and alumni to create lifelong professional networks.


 

Employment Statistics for the Class of 2011

EMPLOYMENT LOCATION FOR THE CLASS OF 2012

The Class of 2012 is working in 39 states, ranking in the top 10 in a recent poll for geographic diversity.

SALARY INFORMATION FOR THE CLASS OF 2012

  Number Percent of Employed
# of Employed Reporting Salaries 116/158 73.4%

SALARY BY EMPLOYMENT TYPE

Job Type # of Reported % of Reported # with Salary % with Salary Average Salary Minimum Salary Median Salary Maximum Salary
Law Firm 53 33.5% 39 73.6% $50,936 $33,000 $50,000 $112,500
Business & Industry 29 18.4% 18 62.7% $55,600 $40,000 $50,000 $140,000
Government 42 26.5% 37 88.0% $47,765 $30,000 $47,500 $65,000
Public Interest 27 17.0% 20 74.0% $41,810 $35,000 $40,000 $60,000
Judicial Clerkships 17 10.7% 17 100% $51,353 $35,000 $55,000 $65,000


Starting salaries can vary dramatically by region of the country, job description, type of employer, and level of experience. And remember that the numbers presented here are for entry-level salaries, the first step you'll be taking in what is likely to be a 40-year (or more) career. When you graduate, you'll be armed with a highly-valued professional degree, no matter what twists and turns your career may take.

Nonetheless, initially you may be juggling concerns about income and debt and other expenses that may influence the kinds of jobs you seek. You'll find that the professional counselors at VLS will help you learn about loan forgiveness options, income-based loan repayment, and financial literacy, so you'll have the information you need to make informed choices as you think about your career.


THREE-YEAR OVERVIEW OF VLS EMPLOYMENT—NINE MONTHS AFTER GRADUATION

Employment Status

Class of 2012

Class of 2011

Class of 2010
Employed (Total) 77% 80.0% 81%
   Bar Passage Read 52.5% 57% 62%
   JD Advantage 18.5% 17% 18%
   Professional 4.0% 1% 7%
   Non-Professional 2.0% 4% 12%
Pursuing Grad. Deg. FT 4.5% 5% 8%
Unemployed (Total) 17.0% 12% 11%
   Not Seeking Job 5.0% 4% 4%
   Seeking Job 12.0% 8% 7%
Status Unknown 1.5% 3% 0%
Total Graduates 100% 100% 100%


Comparison of VLS and National Employment Statistics for the Class of 2011

(2012 national statistics will not be available until June 2013)



COMPARISON OF VLS AND NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS FOR CLASS OF 2011 EMPLOYMENT TYPE