Law.com - poor job market forces new grads to consider alternatives

[stateofbeasley]

http://www.law.com/jsp/law/careercenter/lawArticleCareerCenter.jsp?id=1201864411540

Jason Luros graduated in the top 20 percent of his class at Golden Gate University School of Law in 2007, with a portfolio of internships including business and intellectual property law experience and work abroad.

Given the impression from professors and career counselors that he was doing fine and that law firms were hiring, Luros said that he was surprised at the feeble job market that greeted him on return from Europe last summer. Most of his interviews were with firms of five to 30 attorneys -- and they weren't hiring.

"All the opportunities that I heard about required active bar membership and a lot of experience," Luros said.

...

Luros decided to pop into the office of a financial services firm and fill out an application. After three rounds of interviews, the firm offered him a job as a financial planner and started him on a training program.

...

University of San Francisco School of Law Dean Jeffrey Brand says that segment might soon see growth. He sees an employment trend on the horizon that will have graduates from nonelite schools taking a harder look at careers outside the law.

With the economy's recent downturn and mushrooming overhead costs, he thinks law firms will be scaling back job offers.

"What I've heard from firms is that the associate economic structure they've created is destined to collapse," Brand said. Alumni are reporting that large national firms are increasingly hiring laterals or experienced lawyers on a contract basis, he added. "There are fewer associate positions for recent graduates," Brand said. "It's going to require them to be more resourceful in figuring out what they're going to do."

Yet another sign that the bright and shiny future that many law schools promise is often nothing but a sham.  It's just not worth the time and money to attend an expensive private law school if you aren't absolutely sure you want to be a lawyer. 

[BigLulz]

of course, we've all heard this before and i don't think too many people on this forum care about doomsday advice anymore.

[laughing_heir]

Jason Luros graduated in the top 20 percent of his class at Golden Gate University School of Law in 2007, with a portfolio of internships including business and intellectual property law experience and work abroad.

Isn't GG's accreditation on probation or something?

The article has better perspective further down.  Keep the debt down and realize the first job isn't everything.

[BigLulz]

of course, we've all heard this before and i don't think too many people on this forum care about doomsday advice anymore.

biglulz, your name is cool..what's with the tree though? i dont get it

I'm going into environmental law so I gotta love the trees. My former pictures were people/animals lulz'ing, along the lines of: