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Job market for '07 law grads seen as 'challenging' from Hire Calling

Reporter Barbara Rabinovitzspeaks with Randi Friedman, director of career services at Northeastern University School of Law, about changing conditions in the job market in this region and beyond for 2007 law school graduates.

Q. How would you describe the job market for students who have just graduated from law school?

A. It’s better than it was post-2001, but I think it’s always challenging for [those seeking] an entry-level job. I think there are always more new lawyers than there are opportunities. I think the larger firms are definitely hiring more people than they were a few years ago, but don’t think there’s as much of an expansion in other parts of the job market.

Q. What areas of practice are in need of new lawyers?

A. My experience with new lawyers is that they don’t get funneled into specialized areas. Usually, there is a need more for people with a little bit of experience [in specific practice areas]. So, with Northeastern [law school graduates], they go to larger firms, small general practice firms, government agencies, public defender or DA offices, clerkships. ... We do have a lot of students who are interested in public interest work; that’s sort of a steady, consistent area of demand.

Q. What areas of practice do new lawyers want to work in?

A. International law attracts a great deal of interest, and there’s always an interest in intellectual property. Those are the two hottest areas that I hear about.

Q. Are there more opportunities for new lawyers beyond Greater Boston and Massachusetts?

A. I think there are other cities, the Chicago area and the Midwest [for example]. There’s such a concentration of law schools here that it’s hard for the region to absorb all of these new lawyers every year. Still, for Northeastern, 65 percent of our graduates remain in the Greater Boston area, and they do find jobs. It can take a longer time; some do temp work until they land somewhere. Forty percent of our students work where they worked with one of their co-op employers, so our students do well because they make those connections. But even with that, I think it’s still challenging.

Q. What is the average starting salary and work schedule for new lawyers?

A. There’s such a great variability in starting salaries for new lawyers. If you remove large-firm salaries, which are so much higher, I would say the cluster of salaries for new lawyers is between $40,000 and $70,000.

The work week? I think all lawyers do work really hard, and that they’re generally not in 9-to-5 jobs.

Q. Has your law school had to make major changes in curriculum to adapt to a changing job market for new lawyers?

A. Beginning in the fall of 2007, Northeastern combined its first-year legal research and writing class, Legal Practice, and an innovative Law Culture and Difference course into a new first-year program entitled, Legal Skills in a Social Context. This program teaches students basic legal research and writing skills and introduces them to the challenges of lawyering in a diverse society.

Students have the opportunity to work on real-world social justice projects for client organizations that result in an oral presentation and an extensive written product. The class is taught by full-time and adjunct faculty members as well as upper-level students and teaching fellows. Students receive 12 credit hours for completion of the program. ... So, we definitely have revamped our curriculum in those areas.