GW Makes Top Ten Law Schools on Job Placement

Forbes has a story on the ranking of law school on employment placement and salaries. I am happy to report that George Washington has placed within top ten schools. The dip in the legal market has affected applications at top schools but overall the impact is felt more severely at the lower ranked law schools. While legal education remains expensive, it remains a good investment for many students. The problem occurs at law schools with low bar passage rates and employment placement. We previously discussed how some of the lowest ranked schools report the highest levels of debt for students. There are some law schools which have dubious academic programs and even more dubious claims of placement. Frankly, some paring of law schools would be a benefit in this economic downturn as would more demanding certification standards by the American Bar Association.

It is important to emphasize that I do not subscribe to the ranking of law school on placement figures or treating law school as merely a trade school needed to secure high-paying jobs. I have opposed the self-destructive efforts of some professors (and President Obama) to strip down law schools to a two-year program to crank out more lawyers with less education. Despite the dislike for lawyers reflected in jokes and commentary, they play a critical role in our society and our law students are building on a long and proud legacy. This is a graduate school that sits at the junction of philosophy, economics, history, and public service. A J.D. degree offers more than a meal ticket.

However, given the large investment of our students, it is good to see these figures. At Columbia Law School, the price of a three-year J.D. is now nearly $250,000.

Only 56.2% of 2012 grads had found full employment at the time of reporting to the ABA. That percentage again is a bit deceiving since it is much higher as you move down the rankings in laws school as a general matter. The unemployment rate for new lawyers ticked up to 10.6% from 9.2% in the prior year.

Here is the ranking:

1. Columbia Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 99%
Median starting salary: $160,000

2. University of Chicago Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 99%
Median starting salary: $160,000

3. University of Pennsylvania Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 98%
Median starting salary: $160,000

4. Harvard Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 96%
Median starting salary: $160,000

5. New York University School of Law
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 97%
Median starting salary: $160,000

6. University of California at Berkeley School of Law
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 96%
Median starting salary: $160,000

7. Northwestern University School of Law
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 91%
Median starting salary: $160,000

8. Georgetown University Law Center
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 92%
Median starting salary: $160,000

9. The George Washington University Law School
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 95%
Median starting salary: $137,000

10. University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Percent of grads employed 9 months out: 86%
Median starting salary: $145,000