Employment Statistics
2011 Employment Data, Nine Months after Graduation
Employed, Nine Months after Graduation
| Employment Status | Full-Time | Part-Time | Number | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent | Temporary | Permanent | Temporary | Number Reported | % of Class | |
| Total Graduates | 187 | 17 | 38 | 29 | 318 | 100.01% |
| Total Reported | 272 | 85.50% | ||||
| Employed - Bar Passage Required | 149 | 15 | 23 | 24 | 211 | 66.40% |
| Employed - JD Advantage | 28 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 36 | 11.30% |
| Employed - Other Professional | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 4.10% |
| Employed - Non-Professional | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 3.50% |
| Employed - Job Type Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.31% |
| Pursuing Graduate Degree Full-time | 3 | 0.94% | ||||
| Unemployed - Start Date Deferred | 3 | 0.94% | ||||
| Unemployed - Not Seeking Job | 3 | 0.94% | ||||
| Unemployed - Seeking Job | 34 | 10.70% | ||||
| Employment Status Unknown | 3 | 0.94% | ||||
Law School/University Funded Positions
| Law School/University Funded Positions | Number | Full-Time | Part-Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent | Temporary | Permanent | Temporary | ||
| Of Employed - Law School/University Funded Short Term | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| USD Law Public Interest Fellows | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| USD Law Research Fellows | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| USD Law Clinic Staff Attorneys | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| USD Legal Writing Fellow | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| USD Associate Director M.S. Global Leadership | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Employment Type
| Employment Type | Full-Time | Part-Time | Number Reported | % of employed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent | Temporary | Permanent | Temporary | |||
| Law Firms | 148 | 54.40% | ||||
| Solo | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2.20% |
| 2-10 | 49 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 73 | 26.80% |
| 11-25 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2.90% |
| 26-50 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 4.00% |
| 51-100 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 5.90% |
| 101-250 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2.20% |
| 251-500 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.10% |
| 501+ | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5.50% |
| Size Unknown | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 3.70% |
| Business & Industry | 47 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 71 | 22.30% |
| Government | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 8.10% |
| Public Interest (incl. Public Defender) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 4.00% |
| Judicial Clerkships | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2.90% |
| Federal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2.90% |
| State & Local | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Academia | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 3.70% |
| Employer Type Unknown | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.74% |
| Total employed | 187 | 17 | 38 | 29 | 272 | |
Employment Locations
| Employment Location | State | Number |
|---|---|---|
| State# - largest employment | California | 231 |
| State# - 2nd largest employment | New York | 6 |
| State# - 3rd largest employment | Colorado | 5 |
| # employed in foreign countries | 0 |
Salaries by Employment Status
| Employment Status | Number Reported | Full-time Salary * | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number Salaries Reported | % Reported | 25% | 50% (median) |
75% | ||
| Employed - Bar Passage Required | 211 | 101 | 47.9% | $57,000 | $65,000 | $100,000 |
| Employed - JD Advantage | 36 | 16 | 44.4% | $50,250 | $72,250 | $86,250 |
| Employed - Other Professional | 13 | 3 | 23.1% | $52,500 | $60,000 | $90,000 |
| Employed - Non-professional | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Employed - Job Type Unknown | 1 | 0 | ||||
Salaries by Employment Type
| Employment Type | Number Reported | Full-time Salary * | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number Salaries Reported | % Reported | 25% | 50% (median) |
75% | ||
| Law Firms | 148 | 68 | 46.5% | $52,000 | $70,000 | $108,500 |
| Solo | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2-10 | 73 | 20 | 27.4% | $50,000 | $54,080 | $63,025 |
| 11-25 | 8 | 6 | 75.0% | $41,825 | $56,250 | $88,750 |
| 26-50 | 11 | 5 | 45.5% | $44,720 | $80,000 | $90,000 |
| 51-100 | 16 | 14 | 87.5% | $65,000 | $67,600 | $87,500 |
| 101-250 | 6 | 5 | 83.3% | $85,000 | $90,000 | $97,000 |
| 251-500 | 3 | 3 | 100% | $110,000 | $140,000 | $142,500 |
| 501+ | 15 | 14 | 93.3% | $110,000 | $160,000 | $160,000 |
| Size Unknown | 10 | 1 | 10.0% | $49,920 | $49,920 | $49,920 |
| Business & Industry | 71 | 28 | 39.4% | $60,000 | $80,000 | $104,000 |
| Government | 22 | 10 | 45.5% | $50,000 | $57,000 | $60,375 |
| Public Interest (inc. Public Defender) |
11 | 3 | 27.3% | $55,000 | $65,000 | $66,500 |
| Judicial Clerkships | ||||||
| Federal | 8 | 8 | 100% | $60,000 | $60,000 | $60,600 |
| State & Local | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Academia | 10 | 3 | 30.0% | $64,250 | $76,500 | $90,750 |
| Employer Type Unknown | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
High Salaries by Employment Type
High Salaries by Employment Status
Job Offer Sources
| Source of Job | Number Reported | % of Reported |
|---|---|---|
| USD Job Posting/OCI Job posting On-campus interviews |
50 32 18 |
26.1% 16.7% 9.4% |
| Referrals (USD/other source) | 29 | 15.1% |
| Job fair/consortia | 1 | 0.5% |
| Commercial internet site | 8 | 4.2% |
| Return to prior job | 43 | 22.4% |
| Start own practice | 8 | 4.2% |
| Self-initiated/letter | 48 | 25.0% |
| Temp agency | 1 | 0.5% |
| Other | 4 | 2.1% |
The data above was reported to the American Bar Association (ABA) and National Association of Legal Career Professionals (NALP) in March 2012. We regularly collect and report employment information from our most recent graduating class, following guidelines established by NALP and the ABA. This data is updated as new information is provided to the school.
* Salary numbers based on 120 full-time salaries reported (44% of employed graduates reporting).
View more detailed employment statistics for the Class of 2011 based on information reported by the Career Development Office to NALP in March of 2012.
For questions about this page, please email Career Services.
