'Data Trove' on law grads revealed

By Debra Cassens Weiss American Bar Association About two thirds of law schools hired at least some of their own 2010 graduates, according to new online data. The National Law Journal took a look at the "data trove" in an online ABA database that reveals the number of 2010 grads in jobs paid for by their law schools, the number whose jobs are short-term or temporary, and the number working in different size firms. The story has these statistics: * Only 27 percent of ABA-accredited law schools have not hired any of their own graduates. Three schools hired more than 15 percent of their classes: the City University of New York School of Law (19 percent), the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law (18 percent) and the University of San Francisco School of Law (17 percent). CUNY says the high percentage is due to its LaunchPad for Justice program that hires grads to represent New Yorkers in danger of eviction. * Eighty-five percent of 2010 law grads were employed nine months after graduation, but 14 percent were in short-term jobs. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan has published all of its employer statistics for the years 2009 to 2011, Above the Law reports. Michigan has been dubbed "the Most Honest Law School" by the blog. Michigan stats reveal 27 grads from the three years had nonlegal jobs, including bar owner, actor, sheep farmer, polo coach and professional poker player. Above the Law looks at Michigan grads hired into BigLaw and concludes that "the recession has squeezed employment opportunities for recent law graduates." Some of the firms hiring the most, over the three-year period, were Cravath, Swaine & Moore (12 grads); Gibson Dunn & Crutcher (15 grads); Kirkland & Ellis (20 grads); Latham & Watkins (26 grads); Mayer Brown (12 grads); Milbank (13 grads); O'Melveny & Myers (12 grads); Paul Weiss (12 grads); Skadden Arps (18 grads); Weil, Gotshal & Manges (15 grads); and Winston & Strawn (12 grads). The school had 379 grads in 2011, 374 grads in 2010, and 412 grads in 2009. Over the three years, 46 grads reported jobs with federal appeals courts, and 57 reported jobs with federal district courts. Published: Thu, Apr 26, 2012