US Law School Hiring Remains Flat

The 2008 recession caused a steep drop in out of school hiring by US law firms, and the effects of the recession has continued to handicap hiring in the years since then. It was so bad that the Wall Street Journal reported last year a drop in enrollments to a level not seen in 36 years. This was directly related to a lull in work in lucrative fields like mergers and acquisitions and firm expectations.

With the relative increase in the fortunes of the US economy, one would expect that that hiring would go back to its pre-2008 levels however this is not yet the case as the National Association for Law Placement provided the results of its research to show that recruitment up to 2013 has continued to remain mostly flat from its 2008 levels. You can read the full NALP report here. Considering the levels of debt that students incur to go to law school, something has got to give. Unfortunately, it is likely we'll see less and less law school enrollments with its attendant effects on the profession.