Young Lawyers Are Struggling in This Economy

Many people spend their lives dreaming of being an attorney. We all grow up watching the dramatic legal TV shows, such as Law & Order, wishing we could argue before a judge the way the actor does. I used to have such a dream, hoping that one day I would be a big time lawyer helping convict child molesters and rapists. Having the job of your dreams when you are a young attorney just isn't reality anymore. There are dream jobs available anymore, just the jobs that no one wants.

The reality is that the job market for new attorneys is extremely bad. I believe that the legal job market is at an all time low, especially for young attorneys. In fact, many experienced attorneys are thanking their lucky starts that they did not come out of law school at this time. Isn't that just comforting? Not at all. Recent law school grads come out of school with no experience, loads of debt and no job opportunities. Things could not possibly get any worse, or could they?

Despite the fact that many statistics claim that the legal job market is picking up, this is simply a lie. I have experienced the legal job market first hand, and have watched many of my fellow classmates and recent graduates struggle to find a job. You might be thinking to yourself, 'are young lawyers not landing jobs just because they performed bad in law school?' The answer is NO. The lack of job opportunities is not always related to a person's performance in law school. Law firms are just not looking for entry level attorneys, they want attorneys who are qualified and capable of performing without supervision. Additionally, law firms are receiving hundreds of resumes for every job posting they have. This drastically dwindles the possibility that a young attorney might land the job, as recruiters are more likely to select an experienced attorney who has already proven themselves over a fresh faced attorney.

I don't blame them. If I owned my own business and was looking for an attorney that I trusted to do good quality work, I might very likely consider hiring an attorney with a book of clients and years of experience. If I wanted to hire somebody that would not cost as much as a senior attorney, I would probably look for attorneys with two - three years of experience, not an attorney who just passed the bar. So I get it, but it doesn't mean that I like this reality.

I know many newly admitted attorneys who are still looking for a job almost a year after graduation. That is scary. There are obviously more attorneys than jobs at the moment, and the people suffering the most are young attorneys. So, what would I suggest to all of my fellow young, struggling attorneys out there? Don't go to law school. If you are already in law school, make sure that you are at the top of your class and try to get a job in the state where your law school is located. If you move to an entirely different state and you didn't graduate from a top 10 law school, you chances of getting a job are even less than they would be otherwise. If all else fails, try to network and make connections in the city that you are job hunting in. You have a better chance of getting your foot in the door if someone who has a reputation in the community will vouch for you. If none of these options apply to you, try to gain ANY experience you can for the first year, and then try your search over again.

Although it is tough to admit, the legal job market is just not what I imagined it would be when I was in law school. Our career center told us that if we graduated in the top of our class multiple job opportunities would be available to us. They were wrong. Sure, I heard that the economy was bad, but I didn't experience it first hand until I graduated and began searching. This is a scary time for all young attorneys. If you have a job, try and be grateful for it even if it is something that you highly detest. Things could be much worse for you.