Yale law grad salary

[Anonymous]

https://law.yale.edu/class-2016-employment

It seems other than private practice or corporate law, salaries aren’t as high as one would expect. Is it worse for public law schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://law.yale.edu/class-2016-employment

It seems other than private practice or corporate law, salaries aren’t as high as one would expect. Is it worse for public law schools?

These are Class of 2016 numbers. Why didn't you post more current numbers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://law.yale.edu/class-2016-employment

It seems other than private practice or corporate law, salaries aren’t as high as one would expect. Is it worse for public law schools?

It's complicated and not worth addressing in a post. Search for bi-modal salary distribution, and also understand that salary numbers are skewed by grads who clerk right after law school. In any event, whether a law school is public or private is immaterial. What matters is whether it's T14 or not. Top 14 law school grads have much better outcomes and better options.

[Anonymous]

Law salaries are pretty standard across the board market to market for new grads. Most clerks make roughly the same, most first year lawyers make the same at each firm, and pretty close firm to firm in each market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Law salaries are pretty standard across the board market to market for new grads. Most clerks make roughly the same, most first year lawyers make the same at each firm, and pretty close firm to firm in each market.

At the top end of the bimodal distribution only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://law.yale.edu/class-2016-employment

It seems other than private practice or corporate law, salaries aren’t as high as one would expect. Is it worse for public law schools?

It's complicated and not worth addressing in a post. Search for bi-modal salary distribution, and also understand that salary numbers are skewed by grads who clerk right after law school. In any event, whether a law school is public or private is immaterial. What matters is whether it's T14 or not. Top 14 law school grads have much better outcomes and better options.

Except that T14 is really T25. And T26-50 have the same results at the top 10% of their classes

[Anonymous]

Every Yale law grad could be making Biglaw money at graduation if they choose. Anyone who is making less has chosen to clerk, work in public service, or do something else more interesting. In short, that statistic isn't super relevant since Yale law grads have a ton of options open to them.

[Anonymous]

A lot of YLS grads clerk, for a year or three right out of school, which is very prestigious and ultimately lucrative, but has a relatively low salary.

Many also go to public interest/non-profit jobs that are highly competitive but often low-paying.

Finally, YLS sends more grads into law teaching than any other law school. Many future legal academics do fellowships or take VAP positions for a year or two before going on the tenure-track teaching market, and these jobs are, again, highly competitive but low-paying.

I would expect the salary numbers to actually be a bit better at some lower-ranked schools that send more grads directly into private practice.

And, yes, all the PP who mentioned bi-modal distributions are also right on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://law.yale.edu/class-2016-employment

It seems other than private practice or corporate law, salaries aren’t as high as one would expect. Is it worse for public law schools?

It's complicated and not worth addressing in a post. Search for bi-modal salary distribution, and also understand that salary numbers are skewed by grads who clerk right after law school. In any event, whether a law school is public or private is immaterial. What matters is whether it's T14 or not. Top 14 law school grads have much better outcomes and better options.

Except that T14 is really T25. And T26-50 have the same results at the top 10% of their classes

This isn't true. I have participated in recruiting at multiple BigLaw firms and it's simply not true that T14 and T25 are interchangeable. It's more accurate to say that the top 10- maybe 20% at T15-25 + something to set you apart (clerkship, internship, targeted demonstrated interests, prestigious undergrad) is equal to top 50% at T14. T26-50 you need to set yourself apart even more.

It's not admirable, but there are partners who will reply-all to the recruiting thread with "why are we interviewing multiple people from [T20ish school]? Did we not have success at Harvard/Yale this year?" The mindset is entrenched that of course there might be one exceptional candidate, so the door isn't completely closed, but they are not viewed as equivalent to T14.

[Anonymous]

Check the stats for Virginia, Berkeley and Michigan if you are concerned about public law schools. I'm guessing they will be similar to Yale's. Maybe higher because Yale may have a higher proportion of grads going into public service or clerkships.

[Anonymous]

brother is YLS grad, is a professor who is paid well but not as well if he stuck with corporate law

[Anonymous]

It’s because a ton of Yale Law grads get good clerkships. Those don’t pay well but the experience for a year or two is worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://law.yale.edu/class-2016-employment

It seems other than private practice or corporate law, salaries aren’t as high as one would expect. Is it worse for public law schools?

It's complicated and not worth addressing in a post. Search for bi-modal salary distribution, and also understand that salary numbers are skewed by grads who clerk right after law school. In any event, whether a law school is public or private is immaterial. What matters is whether it's T14 or not. Top 14 law school grads have much better outcomes and better options.

Except that T14 is really T25. And T26-50 have the same results at the top 10% of their classes

No it's not. The depth that firms and judges go into the class vary greatly between the T14 and the T25. And the caliber of firm and judge that hires grads is greatly different between T14 and T25. And I hope you realize that virtually every student entering into a T26-50 THINKS that they're going to be in the top 10%. There is a sea of difference between the T14 and everything else. And let me tell you, having attended law school during the Great Recession, I was damn glad to be at a T14.

[Anonymous]

I’m a YLS grad, about 15ish years out. A large chunk of my classmates are professors who are not making biglaw money. Another solid chunk are in high up leadership positions in the government. While I do have plenty of very wealthy classmates in biglaw, finance, etc, it does not seem like seven figure incomes dominate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a YLS grad, about 15ish years out. A large chunk of my classmates are professors who are not making biglaw money. Another solid chunk are in high up leadership positions in the government. While I do have plenty of very wealthy classmates in biglaw, finance, etc, it does not seem like seven figure incomes dominate.

ETA - lots of classmates are now getting appointed to judgeships as well (state and federal courts), and while those are incredibly hard jobs to get and very prestigious, they also do not pay particularly well.