TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Aug 5, 2025

New lawyers in the class of 2024 faced a lot of competition in the job market — the class was 12% larger than its immediate predecessor — but they have fared well according to a report from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). A year after graduation, a record 93.4% had jobs, the highest employment rate ever. In total, 20,810 graduates obtained jobs in private practice — also the largest number on record — passing the previous peak of 20,611 law firm jobs for the class of 2007. Other data also indicates that these graduates are satisfied with their work. A record low of 6.8% of those with jobs were seeking other opportunities. Looking ahead to predictions for the classes of 2025 and 2026, NALP says many firms pulled back on their 2024 and 2025 summer associate hiring, which could suggest there could be a contraction coming. The ABA Journal has more on the summer associate hiring situation.