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Class of 2019 Employment

Employment Statistics for 2019

Yale Law students are among the most sought after in the nation by employers of all types. Our alumni are prominent both within and outside of the legal profession. They work in private practice, ranging from one-person offices to major firms: in federal, state and local government, including Congress, the Office of the President, and the judiciary; in law teaching and administration; in public service settings; for corporations and businesses; and for nonprofit organizations.

ABA Employment Summary for 2019 Graduates

EMPLOYMENT STATUSFULL TIME
LONG TERM
FULL TIME
SHORT TERM
PART TIME
LONG TERM
PART TIME
SHORT TERM
NUMBER
Employed - Bar Passage Required172000172
Employed - JD Advantage90009
Employed - Professional Position00000
Employed - Non-Professional Position00000
Employed - Law School/University Funded1920021
Employed - Job Category Undeterminable00011
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time    10
Unemployed - Start Date Deferred    1
Unemployed - Not Seeking    2
Unemployed - Seeking    0
Employment Status Unknown    1
Total Graduates    217
EMPLOYMENT TYPEFULL TIME
LONG TERM
FULL TIME
SHORT TERM
PART TIME
LONG TERM
PART TIME
SHORT TERM
NUMBER
Law Firms     
Solo00000
2-1000000
11-2520002
26-5040004
51-10000000
101-25080008
251-5001000010
501+6700067
Unknown00000
Business & Industry70007
Government50005
Public Interest (incl. Public Defender)3310135
Judicial Clerkships **     
Federal5600056
State & Local40004
Other11002
Education30003
Employer type unknown00000
TOTAL200201203

**Figure represents graduates in clerkships on March 16, 2020. As of that date, an additional 30 graduates had reported clerkships that commence after March 16, 2020.

LAW SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY FUNDED POSITIONS*FULL TIME
LONG TERM
FULL TIME
SHORT TERM
PART TIME
LONG TERM
PART TIME
SHORT TERM
NUMBER
Employed - Bar Passage Required1410015
Employed - J.D. Advantage51006
Employed - Professional Position00000
Employed - Non-Professional Position00000
Total Employed by Law School/University1920021

* 19 graduates reflected in this section were awarded highly competitive one-year public interest fellowships. Each fellow receives a salary of $47,500 for the year and benefits. Click here for information about YLS public interest fellowship opportunities. In addition, one graduate accepted a prestigious Yale University Fox Fellowship and another graduate accepted a one-year fellowship with Yale University's Office of General Counsel. 

Employment LocationStateNumber
State with largest employmentNew York65
State with second largest employmentDistrict of Columbia36
State with third largest employmentCalifornia23
Number employed in foreign countries 6
Geographic Destinations of Employed GraduatesClass of 2019
Northeast
(CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
13.9%
Mid-Atlantic
(NY, NJ, PA)
36.3%
East North Central
(IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
5%
West North Central
(IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, SD, ND)
1%
South Atlantic
(DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)
19.9%
East South Central
(AL, KY, MS, TN)
2.5%
West South Central
(AR, LA, OK, TX)
4.5%
Mountain
(AZ, CO, ID, MT,NV, NM, UT, WY)
1.5%
Pacific
(AK, CA, WA, HI, OR)
12.4%
U.S. Territories (Puerto Rico)0%
Foreign3%
Full-Time Salaries of Employed GraduatesClass of 2019
Total Employed Graduates213
Number of Salaries Reported203
25th Percentile$64,878
academic--
business$150,000
judicial clerk$63,953
private practice$190,000
government$47,500
public interest$47,500
Median$79,000
academic--
business$165,000
judicial clerk$69,016
private practice$190,000
government$47,500
public interest$52,500
75th Percentile$190,000
academic--
business$200,000
judicial clerk$71,313
private practice$190,000
government$47,500
public interest$60,000
Mean$124,178
academic--
business$190,000
judicial clerk$67,749
private practice$188,944
government$47,500
public interest$56,636

A minimum of five salaries is required for each salary analysis.