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Admissions & Financial Aid
Straight Talk about the legal profession today
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The current economic climate has had a marked effect on the legal profession, just as it has in nearly every other sector of the economy. A 2010 market study commissioned by the American Bar Association characterized this period as “the legal industry[’s] most challenging economic environment in half a century.” Reduced client demand for legal services, pressures to provide sharply discounted fees, the credit crisis, and increasing global competition have led to decreased hiring, layoffs, and firm closings. While the largest law firms have tended to be the most deeply affected, the plain fact that there are just as many law graduates as ever chasing fewer jobs means that it’s harder to get that sought-for offer than it was only a few years ago.
That means it’s more important than ever to have the resources of career services professionals and a strong and engaged alumni network to assist with the job search. Our Career Services Office helps students define their career goals and equips them with the skills and information necessary to find the right job. Our counselors, both of whom are lawyers with practice experience, provide expert guidance with resume preparation, interviewing, and job-search strategies. We host a variety of presentations on career paths in the law, sponsor a yearly “Career Week” with South Carolina law alumni each spring, offer a mock interviewing program, and are always available for one-to-one counseling. Law firms, judges, government agencies, and public interest employers may schedule on-campus interviews to talk with interested applicants for summer or post-graduation employment.
The following statistics are for the May 2010 graduating class, as of February 15, 2011:
| 147 | employed in a job requiring bar passage |
| 16 | employed full-time, JD preferred |
| 4 | employed full-time in other professional jobs |
| 5 | employed in non-professional jobs |
| 9 | full-time LL.M. program |
| 16 | unemployed and seeking a job |
| 7 | unemployed but not seeking a job |
| 10 | employment status unknown |
| 214 | total graduates |
Types of Employment and Salary Ranges
Class of 2010
| size of firm | # of graduates | # salary known | average salary | salary range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 251+ | 7 | 6 | $115,833 | $90,000 - $160,000 |
| 100-250 | 8 | 5 | $77,000 | $70,000 - $100,000 |
| 51-100 | 2 | 1 | $85,000 | |
| 26-50 | 3 | 3 | $80,333 | $70,000 - $90,000 |
| 11-25 | 8 | 4 | $66,000 | $52,000-$72,000 |
| 2-10 | 38 | 14 | $43,929 | $30,000-$70,000 |
| solo practice | 6 |
| Judicial Clerkships | ||
|---|---|---|
| Federal judicial clerkships | 10 | $55,774 |
| State judicial clerkships | 34 | |
| Court of Appeals | $46,598 | |
| Trial Courts | $39,160 | |
| Government Service | variable | |
| Prosecutor’s office | 8 | |
| Federal or state agencies | 19 | |
| Military JAG Corps | 3 | |
| Public Interest | $30,000 - $44,000 | |
| Public Defender’s Office | 5 | |
| Business | 18 | $40,000 - $90,000 |
| Academic | 4 | not available |