Recent Graduate Employment Data
ABA Employment Summaries: Classes of 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.
The Law School has long provided data about employment outcomes in various forms to prospective students, admitted students, current students, and alumni. We are pleased to offer this extensive data about employment outcomes and salaries for the four most recent graduating classes. We also provide additional detailed information about judicial clerkships, including information about where our students who clerk immediately after graduation choose to work after they are finished clerking, and summer employment data.
| Class of 2021 | Class of 2020 | Class of 2019 | Class of 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Graduates | 213 | 203 | 202 | 206 |
| Employed | 211 | 199 | 199 | 202 |
| Bar Passage Required | 206 | 198 | 196 | 198 |
| JD Advantage | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Professional | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pursuing Graduate Degree | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Employed - Start Date Deferred | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Unemployed - Not Seeking | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Unemployed - Seeking | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Employment Status Unknown | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Class of 2021 | Class of 2020 | Class of 2019 | Class of 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed - Bar Passage Required | 6 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| Employed - JD Advantage | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Employed - Professional | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Employed - Other Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Funded by Law School/University | 6 | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| Class of 2021 | Class of 2020 | Class of 2019 | Class of 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law Firms | 57.8% (122) | 62.8% (125) | 62.3% (124) | 60.9% (123) |
| Solo | - | - | - | - |
| 2-10 | 1.6% (2) | 0.8% (1) | 0.8% (1) | 0.8% (1) |
| 11-25 | 0.8% (1) | - | 1.6% (2) | 0.8% (1) |
| 26-50 | 1.6% (2) | - | 3.2% (4) | 2.4% (3) |
| 51-100 | 3.3% (4) | - | 3.2% (4) | 3.3% (4) |
| 101-250 | - | 4.8% (6) | 3.2% (4) | 5.7% (7) |
| 251-500 | 4.1% (5) | 5.6% (7) | 7.3% (9) | 8.1% (10) |
| 500+ | 88.5% (108) | 88.8% (111) | 80.6% (100) | 78.9% (97) |
| unknown | - | - | - | - |
| Business and Industry | 2.8% (6) | 0.5% (1) | 1.0% (2) | 4.0% (8) |
| Government | 3.3% (7) | 0.5% (1) | 2.5% (5) | 2.5% (5) |
| Public Interest | 4.7% (10) | 5.0% (10) | 6.0% (12) | 5.0% (10) |
| Clerkship | 30.8% (65) | 31.2% (62) | 27.6% (55) | 27.7% (56) |
| Federal | 90.8% (59) | 90.3% (56) | 87.3% (48) | 87.5% (49) |
| State and Local | 7.7% (5) | 9.7% (6) | 12.7% (7) | 12.5% (7) |
| International | 1.5% (1) | - | - | - |
| Academia | 0.5% (1) | - | 0.5% (1) | - |
| Other/unknown | - | - | - | - |
| Class of 2021 | Class of 2020 | Class of 2019 | Class of 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) | 2.4% (5) | 2.5% (5) | 2.0% (4) | 1.0% (2) |
| Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA) | 15.7% (33) | 19.6% (39) | 19.1% (38) | 20.3% (41) |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 33.3% (70) | 32.7% (65) | 36.7% (73) | 35.6% (72) |
| West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, SD, ND) | 1.4% (3) | 3.0% (6) | 3.0% (6) | 3.0% (6) |
| South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 9.5% (20) | 12.1% (24) | 9.5% (19) | 11.9% (24) |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | 4.3% (9) | 3.5% (7) | 1.5% (3) | 3.0% (6) |
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 8.1% (17) | 6.5% (13) | 7.0% (14) | 9.4% (19) |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) | 4.3% (9) | 4.5% (9) | 5.5% (11) | 1.0% (2) |
| Pacific (AK, CA, WA, HI, OR) | 18.6% (39) | 13.1% (26) | 14.1% (28) | 13.9% (28) |
| Foreign (Foreign Countries and US Territories) | 2.4% (5) | 2.5% (5) | 1.5% (3) | 1.0% (2) |
| Class of 2021 | Class of 2020 | Class of 2019 | Class of 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 31.0% (65) | 29.1% (58) | 31.7% (63) | 30.7% (62) |
| New York | 14.3% (30) | 17.6% (35) | 18.1% (36) | 19.8% (40) |
| California | 15.7% (33) | 12.1% (24) | 12.6% (25) | 11.9% (24) |
| District of Columbia | 6.2% (13) | 7.0% (14) | 8.0% (16) | 8.9% (18) |
| Texas | 8.1% (17) | 6.0% (12) | 6.5% (13) | 7.9% (16) |
| Class of 2021 | Class of 2020 | Class of 2019 | Class of 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Graduates Employed Full-time | 209 | 199 | 199 | 202 |
| Number of Full-time Salaries Reported | 206 | 198 | 196 | 201 |
| Percentage of Salaries Reported | 98.6% | 99.5% | 98.5% | 99.5% |
| 25th Percentile | $71,697 | $71,409 | $68,897 | $67,628 |
| Median | $207,500 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $180,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $215,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 |
| Mean | $153,192 | $143,113 | $141,522 | $137,574 |
| Private Sector | 126 | 126 | 126 | 131 |
| Number of Full-time Salaries Reported | 123 | 125 | 124 | 130 |
| Percentage of Salaries Reported | 97.6% | 99.2% | 98.4% | 99.2% |
| 25th Percentile | $215,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $180,000 |
| Median | $215,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $215,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 |
| Mean | $211,061 | $187,480 | $184,032 | $178,999 |
| Public Sector | 83 | 73 | 73 | 71 |
| Number of Full-time Salaries Reported | 83 | 73 | 72 | 71 |
| Percentage of Salaries Reported | 100.0% | 100.0% | 98.6% | 100.0% |
| 25th Percentile | $64,649 | $64,649 | $62,236 | $57,595 |
| Median | $69,000 | $66,393 | $65,000 | $63,192 |
| 75th Percentile | $73,098 | $71,697 | $68,996 | $67,638 |
| Mean | $67,433 | $67,141 | $68,309 | $61,727 |
As you can see, UChicago Law graduates find work in every part of the legal profession, as well as in non-legal careers where a law degree is a substantial asset. Our alumni are all over the world, leading the way in private practice, government, public service, business, academia, and the judiciary.
The Law School is proud to provide significant support to students and graduates entering public service. Students who pursue careers in public interest immediately after graduation face unique challenges, and one of the ways the Law School helps to ameliorate those challenges is through postgraduate public interest fellowships and funding, as well as a generous loan forgiveness program.
Please note: Employment and salary information is taken from a variety of sources, including: student self-reporting, alumni surveys, employer information, published salary data, and electronic resources.
Private Sector salaries include graduates in both the Law Firms and Business and Industry categories.
Public Sector salaries include graduates in the Government, Public Interest, Judicial Clerkships, and Academia categories.
Employment categories for the Class of 2021 follow the definitions in the ABA Employment Protocols. Geographic distinctions follow these NALP categories.
*Percentage calculations for employment types, geographic destinations, and most popular employment locations are based on the number of employed graduates in the class, which can be found in the second line of data at the top of the chart. The numerator for each calculation is presented in parentheses after the percentage. The percentages for law firms by size and for type of judicial clerkship are calculated using the total number of graduates employed in firms and clerkships, respectively.