Although working at a private law firm is a common path for students graduating from law school, many grads also enter a career in government.
“Something that law school students or folks considering law school don't always appreciate is there's an incredible breadth of opportunities in government positions for them,” says Carey Bertolet Grand, dean of career services at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law in New York.
Of the law school class of 2022 graduates, about 1 in 10 went into government work, according to the American Bar Association.
“That’s virtually unchanged over the past 10 years,” says Marc Davis, the association’s communications manager.
And that percentage may be higher when all categories of government work are included.
About 17% of the 2022 graduates of The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., began a career in government.
“But if we add clerkships it's 36%, and if you add public defenders, we're up to 40%,” says Julie Dietrich, the law school’s assistant dean for career and professional development.
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Public interest law, an umbrella term that encompasses legal work serving underrepresented people and causes, includes many government jobs. Public defenders and public assistance attorneys generally fall into this category.
Bertolet Grand says more than 25% of Cardozo's graduates enter a job in public interest.
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