At a time when legal doomsayers have been predicting the imminent replacement of junior associates by AI legal assistants, the law school graduating class of 2024 has delivered a contrary verdict: Human lawyers aren’t going anywhere just yet.
According to the latest American Bar Association employment report, the legal job market is showing not just resilience, but growth. The data, reported as of March 17, 2025 — approximately 10 months after spring graduations — reveals that 82.2% of the 38,937 2024 law school graduates secured positions requiring bar admission — a two-point increase from the previous year.
The total number of law graduates also increased, with 38,937 graduates in 2024 compared to 35,215 in 2023 — a robust 10.6% rise. Even with this larger pool of newly minted attorneys entering the market, employment outcomes improved, defying the laws of supply and demand.
Perhaps most telling is the 13.4% year-over-year increase in long-term, full-time positions requiring bar admission. It seems that while AI tools might help draft a contract or research a brief, there is still demand for someone who can sway a jury or negotiate a settlement over lunch.
See the full table of 2024 employment outcomes.
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