Careers | Columbia Law School
Employment and Salary Information:
Classes of 2012, 2011, 2010
Last Updated: March 27, 2013
|
Employment Status |
Class of 2012 |
Class of 2011 |
Class of 2010 |
|||||||||
|
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
|||||||
|
Total Graduates |
469 |
|
|
|
456 |
|
|
|
430 |
|
|
|
|
Employment Status Known |
467 |
|
99.6% |
|
453 |
|
99.3% |
|
426 |
|
99.1% |
|
|
Employed |
458 |
|
97.7% |
|
445 |
|
97.6% |
|
415 |
|
96.5% |
|
|
Bar Admission Required1 |
440 |
|
96.1% |
|
437 |
|
98.2% |
|
403 |
|
97.1% |
|
|
J.D. Advantage1 |
17 |
|
3.7% |
|
6 |
|
1.3% |
|
8 |
|
1.9% |
|
|
Other Professional1 |
1 |
|
0.2% |
|
2 |
|
0.45% |
|
4 |
|
1.0% |
|
|
Non-Professional1 |
0 |
|
0.0% |
|
0 |
|
0.0% |
|
0 |
|
0.0% |
|
|
Enrolled in Graduate Degree Program FT |
2 |
|
0.4% |
|
5 |
|
1.1% |
|
5 |
|
1.2% |
|
|
Unemployed–Not Seeking |
2 |
|
0.4% |
|
2 |
|
0.45% |
|
3 |
|
0.7% |
|
|
Unemployed–Seeking |
5 |
|
0.1% |
|
1 |
|
0.2% |
|
3 |
|
0.7% |
|
|
Employment Status Unknown |
2 |
|
0.4% |
|
3 |
|
0.7% |
|
4 |
|
0.9% |
|
1 This is a percentage of the number of employed students.
|
Employed Graduates of the Class of 2012: Further Detail |
Number |
Full-Time |
Part-Time |
|||||||
|
Long Term |
Short Term |
Long Term |
Short Term |
|||||||
|
Total Employed Graduates Class of 2012 |
458 |
|
456 |
|
2 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Bar Passage Required |
440 |
|
438 |
|
2 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
J.D. Advantage |
17 |
|
17 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Professional Position |
1 |
|
1 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Non-Professional Position |
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Undeterminable |
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
Law School / University Funded Position |
Class of 2012 |
Class of 2011 |
Class of 2010 |
|||
|
Of Employed—Law School / University Funded |
38 |
8.3% |
38 |
8.5% |
10 |
2.4% |
|
Employment Types of Employed Graduates |
Class of 2012 |
Class of 2011 |
Class of 2010 |
|||
|
Percentage |
Percentage |
Percentage |
||||
|
Law Firm |
69.0% |
|
69.4% |
|
76.1% |
|
|
Solo |
0.0% |
|
0.0% |
|
0.0% |
|
|
Firm size 2-10 |
0.0% |
|
1.8% |
|
1.0% |
|
|
Firm size 11-25 |
0.7% |
|
0.6% |
|
1.4% |
|
|
Firm size 26-50 |
1.5% |
|
2.5% |
|
1.2% |
|
|
Firm size 51-100 |
0.7% |
|
1.6% |
|
0.7% |
|
|
Firm size 101-250 |
2.0% |
|
2.9% |
|
3.1% |
|
|
Firm size 251-500 |
9.0% |
|
7.0% |
|
7.5% |
|
|
Firm size 501+ |
55.2% |
|
53.0% |
|
61.2% |
|
|
Firm Size Unknown |
0.0% |
|
0.0% |
|
0.0% |
|
|
Business |
3.9% |
|
5.4% |
|
3.9% |
|
|
Government |
7.6% |
|
9.0% |
|
4.6% |
|
|
Public Interest |
9.6% |
|
5.8% |
|
3.1% |
|
|
Judicial Clerkship1 |
9.2% |
|
9.7% |
|
11.8% |
|
|
Federal |
8.1% |
|
8.3% |
|
10.6% |
|
|
State |
0.9% |
|
1.4% |
|
0.7% |
|
|
International Courts |
0.2% |
|
0.0% |
|
0.5% |
|
|
Academia |
0.7% |
|
0.7% |
|
0.5% |
|
|
Employer type unknown |
0.0% |
|
0.0% |
|
0.0% |
|
1 The judicial clerkship percentage includes only those graduates who clerked for a judge as a first job after graduation.
|
Employment by Geographic Location |
Class of 2012 |
Class of 2011 |
Class of 2010 |
|||||||||
|
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
|||||||
|
Mid-Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) |
324 |
|
70.8% |
|
281 |
|
63.1% |
|
282 |
|
68.7% |
|
|
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) |
39 |
|
8.5% |
|
50 |
|
11.2% |
|
38 |
|
9.3% |
|
|
South Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) |
43 |
|
9.4% |
|
48 |
|
10.8% |
|
47 |
|
11.5% |
|
|
New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) |
7 |
|
1.5% |
|
17 |
|
3.8% |
|
13 |
|
3.2% |
|
|
East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) |
9 |
|
2.0% |
|
10 |
|
2.3% |
|
7 |
|
1.7% |
|
|
West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) |
10 |
|
2.2% |
|
10 |
|
2.3% |
|
7 |
|
1.7% |
|
|
International |
14 |
|
3.1% |
|
23 |
|
5.2% |
|
7 |
|
1.7% |
|
|
Mountain (AZ, ID, CO, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) |
6 |
|
1.3% |
|
2 |
|
0.4% |
|
4 |
|
1.0% |
|
|
West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) |
2 |
|
0.4% |
|
1 |
|
0.2% |
|
3 |
|
0.7% |
|
|
East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) |
4 |
|
0.9% |
|
3 |
|
0.7% |
|
2 |
|
0.5% |
|
|
Greatest Employment Concentration |
Class of 2012 |
Class of 2011 |
Class of 2010 |
|||||||||
|
Location |
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
||||||
|
New York |
316 |
|
69.0% |
|
274 |
|
61.6% |
|
278 |
|
67.8% |
|
|
District of Columbia |
32 |
|
7.4% |
|
32 |
|
9.4% |
|
36 |
|
8.8% |
|
|
California |
34 |
|
7.0% |
|
42 |
|
7.2% |
|
33 |
|
8.0% |
|
|
International |
14 |
|
3.1% |
|
23 |
|
5.2% |
|
7 |
|
1.7% |
|
|
Salaries of Employed Graduates1 |
Class of 2012 |
Class of 2011 |
Class of 2010 |
|||
|
All Employed Graduates |
||||||
|
Salaries Reported |
445 |
97.6% |
424 |
96.6% |
410 |
98.8% |
|
75th Percentile |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
|||
|
25th Percentile |
$65,000 |
$69,500 |
$100,000 |
|||
|
Median |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
|||
|
Mean |
$128,511 |
$125,799 |
$139,932 |
|||
|
Law Firm |
||||||
|
Salaries Reported |
312 |
98.7% |
304 |
98.4% |
311 |
99.7% |
|
75th Percentile |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
|||
|
25th Percentile |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
|||
|
Median |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
$160,000 |
|||
|
Mean |
$156,938 |
$154,870 |
$154,850 |
|||
|
Judicial Clerkship |
||||||
|
Salaries Reported |
42 |
100% |
43 |
100% |
48 |
100% |
|
75th Percentile |
$65,000 |
$63,000 |
$60,000 |
|||
|
25th Percentile |
$55,449 |
$58,000 |
$53,000 |
|||
|
Median |
$60,000 |
$60,000 |
$58,271 |
|||
|
Mean |
$59,961 |
$59,576 |
$56,920 |
|||
|
Government |
||||||
|
Salaries Reported |
33 |
94.3% |
37 |
92.5% |
8 |
88.9% |
|
75th Percentile |
$62,038 |
$55,000 |
$61,000 |
|||
|
25th Percentile |
$30,000 |
$24,000 |
$54,500 |
|||
|
Median |
$54,115 |
$24,000 |
$60,000 |
|||
|
Mean |
$50,872 |
$38,424 |
$59,995 |
|||
|
Public Interest |
||||||
|
Salaries Reported |
42 |
95.5% |
25 |
100% |
15 |
93.8% |
|
75th Percentile |
$45,000 |
$47,000 |
$58,000 |
|||
|
25th Percentile |
$30,000 |
$40,000 |
$42,000 |
|||
|
Median |
$30,000 |
$40,000 |
$52,000 |
|||
|
Mean |
$37,519 |
$44,600 |
$52,800 |
|||
|
Business |
||||||
|
Salaries Reported |
14 |
77.8% |
13 |
100% |
15 |
100% |
|
75th Percentile |
$135,000 |
$85,000 |
$125,000 |
|||
|
25th Percentile |
$75,000 |
$75,000 |
$25,000 |
|||
|
Median |
$105,000 |
$80,000 |
$100,000 |
|||
|
Mean |
$168,929 |
$79,615 |
$87,467 |
|||
|
Academia |
||||||
|
Salaries Reported |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
75th Percentile |
* |
* |
* |
|||
|
25th Percentile |
* |
* |
* |
|||
|
Median |
* |
* |
* |
|||
|
Mean |
* |
* |
* |
|||
1Salaries of graduates employed in full-time, long-term positions.
• Fewer than five salaries reported.
Summer Employment for First Year and Second Year Students
Summer employment data is collected by surveying first-year and second-year J.D. students prior to the start of the fall recruiting season. Each year more than 94% of students report summer employment data. Columbia Law School offers every J.D. student a funded position in either government or public interest in both the 1L and 2L summers. Information on guaranteed summer funding can be found here.
|
Summer Employment |
Class of 2014 |
Class of 2013 |
Class of 2012 |
|||
|
Percentage |
Percentage |
Percentage |
||||
|
Law Firm |
20.0% |
|
18.2% |
|
18.0% |
|
|
Public Interest |
31.6% |
|
28.3% |
|
33.2% |
|
|
Government |
25.5% |
|
27.9% |
|
27.7% |
|
|
Business |
7.0% |
|
7.0% |
|
4.2% |
|
|
Judicial Intern** |
10.8% |
|
12.8% |
|
13.2% |
|
|
Academia |
5.1% |
|
5.8% |
|
3.7% |
|
|
**Summer internship working in the chambers of a federal or state court judge. |
||||||
|
Summer Employment |
Class of 2013 |
Class of 2012 |
Class of 2011 |
|||
|
Percentage |
Percentage |
Percentage |
||||
|
Law Firm |
82.7% |
|
76.7% |
|
74.7% |
|
|
Public Interest |
7.5% |
|
13.1% |
|
7.6% |
|
|
Government |
4.0% |
|
6.9% |
|
14.2% |
|
|
Business |
1.8% |
|
2.5% |
|
2.3% |
|
|
Judicial Intern** |
0.2% |
|
0.4% |
|
0.0% |
|
|
Academia |
0.9% |
|
0.4% |
|
1.2% |
|
|
**Summer internship working in the chambers of a federal or state court judge. |
||||||