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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1981)
Most law school grads find jobs, not riches Emerald Graphic The Eighth Northwest Film Festival Tour the cream of this years independent Northwest films Thursday, April 16 8 pm 150 Geology s1.25 The Northwest Film Festival Tour is an annual event sponsored by the Northwest Film Study Center Lawyer glut in Oregon sends students hunting elsewhere By CAROL MORTON Of the Emerald This article is part of a series on the job-market outlook for University graduates Although a law career is not the ticket to the upper-middle class it once might have been, most law school graduates find jobs within a year of graduation. National news magazines write scare stories about a shortage of jobs for lawyers, but National Association for Law Placement figures show about 90 percent of yearly graduates find legally-related jobs within nine months, says Doug Hal dine, University law school placement director. And University law school graduates meet the national average. Three-fourths of the 1980 class returned employment in formation questionnaires to the law school placement center, and 90 percent of the respond ing graduates were employed. Most of those employed had legally related jobs. Only 9 per cent were in non-legal jobs. “About one-third of the students have jobs before they graduate,” Haldine estimates. These jobs are with larger firms or are a result of contacts made during judicial clerkships, Haldine says. "The bulk of students have jobs by October when the state bar exam results are back." Job hunting requires the same procedures students go through when looking for a clerkship in a law office while in law school. “They just knock on doors and walk into offices in town," Haldine says. However, Eugene job pro spects are not that good, he says. Most Eugene law firms do not expand at the rate they hire clerks. For job-hunting out of town, Haldine advises students to send out resumes with cover letters before visiting a city. Major law firms in search of new lawyers can afford to inter view students in law schools across the country, Haldine says. However, the majority of the 1980 University law school graduates in private practices work in firms of less than 25 lawyers. Students generally take jobs based on their interests rather than the market demands. For example, Haldine says a student at the top of his class, attractive to a large metropolitan law firm, decided to practice in a small legal services office in New Mexico because he was not in terested in a large firm. On the other hand, a large practice offers "quality expo sure.” Their clients can afford to spend a lot of money on large $25-million suits that cover all the bases, Haldine says. A large firm has the people and sources to do the job An employer looks at a student’s academic record and personality. Every employer weighs these factors differently, Haldine says. V Hours 11:00-6:00 << The Best Fries In Town” FREE on Wednesday with purchase of $1.75 Hot Dog Order or $2.00 Hamburger order. Ya’all Come On Now! Say you heard it in the Emerald Jeb’s 1350 Alder Haldine says hiring an as sociate for a law firm is like getting married. The employer must work closely with the new employee and carefully con sider whether the employee will get along with the firm and its clientele. University law school placement coordinator Jan Prewitt says the market for traditional lawyers is tightening up. However, alternative car eers for lawyers are opening. Corporations are hiring lawyers right out of school as assistants or associate house councils. These jobs involve routine matters such as moni toring the corporations com pliance with government regulations. Prewitt says jobs are available in areas other than strict legal practice, such as jobs with title companies, accounting firms, bank administration, middle management positions and government. For graduates just starting out and interested in criminal law, a job in the district attorney’s of fice offers criminal law exper ience, a secure position, a regular income and exposure to the legal community, Haldine says. A reliable source of income for beginning lawyers in private practice has been taking court appointed clients. The court pays for those peo ple who cannot afford their own lawyers. However, some courts are restricting their court ap pointee lists. For instance, Hal dine says Lane County requires that lawyers demonstrate a cer tain level of experience. Prewitt says a lawyer s salary does not necessarily mean the country club anymore, es specially in Oregon. The aver age starting salary for those polled 1980 University law school graduates was $18,095. However, in Oregon the average starting salary was $17,160. "A legal education is a porta ble education,” Prewitt says. She says the law school at tracts students because of the programs, not necessarily because they want to practice law in this state. A lot of out-of-state students come to the law school for three years, and then find jobs where they came from, Haldine says. The law school career placement office provides job strategy and resume prepara tion help. Ladies... Remember Tonight’s Ladies Night Beer and Wine 25c 8 30-close , Bring your friends and join us in the woods. woodside brewefy JOIN US IN THE WOODS 2165 West 11th • Eugene • 485 4029
