Posts

The Red Velvet Lawyer in the Spotlight in an ABA Article

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ABA Blawgwhisperer Picks up  the Job Equilibrium Story ABA journalist Sarah Mui, of the Blawgwhisperer, reported December 6, 2013 on the job equilibrium story line, first appearing here on The Red Velvet Lawyer. The article  is entitled:  "When will law grads and law jobs reach equilibrium? Between 2015 and 2021, depending on who you ask." I want to thank my friends and colleagues for giving this story the attention it has gotten.   I largely attribute this attention to the coverage provided by Brian Leiter on his blog, Brian Leiter's Law School Reports , that he provided here and here . Thanks for supporting The Red Velvet Lawyer.   

How Should We Count the Unemployed and Students Seeking Advanced Degrees in Assessing Job Equilibrium for Law School Grads?

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Counting the Unemployed Here’s the next question?  Do we adjust the data predicting a job equilibrium as early as 2015 and as late as 2021 by accounting for law graduates who do not fall into the categories of "employed" grads?  These "unemployed" grads have: Enrolled in a full-time advanced degree program, like an LL.M; Are not working and instead are studying for the bar exam full-time; Are not working and not seeking employment (perhaps a new mom or dad, for example); or Are not working, but seeking employment. NALP first began tracking the ranks of the “unemployed” for the graduating class of 2003.   I continue to use the NALP data, despite Professor Merrit’s comment that it is off by a year when compared to the ABA data.  Again, I am looking for trends and averages.  I also like knowing both the total number of graduates and, more importantly, the number of graduates responding to the NALP employment survey. The second number

So, What is a JD Advantage Job?

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Jobs for Law Graduates in Banking, Finance, Technology, E-Commerce, Management Consulting, Government, Public Interest, Accounting  -- and  Yes -- as Legal Temps NALP describes a JD Advantage job as follows: It turns out that the JD degree prepares you for a variety of exciting jobs and careers. While many law school graduates go on to practice law, many others go on to play leadership roles in a variety of settings.  * * *   You will see that JD Advantage positions are jobs that do not require bar passage, an active law license, or involve practicing law in the traditional sense. However, in these positions, a JD provides an advantage in obtaining or performing the job. In fact, many graduates view entry-level opportunities with the federal government or in business/industry as a primary goal. There are many law-related positions for which a JD is a significant competitive advantage. At the same website page, NALP offers a series of video interviews

How Should We Count "JD Advantage" Jobs in Assessing Job Equilibrium for Law School Grads?

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JD Advantage Jobs:  The Data In November, I tried to support Prof. Organ's prediction that new law-related jobs would exceed the number of graduates in 2015 or 2016. That posting has gotten a lot of attention since then.  Top law blawger, Brian Leiter , first drew attention to it. Then Ohio Professor Debra J. Merritt made further calculations on her blog . Then the Wall Street Journal picked up the story. Then the National Jurist cited my posting in its December issue.  One feature of that conversation is how to count a category of jobs that NALP began tracking in 2001 -- the "JD Advantage" (or "JD Preferred") jobs versus the "Bar Passage Required" jobs. Some people suggest, including many scambloggers, that the JD Advantage jobs should not be considered when reporting the employment rate of law graduates.  Apparently, these folks believe that all prospective law students choose law school because they al

Law Practice Areas: What's Hot?

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"What Hot's and What's Not in the Legal Profession" Red Hot practice areas?  Energy, regulatory, health care. Hot practice areas?  Financial services, IPOs, litigation, labor and employment, intellectual property, real estate, and corporate. Getting Hot?  Interns rights, privately held and family business, education, elder law, and ADR. So says Bob Denny in his 25th trends report released on December 3, 2013. Bob Denny, founder of Bob Denny Associates, Inc., identifies trends in the legal profession at least once a year.  His last report came out in June 2013. His consulting firm, founded in 1974, provides management, marketing and strategic planning services to over 800 companies, professional firms, and non-profit organizations throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and the Caribbean. His report also identifies practice areas seeing less action (cooling off), the hot geographic areas for law, marketing and business development

Distinguished Alumni: Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Bethany Long

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Distinguished Alumni  of the Appalachian School of Law:  Bethany Long Local Resident Makes Good Bethany Long, a 2012 graduate of the Appalachian School of Law, currently serves as the Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney (ACA) in Tazewell County. In this job, she handles the Juvenile and Domestic Relations (JDR) docket, assists with prosecutions in General District Court, and carries a caseload of felony cases in the Circuit Court.  She recently sat third chair in her first jury trial, which resulted in a conviction for malicious wounding. She also represents the Commonwealth Attorney in the weekly meeting of the Tazewell County Drug Court team.   In Fall 2013, Bethany was one of 15 invited ACAs from across the state to attend a week long CLE offered by the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Services Council entitled: Trauma to Trial: Investigating and Prosecuting Adult Non-Stranger Sexual Assaults .   Consistent with the Appalachian School of Law

Red Velvet Lawyer Mentioned in National Jurist Article on the Legal Job Equlibrium

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The Red Velvet Lawyer  Gets Some Notice In an article  predicting when law-related jobs will exceed the number of law school graduates, the National Jurist discussed my blog posting on the same topic, found here . I want to clarify that my posting attempted to support the prediction made by Prof. Organ at the MAPLA conference in October 2013.  And, as noted in updates to my posting, I am happy that other folks are further examining the data and making a more precise prediction. I fully support the informed decision-making of any person applying to law school right now.  I also strongly recommend that prospective students work closely with pre-law advisors.  As I have posted elsewhere , they are a highly professional and committed group of people who strive to serve the best interests of the students they advise. I also noted that 70 percent of prospective law students fail to take advantage of this important resource.