Why KU Law?
Employment Statistics
We are proud of our employment record. KU Law students and graduates are highly sought after by employers throughout the state, region and nation. The school’s more than 7,000 alumni live in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 14 foreign countries. They use their law degrees in both traditional and nontraditional ways.
For each graduating class, KU Law measures employment at graduation and nine months after graduation. Each February, every law school in the country submits employment data for its most recent graduating class to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). Each June, law schools receive a detailed report from NALP of national and school-specific employment and salary trends. The following March, US News & World Report releases its annual law school rankings, which incorporate employment statistics not for the most recent group of graduates, but for their immediate predecessors.
Skip to Class of 2010 charts and graphs
Past method of US News employment calculation
In the past, US News counted law grads as employed at graduation (.04 weight in the overall rankings formula) and at nine months after graduation (.14 weight in the formula) if they were working full or part time in a legal or nonlegal job or pursuing additional graduate education after receiving their J.D. Also, students who reported not seeking employment were excluded from the employment calculation. Finally, US News counted 25 percent of those graduates whose status was unknown as employed.
Based on this calculation, 63.2 percent of the 160 graduates in the KU Law Class of 2009 were employed or seeking additional degrees at graduation (98 students), and 89 percent nine months after graduation (136 students):
98 / (160 - 5 not seeking at graduation) = 63.2 percent employed at graduation
136 + (4 x .25) / (160 – 6 not seeking nine months after graduation) = 89 percent employed nine months after graduation
The breakdown of 2009 KU Law graduates nine months after graduation was:
- Employed = 131
- Attending graduate school = 5
- Seeking employment = 14
- Not Seeking employment = 6
- Unknown = 4
Changes in employment calculation
This year, US News altered the employment calculation. Now, both the at graduation and nine month after employment rates are based solely on the number of grads working full or part time in a legal or non-legal job divided by the total number of J.D.s. In other words:
- Those students choosing to pursue additional graduate education are now counted as unemployed by US News.
- Those students who reported not seeking employment are now counted as unemployed by US News.
- Students from which no employment information was able to be gathered are now treated as unemployed by US News.
These changes impacted our 2009 employment statistics in the following ways:
(98 - 5 attending grad school) / 160 = 58.1 percent employed at graduation
(136 - 5 attending grad school) / 160 = 81.9 percent employed at graduation
Class of 2010
We submitted our Class of 2010 employment report to NALP on Feb. 22, 2011. There were 168 students in the Class of 2010. The breakdown of 2010 KU Law graduates nine months after graduation was:
- Employed = 131
- Attending graduate school = 10
- Seeking employment = 16
- Not seeking employment = 8
- Unknown = 3
In February 2011, we calculated our employed at graduation and nine months after graduation statistics based on the existing US News & World Report methodology. 55 percent of the KU Law Class of 2010 was employed at graduation, and 89 percent of the KU Law Class of 2010 was employed or seeking an additional degree within nine months of graduation:
88 / (168 - 8 not seeking at graduation) = 55 percent employed at graduation
141 + (3 x .25) / (168 – 8 not seeking nine months after graduation) = 88.6 percent employed nine months after graduation
With the exception of the employed at graduation statistic, which fell from 63 percent to 55 percent, the Classes of 2009 and 2010 were quite similar. The number of students still seeking employment nine months after graduation increased by two students from 2009 to 2010, but the Class of 2010 was larger by eight students.
Under the new US News employment methodology, the calculations change in this manner:
(88 - 10 attending grad school) / 168 = 46.4 percent employed at graduation
(141 - 10 attending grad school) / 168 = 78 percent employed nine months after graduation
These employment statistics will be reported to US News this fall and will appear in the April 2012 rankings issue.
The following charts and graphs illustrate employment information for the Class of 2010:
As of February 22, 2011 - Reported to National Association for Law Placement (NALP)
| Total number of students in class | 168 |
| Employment status known | 165 (98%) |
| Employed/Graduate School | 141 (85%)* |
| Seeking Employment | 16 (10%)* |
| Not Seeking Employment | 8 (5%)* |
* Percentage of those for whom employment status was known
Four-Year Comparison of Reported NALP Employment Rates
| Employment Status | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed/Graduate School | 85% | 87% | 92% | 97% |
| Seeking Employment | 10% | 9% | 5% | 3% |
| Not Seeking Employment | 5% | 4% | 3% | 0% |
Four-Year Comparison of Salaries (All Reported)
| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Reporting Salary | 102 | 108 | 115 | 121 |
| % Reporting Salary | 78% | 82% | 84% | 82% |
| Median | $55,000 | $54,800 | $55,000 | $55,000 |
| Mean | $61,888 | $66,754 | $67,651 | $62,813 |
| 25th Percentile | $45,000 | $45,499 | $45,512 | $45,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $71,000 | $90,000 | $75,000 | $76,000 |
Four-Year Comparison of Salaries (Bar Passage Required)
| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Reporting Salary | 83 | 91 | 101 | 100 |
| % Reporting Salary | 86% | 94% | 84% | 87% |
| Median | $57,000 | $55,000 | $55,000 | $55,000 |
| Mean | $66,042 | $70,754 | $69,674 | $64,869 |
| 25th Percentile | $48,000 | $48,000 | $46,000 | $45,350 |
| 75th Percentile | $80,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 | $85,000 |
Salaries by Employment Sector
| Job Type | # Reporting Salary | % of Employed Reporting Salary | Median | Mean | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Sector | 71 | 78% | $60,000 | $66,743 | $48,000 | $86,000 |
| Public Sector | 31 | 78% | $48,000 | $50,768 | $44,500 | $57,000 |
Salaries by Job Category
| Job Type | # Reporting Salary | % of Employed Reporting Salary | Median | Mean | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | 9 | 64% | $45,000 | $45,533 | $35,000 | $58,000 |
| Judicial Clerk | 3* | - | - | - | - | - |
| Private Practice | 62 | 81% | $60,000 | $69,821 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| Government | 18 | 78% | $52,520 | $54,567 | $45,000 | $62,000 |
| Public Interest | 8 | 80% | $45,500 | $46,500 | $38,000 | $51,000 |
*All three judicial clerks reported salaries between $48-55K. NALP requires at least five salaries per category.
Class of 2010 - Employment Categories
| Practice Area | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Private Practice | 58.8% |
| Business | 10.7% |
| Government | 17.6% |
| Judicial Clerk | 2.3% |
| Public Interest | 7.6% |
| Academic | 3.1% |
Four-Year Comparison of Employment Categories
| Practice Area | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Practice | 58.8% | 53.4% | 56.2% | 55.4% |
| Business | 10.7% | 21.4% | 14.6% | 18.2% |
| Government | 17.6% | 13.7% | 17.5% | 11.5% |
| Judicial Clerk | 2.3% | 6.1% | 7.4% | 10.8% |
| Public Interest | 7.6% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 2.7% |
| Academic | 3.1% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 3.4% |
Class of 2010 - Private Practice Detail
| Size of Firm | # Reported | % Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | 4 | 5.2% |
| 2-10 attorneys | 31 | 40.3% |
| 11-25 | 15 | 19.5% |
| 26-50 | 4 | 5.2% |
| 51-100 | 4 | 5.2% |
| 101-250 | 3 | 3.9% |
| 251-500 | 6 | 7.8% |
| 501+ | 10 | 13.0% |
Class of 2010 Geographical Distribution of Employment
| State | # Employed | % |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 58 | 44.3% |
| Missouri | 27 | 20.6% |
| Washington, D.C. | 7 | 5.3% |
| Texas | 6 | 4.6% |
| Arizona | 5 | 3.8% |
| Virginia | 5 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 4 | 3.1% |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 2.3% |
| Colorado | 2 | 1.5% |
| Non-U.S. locations | 2 | 1.5% |
| Utah | 2 | 1.5% |
| Florida | 1 | 0.8% |
| Georgia | 1 | 0.8% |
| Iowa | 1 | 0.8% |
| Nebraska | 1 | 0.8% |
| Nevada | 1 | 0.8% |
| Oregon | 1 | 0.8% |
| South Dakota | 1 | 0.8% |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0.8% |
Class of 2010 Geographical Distribution
| State | # Employed | % |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 58 | 44.3% |
| Missouri | 27 | 20.6% |
| Other States/Countries | 46 | 35.1% |
Four-Year Comparison of Geographical Distribution by Region
| Region | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) | 0% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 0% |
| Middle Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 1.5% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 0.7% |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 3.1% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 67.2% | 73.6% | 68.4% | 74.3% |
| South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 11.5% | 9.3% | 5.1% | 4.7% |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 6.9% | 3.9% | 5.1% | 2.0% |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) | 7.6% | 4.7% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 0.8% | 2.3% | 4.5% | 3.4% |
| Foreign | 1.5% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
Full and Part-Time Jobs by Employer Type
| Full-Time | Part-Time | All | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employer Type | Number Reported | % of Reported | Number Reported | % of Reported | Number Reported | % of Reported |
| Academic | 4 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 100 |
| Business | 12 | 85.7 | 2 | 14.3 | 14 | 100 |
| Judicial Clerkship | 3 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 100 |
| Law Firm | 74 | 96.1 | 3 | 3.9 | 77 | 100 |
| Government | 22 | 95.7 | 1 | 4.3 | 23 | 100 |
| Public Interest | 8 | 80 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 100 |
% of Graduates in Bar Admission Required, JD Preferred, Other Professional
and Non-Professional Positions
As a percentage of the total number of graduates with a known employment status; national stats are in red. 2010 national stats are not yet available.
| Graduation Year | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Admission Required | 59% | 62% 71% |
75% 75% |
73% 77% |
69% 75% |
69% 74% |
72% 73% |
66% 74% |
72% 75% |
| JD Preferred | 15% | 8% 9% |
7% 8% |
13% 8% |
15% 8% |
15% 8% |
10% 8% |
13% 7% |
13% 5% |
| Other Professional | 3% | 10% 5% |
3% 5% |
7% 5% |
8% 5% |
8% 5% |
2% 5% |
5% 6% |
6% 6% |
| Non-Professional | 3% | 4% 2% |
1% 1% |
1% 1% |
2% 1% |
3% 1% |
3% 1% |
1% 2% |
1% 2% |
Bar Exam
Kansas is the primary jurisdiction for the bar exam. The school's pass rate for first-time takers of the July 2009 Kansas bar was 78.9%, compared to the overall statewide pass rate of 83.0%. In February 2010, the pass rate for KU first-time test takers was 91.9%, compared to the statewide first-time taker pass rate of 80.9%.
The school's pass rate for first-time takers of the July 2009 Missouri bar was 90.0%, and in February 2010, the pass rate for KU first-time takers of the Missouri bar was 57.1%.
| February 2011 | First Time KU Takers | All KU Takers | Overall Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Bar Exam | 97.1% | 90.4% | 92.0% |
| Missouri Bar exam | 80% | 86.21% | 84.51% |
| July 2010 | First Time KU Takers | All KU Takers | Overall Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Bar Exam | 91.4% | 90.1% | 86.0% |
| Missouri Bar exam | 78.95% | 77.55% | 87.35% |
Where Our Graduates Go
While many of our students and graduates chose to work in communities throughout Kansas or in the Kansas City metropolitan area, our students and graduates go all over the country. A considerable number of graduates accept judicial clerkships. Recent graduates have been law clerks at all levels, including the Supreme Court of the United States. Over the last decade, our students and graduates have accepted summer and/or permanent employment with firms, government agencies, public interest organizations and judges all over the country. The following is a representative list.
Judicial Clerkships
- Justice Anthony Kennedy, U.S. Supreme Court
- Hon. Judith Barzilay, U.S. Court of International Trade
- Hon. Gregory Carmen, U.S. Court of International Trade
- Hon. Michael Luttig, 4th Circuit
- Hon. C. Arlen Beam, 8th Circuit
- Hon. Pasco Bowman, 8th Circuit
- Hon. John Gibson, 8th Circuit
- Hon. David Hansen, 8th Circuit
- Hon. Melvin Brunetti, 9th Circuit
- Hon. Mary Beck Briscoe, 10th Circuit
- Hon. Paul Kelly, 10th Circuit
- Hon. Deanell Reece Tacha, 10th Circuit
- Hon. Monti Belot, Federal District-KS
- Hon. John Lungstrum, Federal District-KS
- Hon. Carlos Murguia, Federal District-KS
- Hon. Gary Sebelius, Federal District-KS
- Hon. James O'Hara, Federal District-KS
- Hon. Julie Robinson, Federal District-KS
- Hon. Gary Sebelius, Federal District-KS
- Hon. Kathryn Vratil, Federal District-KS
- Hon. A. Jordan, Federal District-FL
- Hon. Dean Whipple, Federal District-MO
- Hon. Frederick Scallia, Federal District-NY
- Hon. Lawrence Stengel, Federal District-PN
- Kansas Court of Appeals
- Kansas Supreme Court
- Hawaii Court of Appeals
- Iowa Court of Appeals
- Missouri Court of Appeals
- Nevada Supreme Court
Government/Public Interest
- Air Force, Army and Navy JAG
- Atlantic Legal Foundation
- Colorado Attorney General
- Colorado Public Defender
- Department of Labor
- Environmental Protection Agency
- FBI
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Federal Trade Commission
- HUD
- Internal Revenue Service
- Johnson County (KS) District Attorney
- Justice Department
- Kansas Appellate Defender
- Kansas and Missouri Attorneys General
- Kansas Department of Agriculture
- Kansas Department of Health & Environment
- Kansas Legal Services
- Libel Defense Resource Center
- Library of Congress
- Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
- Marine Corps and Navy JAG
- Navajo Nations Department of Justice
- North Texas Legal Services
- Office of Special Counsel
- Public Citizen - NAPIL Fellow
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- Sedgwick County (KS) District Attorney
- Shawnee County (KS) District Attorney
- Social Security Administration
- The Federal Reserve Bank
- U.S. Departments
- Energy
- Housing and Urban Development
- Justice
- Labor
- Transportation
- U.S. Patent Office
Law Firms
- Alston & Bird, Atlanta
- Arent Fox, Washington, DC
- Arnold & Porter, Washington, DC
- Baird Holm, Omaha
- Baker & Botts, Dallas
- Baker Hostetler, Houston
- Baker & McKenzie, Dallas
- Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, Denver
- Bryan Cave, LLP, KCMO
- Christensen O'Conner, Seattle
- Cravath Swaine & Moore, New York
- Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York
- Doerner Saunders, Tulsa
- Faegre & Benson, Minneapolis
- Fish & Richardson, San Diego
- Fleeson Gooing Coulson & Kitch, Wichita
- Foulston Siefkin LLP, Wichita
- Gallagher & Kennedy, Phoenix
- Gardere Wynne, Dallas
- Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Washington, D.C.
- Gilliland & Hayes, Lawrence
- Gilmore & Bell, Wichita
- Goodwin Proctor, New York
- Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, San Diego
- Greenberg Traurig, Dallas and Orlando
- Hale Lane, Las Vegas
- Hall Estill, Tulsa
- Hendricks & Lewis, Seattle
- Hinkle Elkouri, Wichita
- Hite, Fanning & Honeyman, Wichita
- Hogan & Hartson, Baltimore
- Holland & Knight, Chicago
- Hovey Williams, Overland Park
- Hughes & Luce, Dallas
- Husch Blackwell Sanders, Kansas City
- Jenkens & Gilchrist, Dallas
- Kemp Smith, El Paso
- Latham & Watkins, Los Angeles
- Lathrop & Gage, KCMO
- Lewis Rice & Fingersh, KCMO
- Kutak Rock, Denver & Omaha
- Latham & Watkins, Chicago & Los Angeles
- Miller Nash, Portland
- Morris Laing, Wichita
- Nixon Peabody, Rochester
- O'Melveny & Myers, San Francisco
- Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Snoak & Stewart, Raleigh
- Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, New York
- Payne & Jones, Overland Park
- Patton Boggs, Dallas & Washington, DC
- Polsinelli Shalton Flaningan Suelthaus, Kansas City
- Rothgerber Johnson Lyons, Colorado Springs
- Seigfreid, Bingham, Levy, Selzer & Gee, KCMO
- Shook Hardy & Bacon, KCMO
- Shughart Thompson & Kilroy, KCMO
- Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, Chicago & DC
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, New York
- Snell & Wilmer, Phoenix
- Sonnenschein, KCMO
- Spencer Fane Britt & Browne, KCMO
- Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, Cleveland
- Stinson Morrison Hecker, KCMO & Wichita
- Sullivan & Cromwell, New York
- Thompson & Knight, Dallas
- Troutman Sanders, Atlanta
- Vinson & Elkins, Dallas
- Wallace Saunders Austin Brown Enochs, Overland Park and Wichita
- Wallenstein & Wagner, Chicago
- Wilmer Cutler & Pickering,Washington,DC
Corporate
- Andersen Consulting, KCMO
- Black & Veatch, Overland Park
- Cerner Corporation, KCMO
- Deloitte & Touche, Minneapolis
- General Motors, Inc., Detroit
- Koch Industries, Inc., Wichita
- PricewaterhouseCoopers, Chicago
- Security Benefit, Topeka
- Shepard's Legal Pub., Colorado Springs
- Sprint, KCMO
- The Williams Companies, Inc., Tulsa
- UMB Bank, KCMO