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.
KU Law measures employment statistics for reporting to the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association for Legal Placement (NALP). The ABA and NALP collect similar, but not the same information, and they use a different formula to measure employment. This data is also used by various commercial publications that have their own formulas for calculating employment. Below you will find statistics for employment reported as percentages, the formula used to arrive at each percentage and the raw data necessary to perform those calculations.
It is also important to note that employment statistics have traditionally lagged behind by a year. Thus, the statistics reported by US News & World Report in its 2013 edition reflect the employment outcomes for the Class of 2010. Much of the information you find below will also reflect the performance of the Class of 2011, thereby giving you more current information than is available through many sources.
As a consumer — be you a student, parent, alum or potential employer — we hope that presenting this information will allow you to make informed choices and draw well-reasoned conclusions about KU Law. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me personally.
Arturo A. Thompson
Assistant Dean for Career Services
(785) 864-9257
arturoa@ku.edu
Employment Information for the Class of 2011
KU Law reports students employed 9 months following graduation to the ABA and NALP. For the Class of 2011, both the ABA and NALP required that a student be employed as of Feb. 15, 2012 to be counted. Below you will find the employment statistics for the Class of 2011, the formula used by each reporting entity to arrive at that formula, and a link to the data that support each calculation.
| Reporting Entity | % Employed | Formula Used |
|---|---|---|
| ABA* | 80.49 | Employed / (Class Size - Employment Status Unknown) |
| NALP* | 81.09 | Employed / (Class Size - Graduates Not Seeking Employment) |
| US News** | 78.57 | Employed / Class Size |
| Career Services | 84.15 | (Employed + Enrolled in Grad School) / (Class Size - Not Seeking Employment) |
Each of these methodologies has its merits, but what is essential for you as a consumer is to understand how each calculation is performed and ensure that you compare data across years and across schools using the same methodology.
* Because the ABA required that reports be finalized and reported as of March 15, 2012, whereas NALP did not require a final report until the beginning of May 2012, there is a difference between the number of employed reported to the ABA (132) and NALP (133). The additional student was employed as of Feb. 15, 2012.
** US News & World Report changed its methodology in 2010. US News no longer accounts for those students not seeking employment or those who have chosen to pursue a further degree in its methodology. This has resulted in US News & World Report reporting what appears to be a much lower employment percentage than in the past. These percentages are all calculated using the new US News methodology so that they can be compared side by side. To see an example of the percentages using the old US News methodology, please click here.
Five-Year Comparison of Employment Rates
Below you will see a five-year comparison of employment rates using each of the four methodologies shown above.
| Reporting Entity | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABA* | 80.49% | 79.39% | 83.97% | 85.09% | 94.27% |
| NALP | 81.10% | 81.88% | 85.06% | 86.16% | 92.50% |
| US News | 78.57% | 77.98% | 81.88% | 83.54% | 92.50% |
| Career Services | 84.15% | 88.13% | 88.31% | 93.08% | 95.00% |
* US News has been the only entity to traditionally seek and report the figures for employment at graduation. These numbers are subject to an incredible degree of volatility, making them an extremely unreliable predictor of employment at 9 months. In fact, some schools choose not to report this figure at all because it can be so misleading. Nonetheless, in the interest of full disclosure, a chart showing employment rates at graduation and 9 months for the past 5 years can be found by clicking here.
Five-Year Comparison of Salaries (All Reported) - NALP
| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Reporting Salary | 92 | 102 | 108 | 115 | 121 |
| % Reporting Salary | 56% | 78% | 82% | 84% | 82% |
| Median | $50,000 | $55,000 | $54,800 | $55,000 | $55,000 |
| Mean | $56,602 | $61,888 | $66,754 | $67,651 | $62,813 |
| 25th Percentile | $42,250 | $45,000 | $45,499 | $45,512 | $45,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $64,500 | $71,000 | $90,000 | $75,000 | $76,000 |
Five-Year Comparison of Salaries (Bar Passage Required) - NALP
| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Reporting Salary | 73 | 83 | 91 | 101 | 100 |
| % Reporting Salary | 75% | 86% | 94% | 84% | 87% |
| Median | $55,000 | $57,000 | $55,000 | $55,000 | $55,000 |
| Mean | $60,376 | $66,042 | $70,754 | $69,674 | $64,869 |
| 25th Percentile | $45,500 | $48,000 | $48,000 | $46,000 | $45,350 |
| 75th Percentile | $68,000 | $80,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 | $85,000 |
Salaries by Job Category (Class of 2011) - NALP
| Job Type | # Reporting Salary | % of Employed Reporting Salary | Median | Mean | 25th percentile | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judicial Clerkship | 6 | 5% | $51,000 | $47,901 | $41,750 | $57,806 |
| Private Practice | 68 | 51% | $60,000 | $65,351 | $46,000 | $72,500 |
| Government | 21 | 16% | $48,000 | $48,536 | $41,500 | $51,500 |
| Public Interest | 5 | 4% | $43,350 | $48,925 | - | - |
| Academic | 4 | 3% | - | $49,100 | - | - |
| Business | 29 | 22% | $45,500 | $45,594 | $34,625 | $54,500 |
Class of 2011 Employment Categories - NALP
| Practice Area | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Private Practice | 51% |
| Business | 22% |
| Government | 16% |
| Judicial Clerkship | 5% |
| Public Interest | 4% |
| Academic | 3% |
Five-Year Comparison of Employment Categories - NALP
| Practice Area | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Practice | 51% | 58.8% | 53.4% | 56.2% | 55.4% |
| Business | 22% | 10.7% | 21.4% | 14.6% | 18.2% |
| Government | 16% | 17.6% | 13.7% | 17.5% | 11.5% |
| Judicial Clerk | 5% | 2.3% | 6.1% | 7.4% | 10.8% |
| Public Interest | 4% | 7.6% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 2.7% |
| Academic | 3% | 3.1% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 3.4% |
Private Practice Detail (Class of 2011) - NALP
| Size of Firm | # Reported | % Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | 8 | 11.76% |
| 2-10 attorneys | 31 | 45.59% |
| 11-25 | 7 | 10.29% |
| 26-50 | 9 | 13.24% |
| 51-100 | 4 | 5.88% |
| 101-250 | 3 | 4.41% |
| 251-500 | 3 | 4.41% |
| 501+ | 3 | 4.41% |
Class of 2011 Geographical Distribution - NALP
Graduation from KU Law permits you to stay in the region or move anywhere you prefer. While about 70 percent of graduates remain in Kansas or the Kansas City metro region, the balance of our students commence their careers across the U.S., and in foreign countries as well. Members of the Class of 2011 accepted positions in 15 states, including California, Texas, Colorado, New York and Washington, D.C. And over the last five years, KU Law graduates have started their careers in 35 states. KU Law alumni can also be found in all 50 states and countries around the globe, including China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.
| State | # Reported | % Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | 77 | 58% |
| Missouri | 18 | 14% |
| District of Columbia | 6 | 5% |
| Texas | 5 | 4% |
| California | 4 | 3% |
| Colorado | 4 | 3% |
| Illinois | 2 | 2% |
| Utah | 2 | 2% |
| Indiana | 1 | 1% |
| Nebraska | 1 | 1% |
| New Jersey | 1 | 1% |
| New York | 1 | 1% |
| Virginia | 1 | 1% |
| Washington | 1 | 1% |
| Wyoming | 1 | 1% |
| Non-U.S. | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown | 1 | 1% |
KU Law graduates from the past five years practice in more than 35 states and five countries. They live and work on both coasts, in the South and throughout the Midwest.
Five-Year Comparison of Geographical Distribution by Region
| Region | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) | 0% | 0% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 0% |
| Middle Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 0.7% |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 2.4% | 3.1% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| West North Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | 75.2% | 67.2% | 73.6% | 68.4% | 74.3% |
| South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 5.6% | 11.5% | 9.3% | 5.1% | 4.7% |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 4.0% | 6.9% | 3.9% | 5.1% | 2.0% |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY) | 5.6% | 7.6% | 4.7% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 4.0% | 0.8% | 2.3% | 4.5% | 3.4% |
| Foreign | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
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 of federal and state courts. Over the past five years, 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 are representative lists of where our students have historically gone after graduation.
Employers in Kansas & Missouri
Employers in the U.S. & the World
Full and Part-Time Jobs by Employer Type (Class of 2011) - NALP
| Full-Time | Part-Time | All | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employer Type | Number Reported | % of Reported | Number Reported | % of Reported | Number Reported | % of Reported |
| Bar Admission Required | 95 | 71.43 | 2 | 1.50 | 97 | 72.93 |
| JD Preferred | 18 | 13.53 | 1 | 0.75 | 20 | 15.04 |
| Other Professional | 6 | 4.51 | 1 | 0.75 | 7 | 5.26 |
| Non-Professional | 4 | 3.01 | 5 | 3.76 | 9 | 6.77 |
% 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.
| Graduation Year | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Admission Required | 73% | 59% |
62% |
75% |
73% |
69% |
69% |
72% |
66% |
72% |
| JD Preferred | 15% | 15% |
8% |
7% |
13% |
15% |
15% |
10% |
13% |
13% |
| Other Professional | 5% | 3% |
10% |
3% |
7% |
8% |
8% |
2% |
5% |
6% |
| Non-Professional | 7% | 3% |
4% |
1% |
1% |
2% |
3% |
3% |
1% |
1% |
Bar Exam
Kansas is the primary jurisdiction for the bar exam. The school's pass rate for first-time takers of the July 2011 Kansas bar was 90.1%, compared to the overall statewide pass rate of 88%. In February 2012, the pass rate for KU first-time test takers was 85.7%, compared to the statewide first-time taker pass rate of 80.2%.
The school's pass rate for first-time takers of the July 2011 Missouri bar was 95%, and the pass rate for KU first-time takers of the Missouri bar in February 2012 was 87.5%
Results for the July 2012 Kansas and Missouri bar exams will be available in October 2012.
| July 2011 | First Time KU Takers | All KU Takers | Overall Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Bar Exam | 90.1% | 90.1% | 88.0% |
| Missouri Bar exam | 95.0% | 92.6% | 92.6% |
| February 2012 | First Time KU Takers | All KU Takers | Overall Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas Bar Exam | 85.7% | 82.4% | 80.2% |
| Missouri Bar exam | 87.5% | 91.43% | 82.46% |