Employment Statistics

Class of 2022 Employment 10 Months After Graduation

Columbia Law School reported the information below to the American Bar Association (ABA) for all J.D. graduates in our Class of 2022, indicating their employment status 10 months after graduation.

To further assist our prospective students as they consider enrolling in law school, we have published Employment and Salary Information for the Classes of 2022, 2021 and 2020, and the 2022 NALP Summary Report

Employment Status Full-time   Part-time   Number
  Long Term Short Term Long Term Short Term  
Employed, Bar Passage Required 390 0 0 0 390
Employed, J.D. Advantage 7 0 0 0 7
Employed, Professional Position 1 0 1 0 2
Employed, Other Position 0 0 0 0 0
Employed, Law School/University Funded 6 1 0 0 7
Employed, Undeterminable 0 0 0 0 0
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full-Time         0
Unemployed, Start Date Deferred         0
Unemployed, Not Seeking         1
Unemployed, Seeking         3
Employment Status Unknown         0
Total Graduates         410
Employment Type Full-time   Part-time   Number
  Long Term Short Term Long Term Short Term  
Law Firms          
     Solo 0 0 0 0 0
     1–10 1 0 0 0 1
     11–25 3 0 0 0 3
     26–50 2 0 0 0 2
     51–100 5 0 0 0 5
     101–250 8 0 0 0 8
     251–500 39 0 0 0 39
     501+ 285 0 0 0 285
     Unknown Size 0 0 0 0 0
Business and Industry 3 0 0 0 3
Government 17 0 0 0 17
Public Interest 22 0 0 0 22
Clerkships (Federal)** 17 0 0 0 17
Clerkships (State, Local and Territorial)** 2 0 0 0 2
Clerkships (Tribal)** 0 0 0 0 0
Clerkships (International)** 0 1 0 0 1
Education 0 0 1 0 1
Employer Type Unknown 0 0 0 0 0
Total 404 1 1 0 406

**This number reflects only those 2022 graduates who began a clerkship within 10 months of graduation. In keeping with recent hiring preferences of many judges, a substantial number of graduates work for one or more years before serving as clerks; approximately 20% of each class ultimately clerks, the majority for federal appellate and district courts, and some hold more than one clerkship.

Law School / University Funded Positions Full-time Full-Time Part-time Part-Time Number
  Long Term Short Term Long Term Short Term  
Employed - Bar Passage Required 6 1 0 0 7
Employed - J.D. Advantage 1 0 0 0 1
Employed - Professional Position 0 0 0 0 0
Employed - Other Position 0 0 0 0 0
Total Employed by Law School/University 6 1 0 0 7
Employment Location State Number
State, largest employment New York 299
State, 2nd largest employment District of Columbia 27
State, 3rd largest employment California 24
Employed in foreign countries   9

Government and Public Interest Fellowships

For more than 150 years, Columbia Law School graduates have served at the highest levels of government and public interest organizations. We are extremely proud of this legacy and are committed to enhancing it. Our graduates continue to secure prestigious fellowships, government Honors Program positions, and full-time legal jobs. These one-year fellowships require bar passage and allow our graduates who wish to devote their careers to serving the public good the opportunity to do socially important work while assisting underserved organizations and individuals with their legal needs. All positions funded by these fellowships are eligible for Columbia Law School's loan repayment assistance program (LRAP). View Columbia post-graduate government and public interest fellowship opportunities