According to the Law School Survey of Student Engagement, many law students opted to work in public interest jobs versus in private law firms last year, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. Down from about 58 percent in the previous three years, last year only 50 percent of law students anticipated jobs in private firms. Accordingly, 33 percent of students expected jobs in the public-interest field last year, up from about 29 percent for the previous three years.
Perhaps law school students are modifying their job expectations due to the economic downturn, in which many of the large private firms are hiring fewer people and delaying start dates for those hired. Interestingly, students’ debt levels seem to have had no impact on their job expectations—those with no law school loan debt were as likely to find work in the public-interest sector as those with significant debt.
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