Very interesting study that followed 4,000 law school graduates for the first 10 years of their careers. Be sure to click the link to the actual study at the bottom; http://www.law.harvard.edu/alumni/bulletin/2006/fall/feature_1-side.php
Interesting, indeed. Here are a few things I found especially interesting (some unexpected). But the thing I really wanted to know wasn't reported: 1. Salary as a factor of "Top" law school, or "Tier 3" law school At the large and very large firms, people who attended a Top 10 law school averaged $150,000; those at the bottom, a Tier 3 school, averaged $137,000. Not that much difference. 2. Salary as a factor of grades in law school At the top 10 firms, those with a 3.75 to 4.0 averaged $130,000. Those with a 3.5 to 3.74 averaged $140,000. Those with a 3.25 to 3.49 averaged $135,000. Top grades = lower salary. That's odd. 3. Salary as a factor of firm size Median for large firm, $140,000. Small or solo practice, $60,000. Those in government, $60,000. In education, $52,000. 4. Percentage who work 60 hours or more per week Government lawyers: 10% Small firms: 15% Big firms: 30% Big firms in New York: much more. (When we were selling our business to the huge Pearson PLC in 1998, I was having supper in San Francisco with our easy-going lawyer. A question arose, and he said, "Let's give [Pearson's New York lawyer we were dealing with] a call. "It's after 10 in New York," I said. "She'll be there," he said. She was.) Here's the thing I wish they had reported: Their large sample of lawyers included ones whose degree was from unaccredited law schools (p. 19). But no data on the details of salary and satisfaction for the unaccredited vs. the accredited degrees. They do say there are more detailed reports to come, based on this study. I've written to ask about those data, hoping they will be reported.
