In a recent blog post on the Legal Times, the author highlights how law school career placement offices in Washington D.C. are shifting their focus from big firms to public interest work and small/medium-sized firms.
The post includes some notable statistics compiled by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP): “…the median number of offers by U.S. law firms for 2010 summer associate positions is seven, the lowest figure in the 17 years the organization has tracked the statistic. In 2007, the median number was 15. More than half of the law schools reporting saw a drop of 30% or more in the number of employers coming to their campuses in 2009.” It will be interesting to see if law schools nationwide will undertake the same shift, such as putting more funding towards public interest work, emphasizing other geographic locations for jobs, or expanding recruitment to small and medium firms, and move away from the big firm focus to thinking creatively and outside the box for the legal job market. Many law schools already have, but many more may have to follow.