2011-2012 NALP Public Interest Employment Market Snapshot Report
Dec 12, 2024
Published and maintained by the PSJD Resource Development Work Group of NALP's Public Service Section.
Foreword
In 2010, in the Great Recession’s wake, the legal employment market underwent rapid adjustment as employers confronted changed workloads, client demands, revenue streams, and other fluctuating economic variables. Most coverage of these developments, in legal media and elsewhere, focused on the law‐firm world. And most of that coverage focused on large, “Biglaw” firms. But what of the nonprofit and government law offices which exist in entirely different fiscal climates than do law firms? It was all but certain, based on anecdotal evidence, that public service law offices were dealing with extraordinary funding challenges. Many were forced to scale back attorney hiring, and in some cases were forced to lay off attorneys already on staff. This greatly impacted employment prospects of law students and recent grads pursuing public service careers. In Fall 2010 NALP conducted its first public interest employment snapshot survey to lend some statistical precision to hiring market changes and forecasts. We duplicated that effort in Fall 2011, and now present the results of the 2011 survey.
Not surprisingly, the public interest legal job market remains tight. Many nonprofit law offices face diminished revenue streams and budget cuts. Many government law offices on the local, state and federal levels feel the impact of fiscal austerity measures. Within both the nonprofit and government sectors, some law offices brace for hiring freezes and layoffs. An unfortunate development not reflected in survey responses is the federal government’s decision, made last November (after our survey closed), to cut over 14% of the Legal Services Corporation’s budget appropriation. Just last week LSC released results of a survey of its grantee organizations. They indicate that “LSC‐funded programs anticipate laying off 393 employees, including 163 attorneys, in 2012.”1Footnote 1 Nevertheless, there are some signs of stabilization. More than half of the respondents to our survey expect hiring of 2012 law graduates to hold steady relative to 2011 hiring. And employers also anticipate hiring the same numbers of paid interns for summer 2012 as they did for summer 2011.
This snapshot report’s most important information for law students and graduates may not be contained in the data, but rather in Sections VII and VIII, which distill employer responses about how job candidates can best compete in today’s public service market and what practice areas may grow in the future. We hope that this report will be useful to job seekers, employers, and other public service stakeholders in forming a more data‐driven understanding of current conditions. And finally, we extend thanks to NALP’s PSLawNet Fellow, Kristen Pavon, and to the intrepid work group of NALP members, led by Leeor Neta, who performed the lion’s share of data analysis and drafting.
Steve Grumm NALP Director of Public Service Initiatives January, 2012
Introduction and Survey Methodology
In September 2011, NALP conducted a national, anonymous survey to assess the status of the current public interest legal employment market. The survey sought responses concerning: 1) recent law student and attorney hiring, 2) hiring expectations for the immediate future, and 3) employer advice for job applicants competing in today’s market.
The 2011 snapshot survey instrument was slightly modified compared to the 2010 survey. The changes include 1) substituting “Policy/Impact Advocacy” for “Nonprofit Legal Organization” as an organization type,2Footnote 2 2) asking respondents to specify their organization’s primary practice areas, 3) asking respondents to offer more detailed information about their law graduate and lateral hiring practices by asking for hiring numbers for permanent staff attorneys, postgraduate fellowships, and volunteer positions, and 4) adding a question about current hiring freezes and anticipated freezes.3Footnote 3
Six hundred and twenty‐three (623) public interest organizations across 44 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands submitted survey responses.4Footnote 4 Of the survey respondents, roughly 23% were located in the Northeast, 14% in the Midwest, 20% in the West/Pacific, and 43% in the South.5Footnote 5
The survey respondents represent a wide variety of public interest law offices, including civil legal services (32.9% of respondents), policy/impact advocacy (14.9%), local prosecutors (7.5%), local public defenders (5.0%), local government (3.0%), state attorneys general (4.8%), state government (8.5%), federal government (8.5%), and other organizations (14.8%). (See next table.)
Survey Respondents by Organization Type and Region
Organization Type Northeast Midwest West / Pacific South Total Civil Legal Services 50 33 49 73 205 Policy / Impact 24 8 19 42 93 Local Prosecutor 3 19 9 16 47 Local Public Defender 8 1 9 13 31 Local Government 7 1 5 6 19 State Attorney General 3 7 6 12 28 State Government 14 6 6 27 53 Federal Government 4 1 3 45 53 Other 30 10 17 35 92 Total 143 86 123 269 621* Key Findings
Almost 80% of respondents hosted law students for unpaid summer positions in 2011.
Approximately 26% of respondents hired law students for paid summer positions in 2011.
Over 13% of responding state attorneys general offices hired fewer paid summer interns in 2011 than they did in 2010. No responding attorneys general indicated that they would increase paid summer hiring in 2012.
Approximately 76% of respondents expect to host the same number of paid law students in 2012 as they did in 2011.
Overall, 18.7% of respondents hired Class of 2011 graduates for permanent staff attorney positions and postgraduate fellowships.
Just about 27.6% of respondents hired lateral attorneys for permanent staff attorney positions and postgraduate fellowships.
Approximately 1 in 3 respondent organizations was in a hiring freeze at the time of the survey.
Law Student Hiring
Summer 2011 Law Student Hiring
Unpaid Positions
Overall, 79.8% of surveyed employers hosted law students for unpaid positions in summer 2011. Higher percentages of local public defender offices, local government agencies, state government agencies, and organizations self identified as “other” hosted unpaid students in summer 2011 compared to 2010. Other employers, including civil legal services providers, local prosecutor offices, state attorneys general offices, and the federal government took on relatively fewer unpaid law students.
Percentage of Employers that Hired Unpaid Law Students
Organization Type Summer 2011 Summer 2010 ± Change Civil Legal Services 91.3% 95.0% -3.7% Policy / Impact Advocacy 83.3% *6Footnote 6 n/a Local Prosecutor 56.8% 74.0% -17.2% Local Public Defender 87.1% 82.6% +4.5% Local Government 68.4% 58.3% +10.1% State Attorney General 85.7% 92.3% -6.6% State Government 71.4% 63.3% +8.1% Federal Government 65.3% 74.1% -8.8% Other 72.9% 62.0% +10.9% Raw Numbers of Law Student Hiring for Unpaid Positions
Organization Type Summer 2011 Summer 2010 Civil Legal Services 1,396 (N=196) 750 (N=102) Policy / Impact Advocacy 318.5 (N=90) *7Footnote 7 Local Prosecutor 452 (N=44) 403 (N=27) Local Public Defender 468 (N=31) 187 (N=23) Local Government 49 (N=19) 85 (N=12) State Attorney General 1,057 (N=28) 654 (N=13) State Government 417 (N=49) 115 (N=31) Federal Government 243 (N=49) 136 (N=31) Other 473 (N=85) 154 (N=29) Total 4,873.5 2,484 Paid Positions
Fewer than 1,000 law students were hired for paid positions by survey respondents. Overall, 25.9% of respondents hired law students for paid positions in summer 2011. Every organization type, with the exception of local prosecutor offices and local public defender offices, saw a decrease in paid summer law student hiring. As for state attorney generals’ offices, 32.1% of respondents hired students for paid, summer 2011 positions. This is down from the 45.4% that hired paid students for summer 2010. This is in keeping with the forecast by attorneys general in our 2010 report, where none indicated that they would hire more students, but 7.7% anticipated hiring fewer students.
Percentage of Employers that Hired Paid Law Students
Organization Type Summer 2011 Summer 2010 ± Change Civil Legal Services 28.0% 28.2% -.2% Policy / Impact Advocacy 23.3% *8Footnote 8 n/a Local Prosecutor 32.5% 26.3% +6.2% Local Public Defender 16.1% 16.0% +.1% Local Government 31.5% 40.0% -8.5% State Attorney General 32.1% 45.4% -13.3% State Government 16.6% 27.5% -10.9% Federal Government 30.6% 36.6% -6.0% Other 23.5% 24.1% -.6% Raw Numbers of Law Student Hiring for Paid Positions
Organization Type Summer 2011 Summer 2010 Civil Legal Services 192 (N=196) 104 (N=95) Policy / Impact Advocacy 68 (N=90) *9Footnote 9 Local Prosecutor 134 (N=43) 69 (N=22) Local Public Defender 22 (N=31) 17 (N=23) Local Government 59 (N=19) 61 (N=12) State Attorney General 154 (N=28) 78 (N=13) State Government 114 (N=48) 56 (N=29) Federal Government 110 (N=49) 97 (N=30) Other 68 (N=85) 18 (N=29) Total 921 500 Employer Expectations for Summer 2012 Law Student Hiring
Unpaid Positions
The positive news for law students looking to gain public interest law experience this summer is that 71% of respondents expect to host the same number of unpaid law students and 11.6% anticipate hosting even more law students for unpaid positions.
Summer 2012 Employer Expectations about Unpaid Law Student Positions as Compared to Summer 2011 Unpaid Positions
Organization Type More Fewer Same Unknown Civil Legal Services (N=197) 12.2% 3.6% 77.2% 7.1% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=90) 10% 5.6% 73.3% 11.1% Local Prosecutor (N=43) 11.6% 2.3% 67.4% 18.6% Local Public Defender (N=31) 9.7% 0.0% 77.4% 12.9% Local Government (N=19) 5.3% 5.3% 73.7% 15.8% State Attorney General (N=28) 3.6% 3.6% 64.3% 28.6% State Government (N=50) 12.0% 8.0% 60.0% 20.0% Federal Government (N=50) 14.0% 2.0% 66.0% 18.0% Other (N=85) 15.3% 0.0% 64.7% 20.0% Total (N=593) 11.6% 3.4% 71.0% 14.0% Paid Positions
The good news for law students seeking paid summer employment with public interest legal employers is that respondents were relatively optimistic about their hiring levels for 2012. Approximately 76% of respondents expect to host the same number of paid law students in 2012 as they did in 2011. Small percentages of civil legal services providers, policy/impact advocacy organizations, local prosecutor offices, state government agencies, other public interest law offices, and the federal government anticipate an increased level of hiring in 2012. (See next table.)
Summer 2012 Paid Hiring Expectations as Compared to Summer 2011 Paid Hiring
Organization Type More Fewer Same Unknown Civil Legal Services (N=197) 2.0% 3.6% 77.7% 16.8% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=90) 2.2% 4.4% 82.2% 11.1% Local Prosecutor (N=43) 7.0% 4.7% 69.8% 18.6% Local Public Defender (N=31) 0.0% 3.2% 71.0% 25.8% Local Government (N=19) 0.0% 5.3% 78.9% 15.8% State Attorney General (N=28) 0.0% 3.6% 75.0% 21.4% State Government (N=50) 6.0% 4.0% 72.0% 18.0% Federal Government (N=50) 4.0% 10.0% 72.0% 14.0% Other (N=85) 2.4% 2.4% 77.6% 17.6% Total (N=593) 2.7% 4.2% 76.4% 16.7%
Class of 2011 Law Student Hiring
Actual Class of 2011 Law Grad Hiring
Overall, 22.1% of respondents hired Class of 2011 graduates for permanent staff attorney positions, postgraduate fellowships, and volunteer/unpaid positions. Local prosecutor offices accounted for the largest aggregate number of permanent staff attorney hires, although a significantly lower percentage of prosecutors (21.8%) hired year 2011 graduates compared to year 2010. Civil legal services providers hired the most postgraduate fellows from the Class of 2011.
Percentage of Employers that Hired Class of 2011 Law Grads
Organization Type 2011 2010 ± Change Civil Legal Services 27.7% 26.2% +1.5% Policy / Impact Advocacy 19.6% *10Footnote 10 n/a Local Prosecutor 18.2% 40.0% -21.8% Local Public Defender 25.6% 21.7% +3.9% Local Government 18.1% 9.0% +9.1% State Attorney General 30.9% 27.2% +3.7% State Government 12.1% 31.0% -18.9% Federal Government 16.6% 44.8% -28.2% Other 19.1% 14.8% +4.3% Total 21.1% 27.7% -5.6% Class of 2011 Hires
Raw Numbers of Class of 2011 Hires
Organization Type Permanent Staff Attorney Postgraduate Fellowships Volunteer / Unpaid Positions Civil Legal Services 38 (N=173) 90 (N=170) 204 (N=175) Policy / Impact Advocacy 9 (N=80) 35 (N=83) 42 (N=86) Local Prosecutor 110 (N=40) 4 (N=35) 53 (N=40) Local Public Defender 90 (N=29) 30 (N=23) 8 (N=22) Local Government 46 (N=19) 24 (N=18) 7 (N=18) State Attorney General 30 (N=25) 13 (N=22) 70 (N=24) State Government 95 (N=40) 13 (N=41) 13 (N=42) Federal Government 35 (N=43) 10 (N=40) 17 (N=43) Other 48 (N=75) 20 (N=76) 338 (N=74) Total 501 239 752 Employer Expectations for 2012 Law Graduate Hiring
At the time of the survey, over 30% of respondents could not forecast their postgraduate hiring expectations for permanent staff attorneys, postgraduate fellowships or volunteer/unpaid positions. However, over 56% expect hiring levels to remain the same as in 2011. Six percent (6%) of respondents expect to hire fewer 2012 graduates for permanent staff attorney positions and approximately 4% foresee less Class‐of‐2012 hires for postgraduate fellowships. Overall, approximately 5% of respondents anticipate hiring more law graduates in 2012 than they did in 2011.
State government agencies reported the highest expected percentage increase in hiring for permanent staff attorney positions; policy/impact advocacy organizations reported the highest such expected increase for postgraduate fellowships. Local government agencies reported the highest expected percentage increase in hosting unpaid/volunteer attorneys. In the recession’s wake and given the tough hiring economy, we have observed that employers rely to a certain extent on hosting law graduates for short‐term unpaid/volunteer positions. These law graduates gain practical experience and presumably, their work may lead to permanent employment.11Footnote 11
Permanent Staff Attorneys
2012 Permanent Staff Attorney Hiring Expectations as Compared to 2011 Hiring
Organization Type More Fewer Same Unknown Civil Legal Services (N=175) 4.0% 6.9% 58.3% 30.9% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=84) 1.2% 2.4% 73.8% 22.6% Local Prosecutor (N=40) 7.5% 7.5% 45.0% 40.0% Local Public Defender 3.4% 3.4% 58.6% 34.5% Local Government 5.3% 5.3% 57.9% 31.6% State Attorney General 7.1% 3.6% 50.0% 39.3% State Government (N=42) 11.9% 4.8% 52.4% 31.0% Federal Government (N=43) 7.0% 16.3% 51.2% 31.0% Other 4.0% 4.0% 56.0% 36.0% Total (N=535) 4.9% 6.0% 57.9% 31.2% Postgraduate Fellowships
2012 Postgraduate Fellowship Hiring Expectations as Compared to 2011 Hiring
Organization Type More Fewer Same Unknown Civil Legal Services (N=173) 6.9% 2.9% 53.8% 36% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=84) 8.3% 4.8% 60.7% 26.2% Local Prosecutor (N=34) 0.0% 2.9% 61.8% 35.3% Local Public Defender (N=22) 0.0% 4.5% 59.1% 36.4% Local Government (N=19) 0.0% 0.0% 73.7% 26.3% State Attorney General (N=26) 0.0% 0.0% 53.8% 46.2% State Government (N=41) 2.4% 4.9% 56.1% 36.6% Federal Government (N=43) 2.3% 7.0% 60.5% 30.2% Other (N=75) 5.3% 4.0% 50.7% 40.0% Total (N=517) 4.8% 3.7% 56.7% 34.8% Volunteer / Unpaid Positions
2012 Volunteer / Unpaid Hiring Expectations as Compared to 2011 Hiring
Organization Type More Fewer Same Unknown Civil Legal Services (N=172) 8.1% 0.6% 57.6% 33.7% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=85) 7.1% 0.0% 60% 32.9% Local Prosecutor (N=34) 0.0% 2.9% 61.8% 35.3% Local Public Defender (N=22) 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 50.0% Local Government (N=19) 10.5% 5.3% 57.9% 26.3% State Attorney General (N=26) 0.0% 0.0% 46.2% 53.8% State Government (N=42) 7.1% 2.4% 57.1% 33.3% Federal Government (N=41) 0.0% 4.9% 68.3% 26.8% Other (N=76) 3.9% 3.9% 51.3% 40.8% Total (N=517) 5.4% 1.7% 57.3% 35.6%
Lateral Hiring
Actual 2011 Lateral Hiring
In addition to asking employers about law student and postgraduate hiring, the survey also asked for feedback regarding hiring for lateral attorneys in 2011. For purposes of this analysis, a “lateral hire” refers to an employer hiring an attorney who is more experienced than an entry‐level attorney for a permanent staff position or postgraduate fellowship. (This analysis does not include attorneys taken on as unpaid volunteers.) More than 1,000 lateral permanent staff attorneys were hired in 2011 by survey respondents.
Overall, 27.6% of respondents hired lateral attorneys for permanent staff attorney position and postgraduate fellowships. This marked an apparent 24% decrease in the percentage of employers that hired lateral attorneys in 2011 as compared to 2010.12Footnote 12 State attorney general offices hired the largest number of lateral permanent staff attorneys in 2011 (339), while civil legal services providers hired the most lateral postgraduate fellows (31).
Percentage of Employers that Hired Lateral Attorneys
Organization Type 2011 2010 ± Change Civil Legal Services 28.4% 55.5% -27.1% Policy / Impact Advocacy 29.5% *13Footnote 13 n/a Local Prosecutor 31.4% 45.0% -13.6% Local Public Defender 26.5% 47.8% -21.3% Local Government 29.4% 58.3% -28.9% State Attorney General 53.0% 91.6% -38.6% State Government 17.7% 51.6% -33.9% Federal Government 21.4% 48.2% -26.8% Other 22.52% 30.7% -8.2% Total 27.6% 51.9% -24.3% Raw Numbers of 2011 Lateral Hires
Organization Type Permanent Staff Attorney Postgraduate Fellowships Civil Legal Services 161 (N=174) 31 (N=167) Policy / Impact Advocacy 67 (N=84) 10 (N=75) Local Prosecutor 64 (N=41) 0 (N=29) Local Public Defender 37 (N=29) 2 (N=20) Local Government 85 (N=18) 0 (N=16) State Attorney General 339 (N=27) 3 (N=22) State Government 108 (N=40) 0 (N=39) Federal Government 106 (N=43) 6 (N=41) Other 83 (N=76) 4 (N=75) Total 1,050 56 Employer Expectations for 2012 Lateral Hiring
At the time of the survey, over 30% of respondents could not make a prediction about 2012 lateral hiring levels. About 47% of respondents expect to hire the same number of permanent staff attorneys as in 2011. This suggests that some stability is expected this year in terms of lateral hiring. For permanent staff attorney positions, however, 13.9% of respondents expect to hire fewer lateral attorneys in 2012 while only 6% expect to hire more.
Approximately 60% anticipate hiring at the same levels for postgraduate fellowships. Approximately 3% of respondents expect to hire fewer 2012 graduates for postgraduate fellowships. However, 2% of respondents foresee hiring more 2012 graduates for post graduate fellowships.
Permanent Staff Attorneys (PSA)
2012 Lateral Hiring Expectations as Compared to 2011 Hiring (Permanent Staff Attorneys)
Organization Type More Fewer Same Unknown Civil Legal Services (N=177) 5.1% 13.6% 45.8% 35.6% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=85) 8.2% 15.3% 51.8% 24.7% Local Prosecutor (N=40) 2.5% 12.5% 50.0% 35% Local Public Defender (N=29) 3.4% 13.8% 44.8% 37.9% Local Government (N=19) 5.3% 15.8% 47.4% 31.6% State Attorney General (N=28) 7.1% 17.9% 35.7% 39.3% State Government (N=42) 14.3% 9.5% 50.0% 26.2% Federal Government (N=43) 7.0% 20.9% 39.5% 32.6% Other (N=78) 9.0% 10.3% 48.7% 32.1% Total (N=541) 6.8% 13.9% 46.8% 32.5% Postgraduate Fellowships
2012 Lateral Hiring Expectations as Compared to 2011 Hiring (Postgraduate Fellowships)
Organization Type More Fewer Same Unknown Civil Legal Services (N=177) 5.1% 13.6% 45.8% 35.6% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=85) 8.2% 15.3% 51.8% 24.7% Local Prosecutor (N=40) 2.5% 12.5% 50.0% 35% Local Public Defender (N=29) 3.4% 13.8% 44.8% 37.9% Local Government (N=19) 5.3% 15.8% 47.4% 31.6% State Attorney General (N=28) 7.1% 17.9% 35.7% 39.3% State Government (N=42) 14.3% 9.5% 50% 26.2% Federal Government (N=43) 7.0% 20.9% 39.5% 32.6% Other (N=78) 9.0% 10.3% 48.7% 32.1% Total (N=541) 6.8% 13.9% 46.8% 32.5%
Hiring Freezes & Layoffs
Hiring Freezes
Of all organizations surveyed, almost 34% were in a hiring freeze at the time they responded. Local, state, and federal government law offices reported relatively high percentages of hiring freezes, likely a reflection of fiscal austerity measures taken in the Great Recession’s wake.
Percentage of Employers with Hiring Freezes in Place
Organization Type % Civil Legal Services (N=177) 5.1% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=85) 8.2% Local Prosecutor (N=40) 2.5% Local Public Defender (N=29) 3.4% Local Government (N=19) 5.3% State Attorney General (N=28) 7.1% State Government (N=42) 14.3% Federal Government (N=43) 7.0% Other (N=78) 9.0% Total (N=541) 6.8% Layoffs
A higher percentage of respondent organizations reported staff layoffs in our 2011 survey compared to the 2010 survey.14Footnote 14 Notably, 24% of civil legal services providers laid off attorneys in 2010‐2011.15Footnote 15
Probability of Attorney Layoffs in 2012
Just over one percent of respondents believe that layoffs within their organizations are certain in 2012. While approximately 63% find layoffs in 2012 unlikely, 3.7% find layoffs in 2012 likely. At the time of the survey, the likelihood of layoffs in 2012 was unknown to 17% of respondents.10 (See next table.)
Employer Expectations of Layoffs in 2012
Organization Type Certain Likely Possible Unlikely Unknown Civil Legal Services (N=178)16Footnote 16 2.2% 6.7% 23.6% 52.2% 15.2% Policy / Impact Advocacy (N=86) 1.2% 3.5% 7.0% 81.4% 7.0% Local Prosecutor (N=40) 0.0% 0.0% 10% 70.0% 20.0% Local Public Defender (N=29) 0.0% 0.0% 17.2% 72.4% 10.3% Local Government (N=19) 0.0% 0.0% 10.5% 57.9% 31.6% State Attorney General (N=28) 0.0% 3.6% 21.4% 32.1% 42.9% State Government (N=43) 0.0% 7.0% 14.0% 60.5% 18.6% Federal Government (N=43) 2.3% 2.3% 9.3% 60.5% 25.6% Other (N=79) 0.0% 0.0% 7.6% 77.2% 15.2%
How Can Job Seekers Compete in the Current Job Market?
The survey also asked public interest legal employers to impart a few words of wisdom for job seekers, particularly law students, on how to stand‐out from the crowd and land a public interest legal job.
Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. Public interest legal employers really want job seekers to volunteer – it was the top response from employers across the board. Employers value practical experience, even if it is gained through an unpaid position. Also, volunteering is one of the best ways to show employers a commitment to public interest law.
Network and develop relationships. Employers suggest getting to know current and former employees of organizations you are interested in working for. They offer insight into the organization’s work and culture.
Enroll in a clinical education program. Public interest employers want to see applicants that have practical and effective lawyering skills, including client interviewing, motion practice and courtroom experience.
Persevere. Employers know the current job market is rough right now, but they encourage job seekers to keep their heads up.
Learn a second language. Public interest legal employers highly value bilingual ability, especially knowledge of Spanish or an Asian language.
Tailor application materials. Employers are adamant about not wanting to see generic cover letters and resumes. They want cover letters that are personalized and demonstrate an interest, understanding, and passion for what the organization does.
Previous government work. For government employers, having paid or unpaid experience (including contract work) with a government agency is a plus.
Anticipated Future Job Growth
In addition to asking employers about hiring statistics, the survey asked employers to weigh in on which practice areas within their larger field of law are likely to see growth in the immediate future. Immigration, health, and consumer law were among the top responses across all employer types.
Civil legal services attorneys expect growth in immigration, consumer, housing, healthcare, family, and education law.
Policy/Impact advocacy attorneys forecast growth in energy, education, housing, consumer, healthcare, immigration, and elder law.
Local prosecutors anticipate growth in fraud, juvenile justice, and drug‐related crimes.
State government attorneys predict growth in healthcare and housing law.
Local public defenders expect growth in immigration law, juvenile justice, drug‐related crimes, and sex‐related crimes.
Local government attorneys anticipate growth in mediation, land use, employment, and immigration law.
State attorneys general forecast growth in employment and consumer law.
Attorneys at “other” public interest law offices expect growth in veterans’ rights, land use, employment, healthcare, immigration, and housing law.
Conclusion
NALP conducted this snapshot survey to benefit law students and attorneys who are pursuing public interest career paths, as well as public interest employers. The report provides timely insight into the public interest hiring market that will assist both public interest job seekers and employers. We look forward to continuing monitoring the public interest employment market and its trends, and providing employers and job seekers with quality data.
“Staff Reductions Hit Legal Aid Programs Hard.” 1/26/12. Legal Services Corporation.
http://www.lsc.gov/media/press‐releases/staff‐reductions‐hit‐legal‐aid‐programs ↩
This change was made to sharpen the distinction between civil legal services organizations and other nonprofit law offices which focus more broadly on policy advocacy and impact litigation. ↩
In some cases this report makes comparisons against data from its predecessor, the 2010 report. It should be noted the respondent pools for the two years’ surveys are similar but not identical. ↩
The respondents offered responses either on behalf of their entire organization or, in some instances, departments/units within their larger organization. For purposes of this report, we treated all responses equally. ↩
The geographic region classifications throughout this report parallel the United States Census Bureau’s Census Regions and Divisions of the United States (http://www.census.gov/geo/www/us_regdiv.pdf). For this reason, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands responses are not reflected in the geographic region breakdown. ↩
Policy / Impact Advocacy was not an option in 2010. ↩
Policy / Impact Advocacy was not an option in 2010. ↩
Policy / Impact Advocacy was not an option in 2010. ↩
Policy / Impact Advocacy was not an option in 2010. ↩
Policy / Impact Advocacy was not an option in 2010. ↩
Volunteering in the hope securing a paid position is far from ideal for law graduates, particularly those with looming educational debt repayments. Nevertheless, in Section VII of this report we see that employers strongly encourage any steps necessary for law graduates to get their foot in the employment door. Many noted that former interns and volunteers tend to be strong job candidates because they have proven their abilities and commitment. ↩
As already noted, the response pools for the 2010 and 2011 surveys are similar but not identical. Also, in the 2011 survey we broke hiring out into job categories which included fellowships in addition to staff attorney positions. In 2010, by contrast, we asked generally about lateral attorney hiring. Thus the 2011 data on lateral hiring may not be directly comparable to 2010, but still strongly suggests that decreased percentages of organizations hired lateral attorneys in 2011 compared to 2010. ↩
Policy / Impact Advocacy was not an option in 2010. ↩
Our 2011 survey asked employers layoffs occurring in 2010 up through their survey response date in September, 2011. The 2010 survey asked employers to report layoffs occurring in 2009 up through their survey response in September, 2010. So while there may be some overlap in reporting, the data still suggest that a greater percentage of respondent organizations were laying off attorneys in the more recent period – 2010‐11. ↩
However, it must be remembered that survey reporting took place before the federal government cut Legal Services Funding in November, 2011. Following this cut, Legal Services Corporation grantee organizations, which comprise some but not the totality of “Civil Legal Services” organizations in this report, forecasted increased layoffs. See “Staff Reductions Hit Legal Aid Programs Hard.” 1/26/12. Legal Services Corporation.
http://www.lsc.gov/media/press‐releases/staff‐reductions‐hit‐legal‐aid‐programs ↩
As noted, survey responses were collected through September, 2011. In light of a cut in the Legal Services Corporation’s budget which was signed into law in November, 2011, and in light of limited or no growth in other funding sources, it is possible that layoffs in the civil legal services arena will continue in 2012 at a greater rate than may be suggested by these data points. ↩