The job market for law school graduates, according to The Wall Street Journal, is shrinking.

But this fact does not apply to all graduates. Those who have attended top law schools, including Columbia and Harvard, are more likely to land jobs at large law firms. Why? Because large law firms want graduates who have attended prestigious law schools. And because these firms of 100 or more lawyers have high rotation rates, they are always in need of new hires.

For students who have attended smaller "third or fourth tier law schools," however, the job market isn't so kind. These students are likely to be hired at smaller law firms where their schools are better recognized. However, even in the strongest of economic times, smaller law firms don't always hire every year. Now, with the economy slowing down, they may even wait two to three years before hiring.

According to a pre-law student at Cornell University, "Since more people are having a tough time finding jobs, the number of people applying to law school is increasing, so it's tougher to get in."

And law student Adeola Adejobi said, "When the economy is bad, people want to go to school instead of entering the job market. But when the economy is good, firms are not as stringent about who they hire. I wouldn't encourage people to go to law school because they don't have anything else to do."


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