Boston College Law School has reported the highest employment rates in decades, according to the most recent employment statistics for the Class of 2023 released by the American Bar Association (ABA) last week.
Out of a class of 243 graduates, 239—or 97.9 percent—were employed within 10 months after graduation, which is the cut-off date for ABA reporting purposes. Even more remarkable: 96.7 percent of the Class of 2023 was employed in full-time, long-term, bar-passage required or JD advantage positions, the gold standard for law jobs.
“These are the best employment numbers for any class on record since the ABA began to require and regulate employment data by all law accredited schools,” said Sarah Bookbinder, the assistant dean of Career Services. “These results are particularly incredible for a group of students who started law school in the fall of 2020, the most uncertain time of the pandemic, without the typical opportunities to network or intern in person in comparison to past years.”
For the Class of 2023, 72 percent were employed by law firms, and 22 percent work for the public sector in government, public interest, or judicial clerkships. The highest numbers of graduates landed jobs in Massachusetts, New York, and California, with Washington, D.C., Illinois, Florida, and Texas among the many other states also represented. Several BC Law students accepted positions in foreign countries.
Even more remarkable: 96.7 percent of the Class of 2023 was employed in full-time, long-term, bar-passage required or JD advantage positions, the gold standard for law jobs.
The Career Services Office (CSO) helps support students in their job searches at the beginning of their 1L year until they find their post-graduate job, through numerous programs such as the 1L Boot Camp professional development curriculum, one-on-one advisor meetings, resume review, networking sessions with practicing attorneys, and interview preparation programs, among others. Running over 120 programs each year, the CSO has also increased their staffing in the past several years, adding four additional seasoned attorney advisors from both the private and public sectors. Higher numbers of advisors help students build close personal relationships within the CSO over their three years at BC Law. In addition to individual counseling sessions and the weekly “Careers@BC Law” newsletter, each advisor reaches out regularly to their students with jobs and opportunities in their practice area of interest. Advisors completed more than 4,000 student appointments in 2023.
The CSO has also continued to build upon their first year “Boot Camp,” expanding the offerings to include content on how to network over Zoom, AI challenges and opportunities, precruiting, and a host of other new issues that have arisen in the post-pandemic era.
The CSO partners with a deep and dedicated alumni community to support students as mentors and connections, particularly those in their 3L year. Through the CSO Connect program, 3Ls are matched with recent alumni who can help provide ideas, connections, and support through the last steps of their job search process. For many students this relationship is fundamental in helping them secure a permanent position.
If you are an alum interested in mentoring a student or posting an opportunity for a graduating student with the CSO, please reach out to Assistant Dean Sarah Bookbinder.