Graduates of state's top law schools lag behind in finding jobs

About 64 percent of 2016 graduates from California's top law schools secured full-time, permanent jobs requiring bar exam passage or providing an advantage to those with a law degree, according to figures released Thursday.

The performance of the graduates from the state's 21 American Bar Association-accredited schools lagged behind the national average of nearly 73 percent of graduates employed in those types of positions roughly 10 months after graduation, according to ABA data.

The ABA said the nationwide numbers were not reflective of a booming job market, but that last year's graduating class was 7 percent smaller than the year before.

The number of full-time, long-term jobs obtained by graduates that required a law license or provided an advantage to those with law degrees dropped from 28,029 to 26,923, a 4 percent decrease.

Stephen C. Ferruolo, dean at University of San Diego School of Law, said California trailed the national employment average in large part because employers are increasingly requiring graduates to be licensed before they are hired.

"It is a national trend and it is worse in California because our bar passage rate is the lowest," Ferruolo said.

The first-time taker passage rate for graduates of ABA schools in California dropped from 68 percent on the state's July 2015 exam to 62 percent on last July's test.

Ferruolo said another disadvantage for the state's graduates and law schools is that the July bar results are not released until late November. Hiring does not pick up again until early in the new year and recent hires don't count toward the released figures, he said.

Stanford Law School graduates had the best performance among California schools. Close to 92 percent of them secured jobs in the two most closely tracked categories, while UC Berkeley School of Law graduates had the second best showing at 88 percent.

Graduates from University of La Verne College of Law in Ontario have had the toughest time in the state securing law degree-related employment. Just 16 of the school's 51 graduates, or 31 percent, were reported to have been hired for full-time, long-term bar passage required or law degree advantage jobs.

"I'm not surprised by the fact that California is below the rest of the country, and I'm not surprised La Verne's numbers are down because employment rates track bar passage rates," said Gilbert A. Holmes, La Verne's dean.

Holmes said the statistics were all the more reason why the State Bar's current review of whether California should maintain the second highest bar exam passing score in the country is needed.

Only 32 percent of Thomas Jefferson School of Law graduates held jobs in the two top categories. Meanwhile, nearly 29 percent of its 210 graduates who sought jobs were unemployed10 months after graduation.

Deborah Jones Merritt, a professor at Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law, said it was worrisome that there were 3 percent fewer full-time jobs requiring bar passage nationwide.

"Overall it shows continued weakness in the entry-level job market," said Merritt, adding she expected the trend to continue, in part due to automation.

She said she also was concerned that about 10 percent of the graduates nationwide were reported as unemployed and seeking. About 14 percent of California ABA graduates were reported as unemployed and seeking work.

Here are the percentage of July 2016 graduates from the state's ABA schools who secured full-time, permanent jobs requiring bar exam passage or providing an advantage to those with a law degree, according to data from the ABA:

? Stanford Law School, 92 percent

? UC Berkeley School of Law, 88 percent

? UCLA School of Law, 81 percent

? University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 75 percent

? UC Irvine School of Law, 74 percent

? UC Davis School of Law, 72 percent

? Loyola Law School, 72 percent

? UC Hastings College of the Law, 67 percent

? Pepperdine University School of Law, 65 percent

? California Western School of Law, 63 percent

? Santa Clara University School of Law, 61 percent

? Chapman University School of Law, 61 percent

? University of San Diego School of Law, 58 percent

? University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 57 percent

? Southwestern Law School, 54 percent

? University of San Francisco School of Law, 47 percent

? Western State College of Law at Argosy University, 45 percent

? Golden Gate University School of Law, 40 percent

? Whittier Law School, 39 percent

? Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 32 percent

? University of La Verne College of Law, 31 percent