Each year, hundreds upon hundreds of students enroll in law school, many of them in search of a career in government. Maybe they want to seek out justice for children, animals, or the environment. Maybe they want to serve their communities and make them safer for the public at large. Maybe they want to advocate for those who have been unfairly discriminated against, be it in their housing choices, on the job, or based on their race or gender. Whatever their call to service may be, only a select few will go on to accept a position that goes hand-in-hand with their altruistic career goals.
Some law schools are better than others when it comes to getting their graduates a leg up on the competition for one of these coveted jobs. Law.com produced several helpful charts based on law school employment data for the class of 2025. Today, we will take a look at one of the more interesting charts for all of the service-minded future lawyers in this world, the law schools that sent the highest number of students from their most recent graduating class into government work.
As noted by Law.com, compared to the class of 2024, the number of class of 2025 graduates who went on to work in government and public interest roles declined by approximately 14%. This could be because the class of 2025 was 7% smaller than the class of 2024, but when it comes to federal government work, it could also be because law schools have reportedly been instructed to tell students that they must be politically aligned with the president to have a real shot at getting a job, or because of the repeated DOJ ethical mishaps and the widely documented damage that’s been done to the rule of law throughout Trump’s second term.
Regardless of what the true cause could be, here are the top 10 law schools on the list:
1. George Washington University Law School: 78
2. Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law: 56
3. New York Law School: 54
4. American University Washington College of Law: 53
4. Syracuse University College of Law: 53
6. Penn State Dickinson Law: 51
7. Albany Law School: 48
7. Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law: 48
9. Stetson University College of Law: 47
10. University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: 46
10. New England Law Boston: 46
Click here to see the rest of the law schools with the highest number of graduates employed in government work.
Are you a recent law school graduate who’s working in government? What did your law school do to help you? We’re interested in learning about your experiences — good or bad — and may anonymously feature some of your stories on Above the Law. You can email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog.
Law Schools Sent Fewer Grads to Government, Public Interest Roles in 2025 [Law.com]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
The post The Law Schools Where The Most Graduates Got Government Jobs (Class Of 2025) appeared first on Above the Law.
Each year, hundreds upon hundreds of students enroll in law school, many of them in search of a career in government. Maybe they want to seek out justice for children, animals, or the environment. Maybe they want to serve their communities and make them safer for the public at large. Maybe they want to advocate for those who have been unfairly discriminated against, be it in their housing choices, on the job, or based on their race or gender. Whatever their call to service may be, only a select few will go on to accept a position that goes hand-in-hand with their altruistic career goals.
Some law schools are better than others when it comes to getting their graduates a leg up on the competition for one of these coveted jobs. Law.com produced several helpful charts based on law school employment data for the class of 2025. Today, we will take a look at one of the more interesting charts for all of the service-minded future lawyers in this world, the law schools that sent the highest number of students from their most recent graduating class into government work.
As noted by Law.com, compared to the class of 2024, the number of class of 2025 graduates who went on to work in government and public interest roles declined by approximately 14%. This could be because the class of 2025 was 7% smaller than the class of 2024, but when it comes to federal government work, it could also be because law schools have reportedly been instructed to tell students that they must be politically aligned with the president to have a real shot at getting a job, or because of the repeated DOJ ethical mishaps and the widely documented damage that’s been done to the rule of law throughout Trump’s second term.
Regardless of what the true cause could be, here are the top 10 law schools on the list:
1. George Washington University Law School: 78
2. Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law: 56
3. New York Law School: 54
4. American University Washington College of Law: 53
4. Syracuse University College of Law: 53
6. Penn State Dickinson Law: 51
7. Albany Law School: 48
7. Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law: 48
9. Stetson University College of Law: 47
10. University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: 46
10. New England Law Boston: 46
Click here to see the rest of the law schools with the highest number of graduates employed in government work.
Are you a recent law school graduate who’s working in government? What did your law school do to help you? We’re interested in learning about your experiences — good or bad — and may anonymously feature some of your stories on Above the Law. You can email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog.
Law Schools Sent Fewer Grads to Government, Public Interest Roles in 2025 [Law.com]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
