Minn. Lawyer Job Ads Plunge 50%; State Law School Applications Surge 20%
Updated: The tough job market is extending to Minnesota, where job ads in the state bar publication Bench & Bar are down 50 percent.
Eric Caugh, the hiring partner at the Minneapolis office of Zelle Hofmann, tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the downturn is producing a flurry of resumés from partners and experienced associates.
“We are seeing a markedly increased level of lateral candidates, many with exceptional credentials and big-firm experience that we do not see as frequently when the economy is doing better,” Caugh told the ABA Journal in an e-mail.
Discouraging job news isn’t discouraging applicants at the University of Minnesota law school. It has seen a 20 percent boost in applications, according to the story. “People don’t have jobs, so they go back to school,” explained admissions director Julie Tigges.
The increase is higher than at law schools at Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania, which saw application increases of 4 percent and 6 percent respectively. Final figures aren’t in at the schools, however. Nationally the number of law school applications has risen by less than 1 percent.
The tough market has the new dean of Hamline University law school urging students to network, volunteer and attend bar events. “We can’t create jobs, but we can teach students how to find them,” Lewis told the Star Tribune.
“The job dislocations are at the extremes—at large firms and in government legal services. But there is a big middle out there,” Lewis said. “Midsize to smaller firms may actually end up thriving in this economy because they can better manage resources and charge lower rates.”
Lower salaries help these firms keep rates lower. Many of the state’s midsize and smaller firms offer starting pay of $50,000 to $70,000 a year, compared to $120,000 at the big firms.
Updated at 8 a.m. to include information from Eric Caugh, who clarified his quotes to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Caugh says his firm is not seeing resumés from partners competing for entry-level positions.
