The School of Law finished in elite company in the 2021 jobs rankings.
Texas Tech University's School of Law ranks among the top law schools in the country when it comes to placing Juris Doctorate graduates.
According to data released by the American Bar Association (ABA) and complied by Reuters, Texas Tech's law school ranks No. 12 in the country for the percentage of 2021 Juris Doctorate graduates hired into full-time, long-term, bar passage-required positions.
“We are proud to be recognized as a top school for employment,” said Jack Wade Nowlin, the W. Frank Newton Professor of Law and dean of the law school. “We offer an exceptional legal education along with excellent career support and bar prep resources. Our students' hard work and practical training pays off with high-quality jobs.”
Texas Tech is joined in the top 20 schools on the list by 10 of U.S. News and World Report's “T-14”, the 14 law schools traditionally ranked as the best in the nation, and is the only law school in Texas to earn a top-15 ranking.
While the majority of Texas Tech law school graduates stayed in Texas to begin their legal careers, 20% joined organizations across the country.
“Our class of 2021 was ready and eager, demonstrating their resilience after as much as half of their legal education was satisfied in virtual or hybrid settings,” said Paula Smith, the law school's assistant dean for career and professional development. “They also demonstrated a sense of urgency in finding a long-term setting. Ninety percent of this class accepted positions before the release of bar results and 95% were employed by the end of 2021. This is much earlier than in previous years.”
A strong post-pandemic legal job market helped boost the placement numbers for Texas Tech law school graduates. A backlog of cases due to health precautions led to a robust market for legal-field hires as courthouses re-opened in both large metropolitan areas and smaller communities.
The law school's Career & Professional Development Center proved to be a vital asset in helping graduates find careers. By using well-established relationships with employers who rely on Texas Tech's well-educated, practice-ready graduates and helping connect students with those employers, the Career Center provided a conduit for hiring.
“Students received the news of important developments in the job market with enthusiasm and trust in the Career Center,” Smith said. “They took action to advance their individual career launch strategies, electing to apply earlier and with more confidence than other classes.”
