Class of 2010 Employment Report

For each graduating class, KU Law measures employment at graduation and nine months after graduation. Each February, every law school in the country submits employment data for its most recent graduating class to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP). Each June, law schools receive a detailed report from NALP of national and school-specific employment and salary trends.

Class of 2010 Employment Statistics
We submitted our Class of 2010 employment report to NALP on Feb. 22, 2011. There were 168 students in the Class of 2010. Of the 165 students for whom we were able to gather employment information, 131 students reported employment and 10 reported returning to school to seek an additional degree. Sixteen students reported seeking employment, and 8 reported not seeking employment.

We ran preliminary calculations for employed at graduation and nine months after graduation based on the US News & World Report methodology.

To calculate employed at graduation, US News adds the number of employed grads plus those seeking additional degrees, and divides by the total number of graduates less those not seeking employment.

For the nine-month figure, US News adds the number of employed grads plus (1) those seeking additional degrees and (2) one-fourth of unknown grads and divides by the total number of graduates less those not seeking employment.

55 percent of the KU Law Class of 2010 was employed at graduation. 88.6 percent of the KU Law class of 2010 was employed or seeking an additional degree within nine months of graduation. These employment statistics will be reported to US News this fall and will appear in the April 2012 rankings issue.

With the exception of the employed at graduation statistic, which fell from 63.2 percent to 55 percent, the Classes of 2009 and 2010 were quite similar. The number of students still seeking employment nine months after graduation increased by two students from 2009 to 2010, but the Class of 2010 was larger by eight students.

Class of 2009 and Class of 2010 Salaries
In the KU Law Class of 2009, 108 students reported salaries, or 82 percent of employed students. Our 82 percent salary reporting rate compared favorably with the national rate of 54 percent. In fact, the highest national percentage of employed graduates reporting salaries over the last eight years was 65 percent.

One hundred and five (105) KU Law graduates reported salaries in the 2010 class. This represented 80 percent of employed graduates.

A breakdown of Class of 2009 salaries by employment sector and employment category may be viewed here. Salary means and medians by employment sector and employment category for the Class of 2010 will be published on the KU Law website when we receive our NALP report in June.

Class of 2009 and Class of 2010 Bar Passage Required Jobs
The overall NALP and US News employment statistics count all jobs of any type. While most law students enroll with the goal of practicing law, by graduation some have decided to pursue less traditional, “JD preferred” jobs or other professional positions that do not require the passage of a bar exam.

Nevertheless, it is important to be aware of the number of grads accepting jobs requiring bar passage.

In the KU Law Class of 2009, 97 students reported accepting jobs requiring bar passage, representing 62 percent of grads for whom employment status was known. Ninety four (94) of these positions were full time, while three were part time.

Nationally, 71 percent of law students in the Class of 2009 for whom employment status was known reported accepting a job requiring bar passage.

The same overall number (97) reported accepting jobs requiring bar passage in the KU Law Class of 2010, or 59 percent of graduates for whom employment status is known. Ninety-five (95) of these positions were full time, while two were part time.

A breakdown of this statistic over the last eight years can also be viewed here.

Todd Rogers, Assistant Dean for Career Services

Fifth-generation Jayhawk proud to pass on family tradition of education

Over winter break, as I baked my grandmother’s recipe for Peanut Blossoms and counted down the days to Christmas on the Advent calendar, I thought a lot about tradition. Tradition is often the reason that we continue our perpetual behavior, without question of the origin or meaning. But while the tradition of being a Jayhawk runs incredibly deep in my family, I couldn’t help but stop and question, why?

Although I started my education at another Kansas school only 87 miles west on I-70, I ended up (as my father simply states) seeing the error of my ways and transferred to KU to finish my degree. Receiving my degree made me a FIFTH-generation Jayhawk, and on my graduation day, I followed
tradition and walked “the Hill.” However, I did it hand in hand with my grandfather. At the time, I hadn’t understood the importance of parading with my classmates through the Campanile, but he did. A 1949 graduate of KU, he returned to college on the GI Bill, running out of money before being able to purchase his cap and gown. My grandfather received a diploma but did not get to experience the camaraderie of “the walk.” During our walk, mine on graduation day and my grandfather’s nearly 60 years later, I finally understood the importance of belonging to this family. Sharing this bond with him was more than wearing crimson and blue or cheering on the Hawks during basketball season. We shared a valuable education obtained at an amazing university, and a continued love of learning.

It was this same bond that brought my father to return to KU for law school, and his sharing of those memories with me that brought me to KU Law. He shared with me the traditions of camping out for basketball games, 1L Bluebook Relays and the 3Ls Walk to Old Green Hall. The bond is evident in the friendships he still shares with members of his 1L small section, and with the colleagues he works with that he knew from ol’ KU. It’s obvious in the respect that he receives because his law degree has a small Jayhawk on it and in the glow I see in him when he wears a polo shirt with a Jayhawk on the chest (which is QUITE often).

Yes, affordability, value of education, and location were all attractive features of KU Law when I was deciding where to receive my education. But the traditions of wearing a Jayhawk, studying in a library carrel just like my dad, walking the Hill with my grandfather or seeing my little (6-foot-tall) brother on campus are why I chose KU.

I’m now a parent and am reflecting on the traditions that I may someday pass on to my son. I’m proud to dress him in KU clothing and teach him how to say, “Rock Chalk!” But the tradition that I’m most proud to pass on to him is that of education. I want him to know that with hard work and the right education, a person can achieve anything. KU is an institution committed to excellence, and dignity and integrity are valued within the education the university offers. But this isn’t something I’m going to have to teach him. He’ll know from the way that I live my life, just as I did from my family.

Of course, the polo shirt with the little Jayhawk can’t hurt!

Suzanne Billam, 1L and Student Ambassador

Can playing video games land you a law firm job?

Someday, you may be playing video games to compete for jobs. A Dutch law firm is already doing it!

Dutch law firm Houthoff Buruma teamed up with Ranj Serious Games to create “The Game” to help the firm find the most talented students, based on the premise that grades often don’t fully reflect the talent and future success of a law student.

Players of “The Game” — graduating law students in the Netherlands — are given a complex legal scenario wherein they must represent a Chinese state-owned company as it plans to take over a Dutch family company. The players are split into teams of up to five people, given 90 minutes to confront problems as they arise and persuade enough shareholders to sell their shares. The fast-paced legal challenge ascertains how lawyers cope with stressful situations, bombarding them with CNN news flashes, video and text chats, film clips, e-mails and more than 100 fictional documents. Once the game ends, the results are displayed, and each team is given the opportunity to justify its solutions.

I believe something along these lines would work wonderfully in an Advanced Legal Research course. What are your thoughts?

W. Blake Wilson, Instructional & Research Services Librarian

Lawrence: a little big town

Downtown Lawrence

I get asked a lot about living in Lawrence.

To me, Lawrence is a little big town. It’s small enough to have similarities to my hometown of Hays, Kan. You can get just about anywhere in 15 minutes (unless there’s a basketball game). The people are extremely friendly. From my first day at KU Law, I felt welcome and comfortable. Lawrence has that small-town feel, where you tend to “bump into” people you know while out running errands.

For fun, some people go to KU sporting events, especially basketball. But the law school football tailgates draw a crowd in the fall, too. As a 1L class, we had a small section bowling tournament. If you are an outdoorsy type, Clinton Lake is just on the edge of town, and there are plenty of parks, biking and running trails around the lake. In these ways, Lawrence is comfortable and easy to learn about and love just like any small town.

If you are starting to think that Lawrence sounds too small for you, fear not! I also spent the last four years living in Washington, D.C., where there are endless museums, concerts, social events and professional sporting events. There are more things going on each night there than one person can possibly do. And I love the city life. I have always thought of myself as a city girl living in a small town.

Like larger cities, Lawrence is full of things to do beyond KU sporting events and bowling. Downtown venues like Liberty Hall, The Granada and The Bottleneck bring in lots of fun concerts, and KU’s Dole Institute hosts speakers and discussions of a political nature. There are art and history museums to peruse if that’s more your thing. Or you can just enjoy a day down on Massachusetts Street, where you will find an array of local boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops and bars.

There are always fun events going on through the law school: speakers, fundraisers, and TGITs (Thank Goodness it’s Thursday!). Another wonderful thing about Lawrence is its location between Topeka and Kansas City. In about 30 minutes in either direction, you can reach the State Capitol or any of the great things Kansas City has to offer – think shopping malls, an international airport and professional sporting events (gotta love the Royals and the Chiefs).

Overall, Lawrence is small enough to feel safe and comfortable and yet big enough to find a variety of entertainment and events! The hardest part about living in Lawrence and being in law school is finding the time to get out and enjoy it all!

Crystal Cook, 1L and Student Ambassador

Kansas Legislature website updated

If you have visited the Kansas Legislature’s website lately, you probably noticed some big changes have occurred. First of all, the website is now called KLISS. No, it’s not an awkward dating move. It stands for Kansas Legislative Information Systems and Services. From the website:

KLISS integrates the information from many functions within the Legislature and presents in a hyperlinked “no wrong door” model.

In other words, one-stop shopping! Or a gateway. Or a portal.

On the home page, you will not only find the Welcome but also “Pertinent Information.” Currently it states:

This year the Kansas Legislature changed the way it manually produced bills using a “cut and paste” computer mainframe process for making law. The old process was labor intensive and difficult to support and staff because the mainframe portion of the system was over 40 years old.

It is unclear what they mean by “copy and paste” computer mainframe. Perhaps someone who is a bit more tech savvy than me would know. It sounds like they discovered CTRL+c and CTRL+v, but surely it’s a bit more complex than that.

One of the really big differences one will notice has to do with the statute search function. KLISS has handed this over to Google. I have mixed feelings about this move. On the one hand, it’s cheap. On the other hand, the ways the results are displayed are not the most useful. Google usually applies an algorithm that determines a relevancy based upon the URL, the main headings in the webpage, the keywords and how many other websites link to the page. When using Google to search statutes, the results almost appear random. Also, Google will not search using synonyms which means if you search “alcohol,” you’ll most likely miss the sections on “intoxicating liquors.”

That being said, anyone who has had me in class should know that I am actually not a huge fan of jumping onto a computer when starting a research project. The “alcohol vs. intoxicating liquors” in the Kansas Statutes is just one example of why I think it’s a bad idea. I prefer using an index. And the index is where KLISS gets it right. At the top of the statute web page is the index. Select a letter, and it takes you to what looks like the index as it appears in the paper statutes. Only with hyperlinks! If I could have one wish … well … it would be to be able to teleport. But if I had a second wish, it would be that all online statutes did this.

As far as bill tracking is concerned, the interface is more streamlined but basically the same. There doesn’t appear to be a search function available aside from a simple filter using the bill number, type, origination and sponsor.

So go check out the new Kansas Legislature website! Let me know what you think of the changes.

W. Blake Wilson, Instructional & Research Services Librarian

Career services programming keeps students at the top of their game

The KU Law Office of Career Services prides itself on providing a wide variety of career-related programming and resources, and in being accessible, welcoming and helpful to students and graduates, regardless of their career aspirations.

In the fall of 2009, the office sponsored 26 lunchtime programs, ranging from resume and cover letter-writing and interviewing skills, to practice area-specific panels.

This fall, we sponsored another 22 programs and produced two webinars: one about interviewing tips and techniques and another detailing strategies to find a job beyond the on-campus interview process.

The series of fall 2010 presentations included programs about the state of the legal economy; panels focusing on criminal law, federal government practice, law practice in small towns, judicial clerkships, and alternative careers for lawyers; and instructional hours on resumes, cover letters, networking and positive psychology.

In collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs, we debuted the KU Law Student Wellness Series in the fall of 2009. The purpose of the series is to encourage professional behavior and teach practical skills essential to navigating the pitfalls of life as a law student and new attorney. In both the fall of 2009 and 2010, we featured programs about how to cope with law school anxiety, how to better manage finances while in law school and after graduation, and business etiquette.

Students also seek career-related information through individual appointments. From July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, Todd Rogers had 282 appointments with students, while Karen Hester had an additional 254. Between the two of us, we scheduled more appointments from July 1, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2010, than in any of the previous seven falls.

I should also mention our 1L Mentor Program, through which we matched 73 1Ls with attorney mentors this fall, and our annual Legal Career Options Day, generously co- sponsored by the Kansas Bar Association, Johnson County Bar Association and Wichita Bar Association.

More information about these important networking programs, and pictures from the Mentor Reception and the 8th Annual Career Options Day, can be found on our website.

Todd Rogers, Assistant Dean for Career Services