Report compiled by Gabriele Plickert, AJD Project Manager and Research Social Scientist Drafting Committee of the AJD Project: Ronit Dinovitzer, Bryant G. Garth, Robert Nelson, Gabriele Plickert, Rebecca Sandefur, Joyce Sterling, and David Wilkins Analyses by Dr. Tony Love, Dr. Gabriele Plickert, and Chantrey J. Murphy, M.A. 2 After the JD III: Third Results of a National Study of Legal Careers Table of t t Con en s Acknowledgments 9 SECTION 6: Dimensions of Satisfaction 49 SECTION 1: Introduction to AJD3 13 Satisfaction 50 Introduction 14 Settings and Satisfaction 53 SECTION 2: Demographic Characteristics SECTION 7: Mobility and Turnover 57 of AJD Lawyers ––A Trend Over Time 19 Mobility and Turnover 58 Demographic Characteristics of AJD Lawyers — Mobility between Jobs and between Practice A Trend Over Time 20 Settings 58 SECTION 3: Practice Setting 25 Intentions to Move 60 Practice Setting 26 SECTION 8: Gender 63 Private Law Firm Practice 26 Gender 64 Government 27 Labor Force Participation 64 Legal Services, Public Interest and Promotion to Partnership 66 Nonprofit/Education 27 Earning Disparity 67 Business 27 Marriage and Family 68 SECTION 4: What AJD3 Lawyers Do 31 Satisfaction 69 What AJD3 Lawyers Do 32 SECTION 9: Race and Ethnicity 71 Hours Worked 32 Race and Ethnicity 72 Specialization 35 Practice Settings 72 Pro Bono Activities of Mid-Career Lawyers 37 SECTION 10: Financing Legal Education — SECTION 5: The Income of Lawyers — The View from Twelve Years Out of Law Trends Over Time 43 School 79 The Income of Lawyers - Trends Over Time 44 Financing Legal Education — The View Twelve Practice Setting and Income Trends 46 Years Out of Law School 80 Practice Setting and Sources of Compensation 47 SECTION 11: The Economic Downturn 85 The Economic Downturn 86 After the JD III: Third Results of a National Study of Legal Careers 3 Table of Contents (continued) Appendices 93 Appendix B 99 Appendix A 94 Nonresponse Analysis 99 The After the JD Sampling Weights 94 Characteristics of Nonrespondents Compared to AJD Respondents 100 Selecting the Correct Sampling Weight for Analysis 94 How Do Nonrespondents Compare to AJD Respondents? 101 Unweighted Versus Weighted Results 96 Minority Oversample 98 Donor Organizations and Sponsors 103 4 After the JD III: Third Results of a National Study of Legal Careers Index of Tables and Figures Table 2.1: Demographic Characteristics of AJD Table 4.2: Specialist by Practice Setting 1, 2, and 3 21 Specialization (AJD1-3) (whether self-identified as a specialist or not) 36 Table 2.2: Distribution of AJD3 by Law School Selectivity 22 Table 4.2a: Specialist by Practice Setting Comparing Respondents across the Three Waves Table 2.3: AJD 1-3 Respondents by Education (who spend 50% or more in one area) (AJD1-3) 37 of Parents 22 Table 4.3: Annual Pro Bono Hours by Practice Table 2.4: AJD 1-3 Respondents by Birthplace Setting – Firm Size (AJD3) 39 of Parents 23 Table 4.3a: Percentages of All Pro Bono Hours ____________ Spent on the Following Activities 40 Table 3.1: AJD2 and AJD3 Respondents by Table 4.3b: Pro Bono Hours as Part of Job or Practice Settings Comparing Office and Firm Not by Practice Setting (AJD3) 41 Size 28 ____________ Table 3.1a: Practice Settings by Firm Size and Waves 1-3 29 Table 5.1: Comparing Wave 1-3 Income by Practice Setting (full-time workers only) 45 Table 3.2: Percentages of AJD3 Practice Settings by Geographic Market 30 Table 5.2: Grades, Law School Selectivity, and Median Salary (full-time workers only) (AJD3) 47 ____________ ____________ Figure 4.1: Over 60 Hours Worked by Waves 1, 2, and 3 (full-time workers only) 33 Figure 6.1: Detailed Measures of Job Satisfaction (Mean Scores) (AJD1-3) 50 Figure 4.1a: Mean Hours Per Week and Percent Working Over 60 Hours by Setting (full- Table 6.1: Detailed Measures of Job time workers only) (AJD3) 34 Satisfaction (AJD1-3) 51 Table 4.1: Mean and Median Hours and Percent Table 6.2: Percent of Moderate to High Working over 60 Hours by Setting (full-time Satisfaction with Decision to Become a Lawyer workers only) (AJD3) 35 (AJD1,2,3) 52 After the JD III: Third Results of a National Study of Legal Careers 5 Index of Tables and Figures (continued) Figure 6.2: Dimensions of Satisfaction by Table 9.1: Practice Setting by Race/Ethnicity Practice Setting (ADJ3) 55 across AJD Waves (1-3) 74 ____________ Table 9.1a: Practice Setting by Race/Ethnicity and Percent Change between AJD2 and AJD3 75 Figure 7.1: Percent of Respondents Switching Practice Settings between AJD2 and AJD3 58 Table 9.2: Percentage of Respondents Switching Practice Sectors between AJD2 and Table 7.1: Percent of Respondents Switching AJD3 by Race/Ethnicity 75 Practice Settings between AJD2 and AJD3 59 Table 9.3: Median Income by Practice Setting Table 7.1a: Percent of Prior and Intended Job and Race/Ethnicity (full-time workers only) Mobility by Practice Setting 60 (AJD3) 76 Table 7.2: Respondents’ Practice Settings in Table 9.4: Income (Salary + Bonus) by AJD1 by Practice Settings in AJD3 61 Race/Ethnicity (full-time workers only) (AJD2- 3) 77 ____________ Table 9.5: Likelihood of Leaving Employer within Two Years (AJD3) 78 Table 8.1: Distribution of Gender across Practice Settings (AJD1-3) 65 ____________ Table 8.2: Percentages of Respondents Switching Practice Settings between AJD2 and Table 10.1: Median Education Debt Remaining AJD3 66 by Gender and Race/Ethnicity (AJD 1-3) 81 Table 8.3: Median Income by Practice Setting Figure 10.1: Median Education Debt and Gender (AJD3) 67 Remaining by Gender and Race/Ethnicity (AJD3) 82 Table 8.4: Marriage and Children among AJD3 Respondents 68 Table 10.2: Median Debt and Percent Reporting Zero Debt by Practice Setting (AJD3) 83 Table 8.5: Percentage of High to Moderate Satisfaction with Decision to Become a Lawyer Table 10.2a: Median Debt and Percent (AJD3) 70 Reporting Zero Debt by Practice Setting (AJD1-3) 84 ____________ ____________ 6 After the JD III: Third Results of a National Study of Legal Careers Index of Tables and Figures (continued) Table 11.1: Recession Impact on Employee by Table A3: Unweighted and Weighted Practice Setting and Gender 87 Percentage Distribution across AJD Waves 1, 2, and 3 by State 97 Table 11.2: Recession Impact on Employee by Practice Setting and Race/Ethnicity 89 ____________ Table 11.3: Recession Impact on Employer by Figure B1: Overview of Eligible Responses by Gender 91 Survey Year (Waves) of AJD 100 Table 11.4: Recession Impact on Employer by Table B1: Differences between Nonrespondents Practice Setting and Gender 92 and Respondents by Selected Characteristics across Waves 101 ____________ Table B2: Comparison of Nonrespondents and Table A1: AJD Sampling Weights Designed for Respondents to AJD 102 Estimating Single-Level Models (Marginal or Population Average) 95 Table A2: Example of Weighted and Unweighted AJD1, 2, and 3 Results Using the National Sample Selection Probability Weight Adjusted for Nonresponse 96 After the JD III: Third Results of a National Study of Legal Careers 7 8 After the JD III: Third Results of a National Study of Legal Careers Acknowledgments The release of After the JD III is a proud occasion for everyone who has been involved with and supported this project for the last 13 years. It is an honor to share the data from the third wave of this unique and important longitudinal examination of lawyers’ careers and the factors that influence their career choices, pathways, and satisfaction. The success of the After the JD project would not have been possible without the support and contributions of numerous leaders and key organizations throughout the legal community. The American Bar Foundation and the NALP Foundation are sincerely grateful to the donors and researchers dedicated to this project. These contributors have long recognized that the careers of lawyers merit in-depth study and have provided the platform, expertise, technical skill, and financial resources to undertake this one of a kind study. Garnering financial support for a project of this magnitude and tenure can be a significant challenge. We extend our sincere appreciation to those organizations that believed in this project from the onset and have provided financial contributions throughout all three waves. First among those deserving high praise and appreciation is NALP, the Association of Law Career Professionals. The concept for this study was born among members and volunteer leaders of NALP more than three decades ago. Their extraordinary vision and dedication to lawyer careers led to NALP’s enthusiastic pursuit of this research project, ultimately accomplished under the auspices of the NALP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Special thanks and tremendous gratitude are extended to Paula Patton, the NALP Foundation’s first CEO and President. This study would not have been possible without the foresight, enthusiasm, and commitment of Ms. Patton. We are also grateful to the NALP membership, Board of Directors, and staff for their continued encouragement and assistance. Equally important to this initiative is the American Bar Foundation. The ABF has contributed the most funding to this study among all donor organizations and helped launch the project in 1998 under the guidance of the ABF Board and research team. We extend our sincere appreciation to Jacqueline Allee, Peter Moser, Robert Hetlage, David Tang, Richard Pena, William Hubbard, Judge Bernice B. Donald—who served as presidents of the ABF Board from 2000 to 2014—, and members of the ABF Board for supporting the study both financially and administratively. The success of this study also would not have been possible without the expertise and dedication of the AJD Executive Coordinating Committee (ECC).