The primary path to lucrative Big Law careers still runs through a small number of elite U.S. law schools, despite optimism that recent changes in how large firms recruit law students would expand hiring to a broader array of campuses.
A Reuters analysis of data released by the ABA last week showed that just 16 law schools had 50% or more of their most recent graduating class go into associate jobs at firms of 251 or more lawyers in 2025. On the flip side, 89 ABA-accredited law school schools sent 10% or fewer of their 2025 graduates into large firm jobs, many of which pay $225,000 starting salaries. Eleven schools didn’t have any 2025 graduates at large firms, according to the ABA data.
Put another way, half of all ABA-accredited law schools collectively graduated just 10% of last year’s crop of 7,869 new associates at large firms. And an elite group of 21 schools produced half of all 2025 graduates who went to large firms.
Read more in this week's Billable Hours.
