Touro Law ‘17 Achieves All-Time High Employment Rate
/By David Brand
With more than nine out of 10 graduates securing jobs in their first ten months after law school, Touro Law Center’s Class of 2017 found employment at a record rate, according to the American Bar Association’s latest employment report.
It’s a trend for the university, which has seen employment figures rise by 20 percent for recent graduates over the past five years.
“We are encouraged by this news and working to ensure further success,” said Dean Harry Ballan.
The employment statistics for the Class of 2017 demonstrated an overall employment rate of 90.2 percent ten months after graduation, with 75.2 percent of graduates reporting work in full-time, long-term jobs that require a law degree or for which having a J.D. is an advantage, the ABA reported.
The employment numbers show an increase of 6 percentage points over the Class of 2016
Several factors may have contributed to the increase, including the increased focus and engagement of the career service staff and members of the administrative team in interacting with the community of employers, increased on-campus interviews, and work with alumni and members of the Board of Governors in order to secure opportunities for students, the university said in a statement.
To assist students with the job hunt, the Office of Career and Professional Development assigns a career counselor to each student during his or her first year.
The employment counselors work with students during the duration of their time at Touro.
“We believe this practice allows for more personal interaction and a deeper understanding of each student’s strengths and career goals,” Touro said in a statement. “OCPD has also increased hands-on preparation for interviews and career-centered programming throughout the academic year.”
The Class of 2017 secured employment in several sectors of law, business and government.
Roughly 53 percent of 2017 graduates earned jobs at law firms, 11.9 percent secured positions with corporations and 10.9 percent found jobs in government.
Touro’s new class of students arrives at the Central Islip campus for orientation Aug. 12, 13 and 14. Classes begin August 15.
The record-high employment rate comes a year after Touro Law’s class of 2016 recorded a ten-year employment high of 84.2 percent.
“We are encouraged by the dramatic improvements over prior years and by the outlook for the Class of 2017,” Ballan said at the time. “Preliminary indicators show that 2017 numbers will exceed those for 2016. Many of our graduates have already secured judicial clerkships and full-time employment.”
