Types of Employers
In 2010, 61 percent of our graduates accepted positions in private practice and more than half went to the largest firms. Almost 40% of our graduates found employment in government, public service, and judicial clerkships. The chart below breaks down our 2010 graduate employment statistics.
* On average, 1 or 2 Michigan Law graduates clerk with the U.S. Supreme Court every year; 13 have done so in the last decade. U.S. Supreme Court clerks work as lower court clerks prior to their Supreme Court clerkships, and so they enjoy the benefit of working with two impressive jurists.
Law Firms (2008-2010)
Michigan is among the top law schools in placing the largest percentage of graduates in the most prestigious national law firms. The top markets for our graduates are Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Over 330 law firms hired 2008-2010 Michigan Law graduates; see the table below for the state or country in which each firm is located.
| Arizona |
California |
Colorado |
District of Columbia |
| Florida |
Georgia |
Hawaii |
Illinois |
| Indiana |
Kansas |
Maryland |
Massachusetts |
| Michigan |
Minnesota |
Missouri |
Nevada |
| New Jersey |
New York |
North Carolina |
Ohio |
| Oregon |
Pennsylvania |
Puerto Rico |
Texas |
| Utah |
Virginia |
Washington |
Wisconsin |
| Belgium |
Hong Kong |
Japan |
Kazakhstan |
| Korea |
United Kingdom |
Vietnam |
|
Judicial Clerkships (2008-2010)
Typically, 15 percent of Michigan Law graduates on average have accepted prestigious judicial clerkships in federal and state appellate and trial courts.* Since 1991, Michigan Law has been the top public law school for U.S. Supreme Court Clerkships, placing 28 graduates in these prestigious positions. In addition, over the past three years, our graduates have served as judicial clerks in nearly every circuit in the country; see the table below for the states of the various federal, state, appellate, and trial courts in which our 2008-2010 graduates have obtained clerkships.
| Alabama |
Alaska |
Arizona |
California |
| Colorado |
Connecticut |
Delaware |
District of Columbia |
| Florida |
Georgia |
Hawaii |
Illinois |
| Indiana |
Iowa |
Kansas |
Kentucky |
| Louisiana |
Maine |
Maryland |
Massachusetts |
| Michigan |
Minnesota |
Montana |
Nevada |
| New Jersey |
New Mexico |
New York |
North Carolina |
| Ohio |
Oklahoma |
Oregon |
Pennsylvania |
| Rhode Island |
South Carolina |
Tennessee |
Texas |
| Utah |
Vermont |
Virginia |
Washington |
| West Virginia |
Wisconsin |
Wyoming |
International |
*At Michigan, like other law schools across the country, fewer students are choosing to apply for clerkships right out of law school, but rather waiting a few years before pursuing and then accepting a clerkship as an alumnus.