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Employment Statistics
90% Employment for Class of 2021 in positions that are full-time, long-term and either require a law license or where having a J.D. provides a significant advantage to performing or obtaining the role.
95% Overall Employment for Class of 2021 which also includes positions that are professional in nature.
ABA Employment Data
Three years of employment summary reports are included on this page. Information on employment outcomes for the Class of 2020 may not reflect a particular law school’s typical results in this area. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, bar admission exams were canceled or delayed in many jurisdictions, thus making it more challenging for graduates to secure employment by the annual Graduate Employment Status Date of March 15. Please reference the 3 years of employment outcome data posted on the ABA Required Disclosures webpage of each ABA-Approved Law School or at www.abarequireddisclosures.org.
NALP Employment Data
In addition to the ABA Employment Reports and information noted above, Drake also provides additional employment data to the National Association for Law Placement, an association of over 2,500 legal career professionals advising law students, lawyers, law offices, and law schools across North America and beyond.
Our Career Development Office is happy to answer questions you have and provide current information to you, please contact our office if you would like to discuss any of this data further.
Employment Breakdown
From the American Bar Association (April 2021): Per Interpretation 509-2 of Standard 509, law schools may choose to publicize additional employment outcome data beyond what the Employment Protocols require. This additional data, per Standard 509, must be “complete, accurate, and not misleading to a reasonable law school student or applicant.” Law schools are expected to use “due diligence in obtaining and verifying such information.” The following additional employment outcome data has not been, and will not be, audited by the ABA. It is meant to supplement the annual ABA Employment Summary Report, which reflects the employment status of members of each graduating class as of the annual Graduate Employment Status Date of March 15. Please reference the 3 years of employment outcome data posted on the ABA Required Disclosures webpage of each ABA-Approved Law School or at www.abarequireddisclosures.org.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Reporting Rate | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Total Students | 102 | 104 | 95 |
| Employed | 90 (88.2%) | 98 (94.2%) | 86 (90.5%) |
| ♦ Bar Required | 78 (76.5%) | 80 (76.9%) | 69 (72.6%) |
| ♦ J.D. Preferred | 10 (9.8%) | 12 (11.5%) | 13 (13.7%) |
| ♦ Professional | 2 (1.9%) | 3 (2.9%) | 4 (4.2%) |
| ♦ Non-professional | 0 | 3 (2.9%) | 0 |
| ♦ Type Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Enrolled in Full-time Degree Program | 1 (0.9%) | 0 | 1 (1.0%) |
| Not Seeking - Start Date Deferred/Unemployed | 2 (1.9%)* | 0 | 0 |
| Seeking - Unemployed | 9 (8.8%) | 6 (5.8%) | 8 (8.4%) |
All employment data is as of ten months post-graduation.
* Consistent with ABA requirements, one graduate is listed as "start date deferred" because they had accepted but not yet begun employment.
Types of Employment
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Number Employed |
90 | 98 | 86 |
| Private Practice |
58 (64.4%) | 50 (51%)) | 41 (47.7%) |
| Government | 8 (8.9%) | 12 (12.2% | 19 (22.1%) |
| Judicial Clerkship | 7 (7.8%) | 17 (17.3%) | 7 (8.1%) |
| Business | 14 (15.6%) | 15 (15.3%) | 11 (12.8%) |
| Public Interest | 2 (2.2%) | 1 (1.0%) | 6 (6.97%) |
| Education | 1 (1.1%) | 3 (3.1%) | 2 (2.3%) |
Percentages in the above chart are of total students employed, not total number of graduates.
Geographic Distribution of Graduates
| Region | States | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| W. North Central | IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD | 91.2% | 83.7% | 89.5% |
| E. North Central | IL, IN, MI, OH, WI | 2.2% | 4.1% | 4.7% |
| Mountain | AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY | 2.2% | 5.1% | 1.2% |
| South Atlantic | DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV | 2.2% | 4.1% | 1.2% |
| Mid-Atlantic | NY, NJ, PA | 1.1% | 2.0% | 1.2% |
| Pacific | AK, CA, HI, OR, WA | 1.1% | 0% | 0% |
| E. South Central | KY, MS, TN, AL | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| W. South Central | TX, AR, LA, OK | 0% | 0% | 2.3% |
| New England | CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| International | Worldwide | 0% | 1.0% | 0% |
| Total | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Percentages in the above chart are of total students employed, not total number of graduates.
Questions? Contact the Drake Law School Career Development Office at 515-271-2988 or law-career@drake.edu.
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