Will a Vanderbilt Law Degree Equip You to Achieve Your Career Goals?
ELIZABETH WORKMAN | Assistant Dean, Career Services
One of the most important questions prospective law students ask when choosing a law school is whether their degree will serve them well in pursuing a career after they graduate.
It’s a smart question. Law school requires a significant investment of time and money, and it’s important to evaluate law schools based on the quality of the education they offer. But there’s another extremely important consideration: the quality of assistance you will receive as you explore your career options.
Our program is designed to provide you with the resources and support you need to achieve your career goals. Beginning in the first year, you will meet individually—and often—with a career counselor dedicated to your success. You will learn how to develop your resumé, emphasize your strengths, and identify opportunities well suited to your aptitudes and goals. You will also have an opportunity to participate in mock interviews conducted by practicing attorneys. Through our comprehensive program of coaching and counseling, you will learn how to think about your job search strategically, pursue summer jobs that will enhance your resumé, and make good long-term career decisions based on your personal situation.
Vanderbilt hosts a large On-Campus Interview session each August that begins with a virtual interview program for select legal employers in major legal markets, including New York, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, and Chicago. We also host fall and spring career fairs and a smaller spring OCI session for students seeking summer employment. Participating employers include law firms located throughout the nation, government departments and agencies, federal and state prosecutors and defenders, and legal nonprofits.
This guide highlights the results of our program, including legal employers who interviewed our students during OCI and other interview sessions in recent years and those who hired our graduates. I’m proud of the students and graduates whose success and hard work are reflected here, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with you as a Vanderbilt Law student to achieve your career goals.
Elizabeth Workman Assistant Dean, Career Services
Dedicated to Your Success
Vanderbilt has one of the most successful career services programs among the nation’s leading law schools, providing comprehensive resources to help students explore top-tier career options and to guide graduates to employment opportunities across the United States and around the world.
Led by Assistant Dean Elizabeth Workman, our experienced and dedicated counselors work one-on-one with students starting in the first year.
The results speak for themselves. Each year, employment outcomes for new Vanderbilt J.D. graduates consistently stand among the best in the nation for positions requiring bar passage, including coveted federal judicial clerkships and employment in the nation’s largest law firms and in government and public interest positions.
Vanderbilt is recognized by a number of entities that examine career prospects for graduates of U.S. law schools in different ways:
7th, Above the Law Top 50 Law Schools 2023 based on employment outcomes, cost, and student debt
7th, Best for Federal Clerkships, The Princeton Review 2023, based on student surveys
11th, Federal Judicial Clerkship Report of Recent Law School Graduates, 2020 Edition (based on ABA data), Derek T. Muller, excessofdemocracy.com
13th, National Law Journal/Law.com, ranking of law schools based on percentage of 2019 graduates working as federal judicial clerks or at law firms of 100 or more lawyers
13th, Law schools that sent the highest percentage of 2021 graduates to the nation’s 100 largest law firms, National Law Journal/Law.com
J.D. Class of 2022
Vanderbilt Law graduates launch careers in every employment sector and consistently secure top-tier legal employment across the nation and around the world.
178
Total graduates
94%
of 2022 graduates were employed 10 months after graduation.
92%
of 2022 graduates took employment outside Tennessee across 27 states, Washington, D.C., and abroad (85% of 2018–22 graduates took employment outside Tennessee across 40 states, D.C., and abroad).
Class of 2022 most popular destinations: New York, 17%; Tennessee, 15%; Texas, 11%; Washington, D.C., 10%; Georgia, 8%
$205,000
J.D. Class of 2022 private sector median salary; average salary $192,041 (based on 109 of 122 graduates reporting salaries). Public sector median salary $67,000; average salary $67,714 (based on 41 of 45 graduates reporting salaries).
Vanderbilt J.D. Class of 2022
The ABA does not rank schools based on employment outcomes. We have determined Vanderbilt’s rank based on public ABA data available at abarequireddisclosures.org/EmploymentOutcomes.aspx.
13 9 NO. NO.
Percentage of 2022 graduates employed in full-time, longterm positions as lawyers (91.0%, based on ABA data)
Percentage of 2022 graduates employed as full-time, longterm federal judicial clerks (10.7%, based on ABA data)
Expert Advice. Excellent Outcomes.
Vanderbilt’s Career Services program has a well-earned reputation for its effectiveness in helping students and graduates to secure top-tier employment and meet individual career goals.
• Low ratio of students to employment counselors means a high level of individual support
• Expert help developing your professional resumé
• Expert help improving your interviewing skills
• Workshops and other opportunities to learn how legal employers approach hiring and employment, how firms are financed, how to succeed as a summer associate and beginning lawyer, how to get a public interest job, and other valuable topics
On-Campus Interviews (OCI)
Legal employers representing hundreds of offices located throughout the nation and abroad come to Vanderbilt each fall to interview second- and third-year students for summer and permanent employment. See pages 3–5 for a list of participating employers.
1L Job Fairs
VLS hosts career fairs for 1Ls seeking summer employment attended by law firms with offices throughout the nation, where students can meet potential employers in an informal setting. See page 6 for more information.
Spring OCI Session
Employers from law firms throughout the Southeast typically visit Vanderbilt Law each spring to interview first-year students for summer employment.
Job Fairs
Students may attend job fairs nationwide that focus on special career interests, minority hiring, public interest employment and regional positions.
Resumé Forwarding
Throughout the year, nearly 400 employers solicit resumés from Vanderbilt students and post job listings with the Career Services office.
Alumni Leads List
The Career Services office supports Vanderbilt Law graduates for life. Employers around the nation advertise positions for experienced attorneys through our Leads List, which is accessible to our graduates online and updated continuously.
Travel Fund
VLS supports travel for second- and third-year students who obtain interviews from job postings or direct applications to employers.
My Career Services counselor was an incredible resource throughout law school. She helped me prepare for interviews and navigate the complicated waters of OCI to successfully find 1L and 2L positions. I secured my 2L summer associate position, which turned into a postgrad offer, through OCI.
ESTHER LEE | Class of 2021 Associate, Fox Rothschild, New York
Judicial Clerkship Program
Vanderbilt offers a faculty-led judicial clerkship program that helps students apply for competitive clerkships. See pages 9–10 for more information.
Public Interest Law
Vanderbilt’s assistant dean for public interest works intensively with students interested in careers in public interest law and coordinates a broad array of curricular and co-curricular public interest opportunities. See pages 7–8 for more information.
On-Campus and Virtual OCI by location of offices:
Vanderbilt hosts a large On-Campus Interview session each fall for second-year students and a shorter spring session for first-year summer positions. The following list shows all employers who participated in Vanderbilt’s OCI fall program by conducting in-person and virtual interviews with students during the past three OCI seasons (2020, 2021 and 2022) by the office locations for which they were hiring associates.
ALABAMA
Birmingham
Baker Donelson
Bradley
Burr & Forman
Lightfoot Franklin & White
Maynard Cooper & Gale
Waller
Huntsville
Bradley
Mobile
Burr & Forman
Montgomery
Bradley
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Husch Blackwell
Perkins Coie
Polsinelli
Snell & Wilmer
CALIFORNIA
Century City
O’Melveny & Myers
Irvine
Jones Day
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear
Los Angeles
Alston & Bird
Dechert
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Husch Blackwell
Jones Day
Kilpatrick Townsend
King & Spalding
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear
McDermott Will & Emery
McGuireWoods
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Paul Hastings
Perkins Coie
Reed Smith
Simpson Thacher
Newport Beach
O’Melveny & Myers
Oakland
Husch Blackwell
Orange County
Paul Hastings
Snell & Wilmer
Thompson Hine
Vorys Sater Sey More & Pease
Palo Alto
Alston & Bird
Baker Botts
Paul Hastings
Simpson Thacher
San Diego
Foley & Lardner
Jones Day
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear
Paul Hastings
Perkins Coie
Ropes & Gray
San Francisco
Alston & Bird
Arnall Golden Gregory
Baker Botts
Dechert
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Goodwin Proctor
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Jones Day
Kilpatrick Townsend
King & Spalding
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear
Lieff Cabraser
Manatt Phelps & Phillips
McDermott Will & Emery
McGuireWoods
O’Melveny & Myers
Paul Hastings
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Snell & Wilmer
Silicon Valley
Alston & Bird
Foley & Lardner
Goodwin Procter
Jones Day
Kilpatrick Townsend
O’Melveny & Myers
Walnut Creek
Kilpatrick Townsend
COLORADO
Denver
Dinsmore & Shohl
Foley Lardner
Husch Blackwell
Kilpatrick Townsend
Merchant & Gould
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Polsinelli
Snell & Wilmer
CONNECTICUT
Groton
Dinsmore & Shohl
DELAWARE
Wilmington
Fox Rothschild
Reed Smith
Richards Layton & Finger
Skadden
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Alston & Bird
Baker Botts
Baker Donelson
Bradley
Carlton Fields
Dechert
Dinsmore & Shohl
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Fried Frank
Goodwin Procter
Holtzman Vogel
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Husch Blackwell
Ice Miller
Internal Revenue Service
Jones Day
Kilpatrick Townsend
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear
Manatt Phelps & Phillips
McDermott Will & Emery
McGuireWoods
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Paul Hastings
Perkins Coie
Polsinelli
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
Simpson Thacher
Steptoe & Johnson
Venable
Vinson & Elkins
FLORIDA
Boca Raton
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Fort Lauderdale
Baker Donelson
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Office of the Public Defender
Jacksonville
Ansbacher Law
Foley & Lardner
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Office of the Public Defender
Miami
Carlton Fields
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Jones Day
Kirkland & Ellis
McDermott Will & Emery
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Polsinelli
Reed Smith
Orlando
Baker Donelson
Foley & Lardner
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Tallahassee
Baker Donelson
Foley & Lardner
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Tampa
Bradley
Dinsmore & Shohl
Foley & Lardner
Hill Ward & Henderson
West Palm Beach
Fox Rothschild
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Alston & Bird
Arnall Golden Gregoru
Arora Law Firm
Baker Donelson
Bryan Cave
Burr & Forman
Eversheds Sutherland
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Jones Day
Kilpatrick Townsend
King & Spalding
McDermott Will & Emery
McGuireWoods
Merchant & Gould
Miller Martin
Morris Manning & Martin
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Parker Hudson
Polsinelli
Smith Gambrill & Russell
Stites & Harbison
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders
U.S. Department of Labor
Macon
Baker Donelson
IDAHO
Boise Perkins Coie
ILLINOIS
Chicago
Foley & Lardner
Husch Blackwell
Ice Miller
Jones Day
McDermott Will & Emery
McGuireWoods
Paul Hastings
Perkins Coie
Polsinelli
INDIANA
Evanston
Dinsmore & Shohl
Indianapolis
Dentons
Dinsmore & Shohl
Frost Brown Todd
Ice Miller
Stites & Harbison
KENTUCKY
Lexington
Dickinson Wright
Dinsmore & Shohl
Frost Brown Todd
Stites & Harbison
Louisville
Dentons
Dinsmore & Shohl
Frost Brown Todd
Stites & Harbison
LOUISIANA
Baton Rouge Baker Donelson
Mandeville
Baker Donelson
New Orleans
Baker Donelson
MARYLAND
Baltimore
Baker Donelson
McGuireWoods
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
Dechert
Foley & Lardner
Goodwin Procter
Hunton Andrews Karth
Husch Blackwell
Jones Day
Manatt Phelps & Phillips
McDermott Will & Emery
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Ropes & Gray
MICHIGAN
Ann Arbor
Dinsmore & Shohl
Frost Brown Todd
Broomfield Hills
Dickinson Wright
Dinsmore & Shohl
Detroit
Dickinson Wright
Dinsmore & Shohl
Foley & Lardner
Jones Day
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis
Fox Rothschild
Jones Day
Merchant & Gould
MISSISSIPPI
Jackson
Baker Donelson
Bradley
MISSOURI
Kansas City
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Husch Blackwell
Polsinelli
Springfield
Husch Blackwell
St. Louis
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Husch Blackwell
Norton Rose Fulbright
Polsinelli
NEBRASKA
Omaha Husch Blackwell
NEVADA
Las Vegas
Snell & Wilmer
NEW JERSEY
Atlantic City
Fox Rothschild
Morristown
Fox Rothschild
Princeton
Fox Rothschild
NEW YORK
Albany
Phillips Lytle
Bronx
Office of the District Attorney
Buffalo
Phillips Lytle
New York
Alston & Bird
Baker Botts
Dechert
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Jones Day
Kilpatrick Townsend
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear
Manatt Phelps & Phillips
McDermott Will & Emery
McGuireWoods
Merchant & Gould
Milbank
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Paul Hastings
Phillips Lytle
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Simpson Thacher
Vinson & Elkins
Rochester
Phillips Lytle
NORTH CAROLINA
Charlotte
Alston & Bird
Bradley
Cadwallader Wickersham & Taft
Dechert
Fox Rothschild
K&L Gates
McGuireWoods
Moore & Van Allen
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Parker Poe
Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson
Greensboro
Fox Rothschild
Raleigh
Baker Donelson
Fox Rothschild
Kilpatrick Townsend
McGuireWoods
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Parker Poe
Winston-Salem
Kilpatrick Townsend
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
OHIO
Akron
Vorys Sater Sey More & Pease
Cincinnati
Dinsmore & Shohl
Frost Brown Todd
Thompson Hine
Vorys Sater Seymore & Pease
Cleveland
Benesch Friedlander Caplan & Aronoff
Dinsmore & Shohl
Frost Brown Todd
Jones Day
Thompson Hine
Vorys Sater Seymore & Pease
Columbus
Benesch Friedlander Caplan & Aronoff
Dickinson Wright
Dinsmore & Shohl
Frost Brown Todd
Ice Miller
Jones Day
Thompson Hine
Vorys Sater Seymore & Pease
Dayton
Dinsmore & Shohl
Thompson Hine
West Chester
Frost Brown Todd
OREGON
Portland
Perkins Coie
PENNSYLVANIA
Blue Bell
Fox Rothschild
Exton
Fox Rothschild
Philadelphia
Dechert
Fox Rothschild
Pittsburgh
Dinsmore & Shohl
Fox Rothschild
Frost Brown Todd
Jones Day
McGuireWoods
Reed Smith
Simpson Thacher
Warrington
Fox Rothschild
SOUTH CAROLINA
Charleston
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Columbia Baker Donelson
Burr & Forman
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Greenville
Burr & Forman
Fox Rothschild
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Myrtle Beach
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
TENNESSEE
Chattanooga
Baker Donelson
Husch Blackwell
Miller Martin
Franklin Baker Donelson
Johnson City
Thompson Burton
Knoxville
Baker Donelson
Merchant & Gould
Memphis
Baker Donelson
Bass Berry & Sims
Martin Tate Morrow & Marston
Nashville
Adams and Reese
Baker Donelson
Bass Berry & Sims
Bradley
Brewer Krause
Burr & Forman
Butler Snow
Burr & Forman
Dickinson Wright
Frost Brown
Todd
Gideon Essary Tardio & Carter
K&L Gates
Lieff Cabreser
Maynard Cooper & Gale
Neal & Harwell
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Polsinelli
Riley Warnock & Jacobson
Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison
Sims Funk
Stites & Harbison
Swafford Law
Tennessee Attorney General
Waller
TEXAS
Austin Baker Botts
Foley & Lardner
Gjerset & Lorenz
Husch Blackwell
K&L Gates
Kirkland & Ellis
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Perkins Coie
Reed Smith
Vinson & Elkins
Waller
Dallas
Akin Gump
Alston & Bird
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Bradley
Foley & Lardner
Frost Brown Todd
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Husch Blackwell
Jones Day
Kirkland & Ellis
Locke Lord
McDermott Will & Emery
McGuireWoods
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Perkins Coie
Polsinelli
Sidley Austin
Thompson & Knight
Weil Gotshal
Houston
Akin Gump
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Baker Donelson
Bradley
Foley & Lardner
Frost Brown Todd
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Husch Blackwell
Jones Day
Kirkland & Ellis
Locke Lord
McGuireWoods
Norton Rose Fulbright
Paul Hastings
Reed Smith
Schiffer Hicks Johnson
Thompson & Knight
Vorys Sater Seymore & Pease
San Antonio
Norton Rose Fulbright
UTAH
Salt Lake City
Snell & Wilmer
VIRGINIA
Alexandria
Merchant & Gould
Richmond
Hunton Andrews Kurth
McGuireWoods
WASHINGTON
Seattle
Fox Rothschild
Kilpatrick Townsend
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear
Perkins Coie
WEST VIRGINIA
Charleston
Dinsmore & Shohl
Frost Brown Todd
Huntington Dinsmore & Shohl
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
Morgantown
Dinsmore & Shohl
WISCONSIN
Madison
Foley & Lardner
Husch Blackwell
Milwaukee
Foley & Lardner
Husch Blackwell
Vanderbilt students have opportunities to interview virtually each year with global law firms in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., and other major markets.
I found my 2L summer associate position through Vanderbilt’s OCI program. I could find a VLS student or graduate who worked at many firms I interviewed with who could tell me about their experiences and offer advice.
KYLE BRINKER | Class of 2022
2022–23 Clerk, Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Meet Legal Employers at 1L Career Fairs
Career Services launched a new career fair program in fall 2022 for 1Ls seeking summer employment. More than 80 percent of 1Ls attended the 2022 Fall Firm Mingle, and Career Services will host career fairs where first-year students can connect with summer employers each fall and spring semester going forward.
2023 1L Fall Firm Mingle Employers
Adams and Reese
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld
Allen & Overy
Alston & Bird
Arnall Golden Gregory
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz
Bass, Berry & Sims
Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff
Bracewell
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Burr & Forman
Butler Snow
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Cooley
Dentons Bingham Greenebaum
Dickinson Wright
Eversheds Sutherland
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Fried, Frank
Frost Brown Todd
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Goodwin
Haynes and Boone, LLP (Dallas, TX)
Husch Blackwell
Jackson Walker L.L.P. (Dallas, TX)
Jones Day (Atlanta, GA)
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP (Atlanta, GA)
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Dallas, TX)
Latham & Watkins LLP (San Diego, CA)
Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC (Birmingham, AL)
Locke Lord LLP (Chicago, IL)
Maynard Nexsen PC (Birmingham, AL)
McGuireWoods LLP
Milbank LLP (New York, NY)
Neal & Harwell
Norton Rose Fulbright
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
Polsinelli
Riley & Jacobson
Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison
Sidley Austin LLP
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Starnes Davis Florie
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Taft Stettinius & Hollister
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders
Vinson & Elkins
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Williams & Connolly
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Winston & Strawn
I really appreciated the mock interviews that Career Services offered during my 1L first semester. That experience helped me feel more prepared for my firm interviews the following semester.
SAMANTHA FURMAN | Class of 2021 Associate, Venable, New York
Samantha worked as a paralegal at Venable in Washington, D.C., before law school. She was selected by Venable as a Leadership Council on Diversity Scholar as a 1L and worked for the firm’s New York office for both summers during law school.
Gain Valuable Experience Across the Nation and Around the World
Vanderbilt law students can gain valuable experience through summer externships and summer stipend opportunities in a variety of practice settings anywhere in the world. In externships, students receive academic credit for supervised field work at faculty-approved placements, while summer stipends provide financial support for gaining pro bono experience (unpaid work with no academic credit). In recent years, Vanderbilt has expanded its array of
externships to include work in corporate legal departments and also increased funding for summer stipends. During the academic year, students can also complete externships in Nashville for course credit, and academic programs sponsor semester externships in Washington, D.C., and other locations.
Vanderbilt also offers two public service summer fellowships. The Environmental Fellowship provides financial support
Career Services masterfully guided me through the recruiting process where I had numerous callback interviews and received an offer from my top choice firm, which I accepted.
ALON SUGARMAN | Class of 2021
Law and Business Certificate
Associate, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, New York
for summer work with environmental agencies or NGOs, and the Regulatory Fellowship provides funds for summer work with government or nonprofit organizations involved in regulatory matters. The Branstetter Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program also provides summer stipends for students to intern in judicial chambers, the offices of public prosecutors and defenders, and other litigation-related settings.
I secured my first summer position by applying for a Keith Wetmore Fellowship with Morrison & Foerster. My Career Services adviser helped me revise my resume, read many revisions of my cover letters, and always was available to answer quick questions I had through a call, meeting or email. I worked for the same firm for 2L summer and accepted an offer to work in their San Francisco office after graduation.
JOLINE DESRUISSEAUX | Class of 2020
Associate, Morrison & Foerster, San Francisco 2022–23 Clerk, Judge William H. Alsup, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Gain Valuable Legal Experience through Externships
During summer 2023, 71 Vanderbilt Law students worked for legal employers in 15 states, Washington, D.C., and in London, U.K., The Hague, Netherlands, and Kyiv, Ukraine, receiving either stipend support or course credit for their work.
Federal District Courts
• Judge William M. Ray, Northern District of Georgia
• Judge John Kness, Northern District of Illinois
• Chief Judge Sara L. Darrow, Central District of Illinois
• Judge Edmond E. Chang, Northern District of Illinois
• Judge Sheila Finnegan, Northern District of Illinois
• Northern District of Illinois
• Southern District of New York
• Judge Curtis Collier, Eastern District of Tennessee
• Judge Alistair Newbern, Middle District of Tennessee
• Judge Eli Richardson ’92, Middle District of Tennessee
Federal Bankruptcy Courts
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices
• District of South Carolina
• Eastern District of Tennessee
• Middle District of Tennessee
Federal Agencies
• Federal Communications Commission, Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, Policy & Licensing Division, Washington, D.C.
• Federal Communication Commission, Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, Office of the Bureau Chief, Washington, D.C.
• Federal Communication Commission, Washington, D.C.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the General Counsel, Juneau, Alaska
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, San Francisco
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Nashville
• U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section, Washington, D.C.
• U.S. Department of Justice, Public Integrity Section, Washington, D.C.
• U.S. Department of State, Office of Legal Advisor, Washington, D.C.
Federal Defenders
• Federal Public Defender, Capital Habeas Unit, Nashville
• Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville
U.S. Senate
• Alex Padilla, Senate Judiciary Committee, Washington, D.C.
State Agencies
• Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Nashville
• Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Williamson County
• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Nashville
State Attorneys General
• California Office of the Attorney General, San Francisco
State Attorneys
• Cook County Department of Corrections, Chicago
State Courts
• Tennessee Supreme Court, Memphis
• North Carolina Court of Appeals, Raleigh
• Cobb County State Court, Marietta, Georgia
• Judge Leslie C. Shively, Vanderburgh Superior Court, Evanston, Indiana
• Judge Stanley Kweller, 20th Judicial District Court, Nashville
District Attorneys
• Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, California
• Office of the District Attorney, Nashville
Public Defenders
• Office of the Public Defender, Sixth Judicial District of Arkansas, Little Rock
• Georgia Public Defender Council, Atlanta
• Allegheny County Public Defender, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Tennessee Office of the Post-Conviction Defender, Nashville
• Nashville Defenders, Tennessee
• Dallas County Public Defenders, Texas
Municipal Law Departments
• Metro Nashville Law Department, Tennessee
Corporate Law Offices
• Porsche Cars North America, Atlanta
• Vanderbilt University Office of the General Counsel
Nonprofit Legal Organizations
• American Bar Association Center for Human Rights
• CASA Immigration of Maryland, Baltimore
• Choosing Justice Initiative, Nashville
• Disability Rights Tennessee, Nashville
• Harpeth Conservancy, Nashville
• Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Legal Services Alabama, Montgomery
• Nashville Conflict Resolution Center, Tennessee
• Queens Legal Services, New York
• Tennessee Justice Center
International
• Global Rights Compliance, The Hague, Netherlands
• Guernica 37 Chambers, London, U.K.
• Hellen Duffey Law Firm, The Hague, Netherlands
• U.S. Agency for International Development, Kyiv, Ukraine
2021–22 Semester Externships for Course Credit
Fall 2022
• American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, Nashville (2)
• Choosing Justice Initiative, Nashville
• Clarity Value, New York
• Davidson County Eighth Circuit Court of Nashville, Judge Lynn Ingram
• Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, Washington, D.C.
• Disability Rights Tennessee, Nashville
• Earthjustice, Washington, D.C.
• Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Washington, D.C.
• Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Tennessee, Capital Habeas Unit
• Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville
• Global Labor Justice, Washington, D.C.
• Immigration Equality, Brooklyn, New York
• Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Murfreesboro (2)
• Nashville Defenders
• Nashville Predators, Nashville (2)
• National Center for Youth Law, Oakland, California
• Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, Newark, Judge Lisa Firko
• Tennessee Innocence Project, Nashville
• Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, Nashville
• Tennessee Supreme Court, Justice Sarah K. Campbell
• United Soccer League, Tampa, Florida
• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Tennessee, Judge Eli Richardson ‘92
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Magistrate Judge Chip Frensley (2)
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville
• Vanderbilt Office of General Counsel, Nashville
Spring 2022
• Choosing Justice Initiative, Nashville
• Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center, Nashville
• Davidson County District Attorney’s Office, Nashville (2)
• Department of Homeland Security, Human Rights Violator Law Division, Washington, D.C
• Environmental Defense Center, Santa Barbara, California
• Environmental Law Institute, Washington, D.C.
• Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Tennessee
• FLOW (For Love of Water), Traverse City, Michigan
• Illinois Prison Project, Chicago
• Nashville Defenders (5)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C.
• Office of the Post-Conviction Defender, Nashville
• Office of Staff Judge Advocate, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky
• Southern Center for Human Rights, Atlanta
• Special Olympics International, Washington, D.C
• Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, Nashville
• Tennessee Supreme Court, Justice Sarah K. Campbell
• U.S. Attorney, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville (4)
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Magistrate Judge Chip Frensley
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, Judge Eli Richardson
• Vanderbilt Athletics Compliance, Nashville
• Vanderbilt Office of General Counsel (2)
Fall 2021
• American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, Nashville (3)
• American Civil Liberties Union, Racial Justice Program, New York
• American Civil Liberties Union, Washington, D.C.
• Davidson County District Attorney’s Office, Nashville (2)
• Department of Homeland Security, Human Rights Violator Law Division, Washington, D.C.
• Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Washington, D.C.
• Disabilities Rights Tennessee, Nashville
• Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Tennessee
• Federal Public Defender, Capital Habeas Unit, Nashville (2)
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Washington, D.C.
• Insight Partners, New York
• Jacksonville Public Defender’s Office, Juvenile Division, Florida
• Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Murfreesboro (2)
• Nashville Defenders (3)
• New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Division of Civil Rights, Newark
• Office of Staff Judge Advocate, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky
• Sixth Amendment Center, Boston
• Southern Environmental Law Center, Nashville (2)
• Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic Violence, Nashville
• U.S. Attorney, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville (3)
• Vanderbilt Office of General Counsel, Nashville (2)
• Viacom CBS Paramount Pictures, Hollywood, California
Full-Semester Externships
VLS students served full-time externships with these legal employers for course credit in 2021 and 2022:
• City Bar Justice Center, New York (Spring 2022)
• Global Rights Compliance, The Hague, Netherlands (Fall 2022)
• Indiana Department of Education, Indianapolis (Spring 2022)
• Kosovo Specialist Chambers, The Hague, Netherlands (Fall 2022)
• U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resource Division, Washington, D.C. (Fall 2021)
Prepare for Work in the Public Interest
Vanderbilt provides extensive resources to prepare for and launch a public interest law career in government service, criminal defense, nonprofit advocacy, legal aid, NGOs or your own brand of public interest entrepreneurship. The Public Interest Office coordinates pro bono service opportunities and facilitates law careers for students and recent graduates seeking to work in the public interest, and Vanderbilt’s George Barrett Social Justice Program offers comprehensive, hands-on training and mentoring specifically designed to prepare graduates for work in the public interest.
Curricular Offerings
• Upper-level classes and seminars. Take advantage of a robust curriculum addressing a wide range of public interest law topics, including equality, access to justice, and human rights.
• Social Justice and Criminal Justice Programs. Both programs offer an array of courses, research opportunities, and access to faculty and alumni mentors.
Supplemental Scholarships and Stipends
First-year students committed to social justice and public interest legal careers may apply in the spring semester for Garrison Social Justice Scholar awards, which provide supplemental scholarships for the second and third years of law school and summer support stipends to allow students to accept unpaid summer internships with legal nonprofits and public defender’s offices. Academic programs also provide summer stipend support for unpaid work with government law offices and legal nonprofits.
Specialized Career Advising
Our assistant dean for public interest works one-on-one with students seeking public interest careers. The annual Government and Public Interest Day allows students to network with government and nonprofit employers. Students may also attend the annual Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair with support from Vanderbilt.
Practice Opportunities
• Clinics. Learn the theory and practice of law in context, under the guidance of expert attorneys, through our extensive array of clinical legal courses.
• Externships. Gain valuable professional experience for academic credit by engaging in our individualized Externship Program placements in Nashville, across the nation or abroad.
• Vanderbilt Legal Aid Society. Participate in pro bono legal projects or community legal education programs during the academic year through the student-run Legal Aid Society.
• Summer stipends. Engage in pro bono legal work over the summer with the support of a public interest stipend. (Students cannot earn academic credit for positions for which they receive financial support.)
• Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands Volunteer at community legal clinics hosted by Middle Tennessee’s Legal Aid Society.
• Pro Bono Pledge. Commit to work 75 pro bono legal service hours over the course of your three years in law school.
• Law Students for Social Justice. Join a student organization that sponsors speakers, events and pro bono service opportunities.
VLS Public Service Pathways
Vanderbilt’s Public Service Pathways program enables new VLS graduates to gain valuable public-sector work experience by supporting them as they pursue permanent employment in a location of their choice. Graduating students secure volunteer legal internships with government agencies, in judicial chambers, with public defenders’ or prosecutors’ offices, or with nonprofit advocacy organizations, which are funded by VLS stipends after graduation. Some graduates have garnered permanent positions at the organizations they first joined as interns; others have secured full-time legal employment elsewhere. The program currently provides financial assistance for bar preparation and stipend support for up to six months.
VLS Loan Repayment Assistance
This program pays from 20 percent to 50 percent of annual loan repayment obligations for up to 10 years for eligible graduates in qualifying public service positions.
Learn more about Public Interest at Vanderbilt Law.
Support for Launching Public Interest Careers
Launching a public interest career is challenging, particularly for new law school graduates entering the legal employment market. Many public interest employers do not have the resources to do significant entry-level hiring. By starting early and taking full advantage of the resources offered by the Public Interest and Career Services offices, students can position themselves as effectively as possible to land an entry-level job and embark on a satisfying public interest career.
Fellowships
Post-graduation fellowships are timelimited employment opportunities that provide pathways into the public interest legal sector for new law graduates. Some fellowships include funding for innovative legal advocacy projects; others are essentially endowed entrylevel attorney positions at nonprofit organizations. All fellowships accelerate new lawyers’ careers by providing valuable professional experience, access
to professional networks, and the distinction of having secured a coveted opportunity to work in the public interest.
Vanderbilt Law School’s endowed George Barrett Social Justice Fellowship is awarded by competitive application to a graduating student to carry out a oneyear public interest project under the supervision and sponsorship of a host organization. Vanderbilt participates in the
Gideon’s Promise Law School Partnership, which provides financial support and training to graduates committed to indigent defense careers. After an initial fellowship period, the graduates transition to full-time public defender positions in participating offices. And in recent years, a number of VLS graduates have secured external fellowships, including highly coveted Skadden and Equal Justice Works fellowships.
The Vanderbilt Law community provided me with the support to begin and sustain a meaningful career in public interest law. I am honored by the opportunity to utilize my expertise to foster the ongoing growth of a vibrant culture of public service at Vanderbilt Law School.
BETH CRUZ | Assistant Dean & Martha Craig Daughtrey Director for Public Interest
More information is available in “Launching Your Public Interest Career: A Vanderbilt Student’s Guide to Fellowships.
Accelerate Your Career with a Judicial Clerkship
As first employment out of law school, a judicial clerkship typically accelerates a young lawyer’s career. A judicial clerkship provides an in-depth, contextual understanding of a wide range of legal issues as well as first-hand knowledge of how judges make decisions and how the judicial system works. As a result, experience as a judicial clerk is highly valued by subsequent legal employers in both the private and public sectors. In
addition, the judges with whom clerks serve often become lifelong mentors and advocates for their former clerks.
The career value of clerking makes these positions extremely competitive, particularly in the national employment market for federal clerkships.
Vanderbilt’s faculty takes an active leadership role in the judicial clerkship program, working closely and
VLS Graduates Taking Federal Clerkships, 2018–22
The ABA does not rank schools based on employment outcomes. We have determined Vanderbilt’s rank based on public ABA data available at www.abarequireddisclosures.org/EmploymentOutcomes.aspx.
I can’t imagine a better transition from student to lawyer than a clerkship. Helping my judge resolve actual cases brought everything I learned in law school to life and gave me invaluable insight into how cases get decided and what it takes to persuade judges— my target audience in the next phase of my career.
CAMERON
NORRIS
|
Class of 2014 Partner, Consovoy McCarthy Park 2017–18 Clerk, Justice Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court
individually with interested students. Professor Michael Bressman heads the program, providing valuable expertise, guidance and support throughout law school and the clerkship application process.
In recent years, Vanderbilt Law graduates have clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court, for each of the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and for a variety of U.S. District Courts across the nation.
Consider a Judicial Clerkship
Recent Vanderbilt Law graduates have clerked for the following U.S. Supreme Court justices:
Justice Sonia Sotomayor (2018–19)
Justice Clarence Thomas (2017–18)
Members of the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 have already served, are currently serving or plan to serve clerkships with the following judges:
Class of 2020
Federal Appellate Courts
• Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr., Third Circuit
• Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt, Fifth Circuit
• Judge Andrew S. Oldham, Fifth Circuit
• Judge Priscilla R. Owen, Fifth Circuit
• Judge James E. Graves Jr., Fifth Circuit
• Judge John K. Bush, Sixth Circuit
• Judge Joan L. Larsen, Sixth Circuit
• Judge John B. Nalbandian, Sixth Circuit
• Judge Eugene E. Siler Jr. Sixth Circuit
• Judge Amul R. Thapar, Sixth Circuit
• Judge Duane Benton, Eighth Circuit
• Judge Andrew L. Brasher, Eleventh Circuit
• Judge Adalberto J. Jordan, Eleventh Circuit
Federal District Courts
• Judge Richard J. Leon, District of Columbia
• Judge Emily Coody Marks, Middle District of Alabama
• Judge Jerome T. Kearney ’81, Eastern District of Arkansas
• Judge Brian S. Miller ’95, Eastern District of Arkansas
• Judge William H. Alsup, Northern District of California
• Judge Edward M. Chen, Northern District of California
• Judge John A. Houston, Southern District of California
• Judge Paul G. Bryon, Middle District of Florida
• Judge William F. Jung, Middle District of Florida
• Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr., Northern District of Georgia
• Judge Danny C. Reeves, Eastern District of Kentucky
• Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove, Eastern District of Kentucky
• Judge Benjamin J. Beaton, Western District of Kentucky
• Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., Western District of Kentucky
• Judge Eldon E. Fallon, Eastern District of Louisiana
• Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr., Western District of Louisiana
• Judge Paul D. Borman, Eastern District of Michigan
• Judge James C. Mahan ’73, District of Nevada
• Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein, Southern District of New York
• Judge David L. Russell, Western District of Oklahoma
• Judge Eduardo C. Robreno, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Judge Eli J. Richardson ’92, Middle District of Tennessee
• Judge Jane J. Boyle, Northern District of Texas
• Judge Mark T. Pittman, Northern District of Texas
• Judge David A. Ezra, District of Hawaii (sitting in the Western District of Texas)
Federal Bankruptcy Courts
• Judge Stacey G. C. Jernigan, Northern District of Texas
State Courts
• Vice Chancellor Joseph R. Slights III, Delaware Court of Chancery
• Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn, Delaware Court of Chancery
• Master in Chancery Patricia W. Griffin, Delaware Court of Chancery
• Judges John R. Grise and Steve A. Wilson, Warren County Circuit Court, Kentucky
• Judge J. Steven Stafford, Tennessee Court of Appeals
• Judge Thomas W. Brothers ’77, Tennessee Circuit Court, 20th District
Class of 2021
Federal Appellate Courts
• Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, D.C. Circuit (2)
• Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, D.C. Circuit
• Judge Richard A. Hertling, Federal Circuit
• Judge Todd Hughes, Federal Circuit
• Judge Kent A. Jordan, Third Circuit
• Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum, Fourth Circuit
• Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, Sixth Circuit
• Judge Joan L. Larson, Sixth Circuit
• Judge Elizabeth Branch, Eleventh Circuit
Federal District Courts
• Judge Paul G. Byron, Middle District of Florida
• Judge Claria Horn Boom ’94, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky
• Judge Danny Reeves, Eastern District of Kentucky
• Judge David J. Hale, Western District of Kentucky
• Judge James C. Mahan ’73, District of Nevada
• Judge Bridget M. Brennan, Northern District of Ohio
• Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr., Southern District of Ohio
• Judge Gene E.K. Pratter, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr., Eastern District of Tennessee
• Judge Travis R. McDonough ’97, Eastern District of Tennessee
Federal Bankruptcy Courts
• Judge Neil W. Bason, Central District of California
• Judge Jacqueline P. Cox, Northern District of Illinois
• Judge Russ Kendig, North District of Ohio
• Judge Louis A. Scarcella, Eastern District of New York
State Courts
• Justice Michel P. Boggs, Georgia Supreme Court
Class of 2022
Federal Appellate Courts
• Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, D.C. Circuit
• Judge Justin R. Walker, D.C. Circuit
• Judge Kent A. Jordan, Third Circuit
• Judge Julius N. Richardson, Fourth Circuit
• Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, Fifth Circuit
• Judge Andrew S. Oldham, Fifth Circuit
• Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, Sixth Circuit
• Judge Chad A. Readler, Sixth Circuit
• Judge Jay Bybee, Ninth Circuit
• Judge Elizabeth L. Branch, Eleventh Circuit (2)
Federal District Courts
• Judge R. David Proctor, Northern District of Alabama
• Judge Lee P. Rudofsky, Eastern District of Arkansas
• Judge Andre Birotte Jr., Central District of California
• Judge Paul G. Byron, Middle District of Florida
• Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, Eastern District of Kentucky
• Judge Benjamin J. Beaton, Western District of Kentucky
• Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr., Western District of Kentucky
• Judge Lance M. Africk, Eastern District of Louisiana
• Judge Keith Starrett, Southern District of Mississippi
• Judge James C. Mahan ’73, District of Nevada (2)
• Judge Travis R. McDonough ’97, Eastern District of Tennessee
• Judge David J. Novak, Eastern District of Virginia (2)
State Courts
• Judge Alan O. Forst, Florida Fourth District Court of Appeals
• Judge Barry R. Tidwell, Tennessee Circuit Court, 16th District
Where Do You Go From Here?
With more than 80 percent of each graduating class taking employment out of state, Vanderbilt Law graduates enjoy geographic mobility nationally, supported by the school’s global alumni network and longstanding relationships with legal employers coast to coast.
Average number of states in which new Vanderbilt Law graduates have taken employment each year, 2018–22.
True Nationwide Employment
J.D. Employment Destinations—Classes of 2018–2022
Class of 2022 Employers by State
ALABAMA (2)
Birmingham Bradley
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama
ALASKA (1)
Anchorage
Holland & Hart
ARKANSAS (1)
Little Rock
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas
CALIFORNIA (9)
Irvine
K&L Gates LLP
Payne & Fears LLP
Los Angeles
Morrison Foerster
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Seyfarth Shaw
Palo Alto
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
San Diego
Latham & Watkins LLP
San Francisco
Knobbe Martens
Ropes & Gray LLP
COLORADO (8)
Brighton
Adams County District Attorney’s Office
Centennial
Office of the District Attorney, 18th Judicial District
Denver
Colorado Center on Law and Policy
Colorado State Public Defender
Office of the Colorado State Public Defender (3)
Powell Project
WASHINGTON, D.C. (18)
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
Campaign Legal Center
Cooley LLP
Fisch Sigler
Foley & Lardner LLP
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Mooney, Green, Saindon, Murphy & Welch, P.C.
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Sidley Austin LLP
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett (2)
Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.
U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of the General Counsel
U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
United States Senate
Wiley Rein LLP
FLORIDA
(3)
Miami
Akerman Senterfitt
Orlando
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
West Palm Beach
4th District Court of Appeals
GEORGIA (11)
Atlanta
Alston & Bird LLP (2)
Ballard Spahr LLP
Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP
Jones Day
King & Spalding LLP
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, L.L.P.
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP (2)
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Fort Benning
U.S. Army JAG Corps
ILLINOIS (5)
Chicago
King & Spalding LLP
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (2)
Mayer Brown LLP
Winston & Strawn LLP
KENTUCKY (3)
Lexington
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky
Louisville
Dentons Bingham Greenebaum
U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky
NEW ORLEANS (1)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
MASSACHUSETTS (3)
Boston
Goodwin Procter LLP
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
Ropes & Gray LLP
MICHIGAN (1)
Grand Rapids
Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett
MINNESOTA (1)
Minneapolis
Jones Day
MISSISSIPPI (1)
Hattiesburg
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Mississippi
MISSOURI (2)
St. Louis
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP (2)
NEVADA (3)
Las Vegas
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court, District of Nevada (2)
NEW YORK (33)
New York
Alston & Bird LLP (2)
Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
Chaffetz Lindsey LLP
Davis Polk & Wardwell (2)
Fox Rothschild LLP (2)
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (3)
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Katten Muchin Rosenman
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (3)
Latham & Watkins LLP
Milbank LLP (4)
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (2)
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
Ropes & Gray LLP (2)
Shearman & Sterling LLP (2)
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
White & Case LLP
Queens Queens District Attorney’s Office
The Bronx Office of the District Attorney, Bronx County
NORTH CAROLINA (2)
Charlotte K&L Gates LLP
Moore & Van Allen, PLLC
OHIO (2)
Cincinnati
U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
Cleveland
Jones Day
OREGON (1)
Beaverton
Nike, Inc.
PENNSYLVANIA (2)
Pittsburgh Cohen & Grigsby, PC McGuireWoods LLP
TENNESSEE (14)
Chattanooga
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee (2)
Franklin The Swafford Law Firm
Memphis
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz
Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee, P.C. DeWitt Law
Nashville
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz (2)
Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC (2)
Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberland
Neal & Harwell (2)
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
TEXAS (15)
Dallas
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.
Baker Botts L.L.P.
Bradley
Norton Rose Fulbright
Reed Smith LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. (2)
Houston
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Locke Lord LLP (3)
U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. (2)
UTAH (2)
Brigham City
Box Elder County Attorney Office
Salt Lake City
Kirkland & Ellis
VIRGINIA (5)
Fort Belvoir
U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (2)
Richmond
District Court for the Eastern District of VA (2)
U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit
WASHINGTON (2)
Seattle
Keller Rohrback, LLP
King County Department of Public Defense
INTERNATIONAL (3)
Switzerland, Geneva
World Intellectual Prop Org
Worldwide
U.S. Army, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (2)
2022 Employment by Geographic Region: Vanderbilt versus All ABA Graduates
Vanderbilt J.D. Class of 2022 Employment Summary
The American Bar Association requires each ABA-approved law school to disclose employment information in a standard format ABA Employment Summary Report. To facilitate comparison of Vanderbilt and other law schools’ employment outcomes, we provide below Vanderbilt’s Class of 2022 Summary Report, to which we have added benchmark statistics describing employment outcomes for 2022 graduates of all ABA-approved law schools nationally.
ABA Standard 509(b) Employment Summary for 2022 Graduates with the Addition of Benchmark Percentages for All 2022 ABA Graduates
Employment Summary for 2022 Graduates
Class of 2022 Salaries
Employed – Bar Passage Required. The position in fact requires or, from the perspective of the employer does or will require, the graduate to pass a bar exam or be authorized to practice law in one or more jurisdictions. Positions that require a graduate to pass a bar exam or be authorized to practice law in a jurisdiction after beginning employment in order to retain the position are included in this category. Examples of positions presumed to be Bar Passage Required include public defender, district attorney, judge advocate general (JAG), judicial law clerk, lawyer/attorney, and associate attorney.
Employed – J.D. Advantage. The position is one in which the possession of a J.D. by the graduate was sought by the employer, required by the employer, or provided a demonstrable advantage in either obtaining or performing the duties of the position from the perspective of the employer. The duties of the position do not require passage of the bar exam or authorization to practice law or involve practicing law. Examples of positions presumed to be J.D. Advantage include landman, tax associate, regulatory analyst, patent agent, FBI agent, paralegal/legal assistant, and compliance manager/specialist.
Employed – Professional Position. The position requires professional skills or training, managerial or supervisory responsibilities, or the
regular use of professional judgment from the perspective of the employer. The possession of a J.D. was neither required nor a demonstrable advantage in obtaining or performing the role from the perspective of the employer. Examples of positions presumed to be Professional Position include bailiff, police officer, nurse, doctor, teacher, or probation officer.
Employed – Other Position. The position does not require any special professional skills or training from the perspective of the employer. Examples of positions presumed to be Other Position include barista, receptionist/ administrative assistant/secretary, restaurant server, and retail sales person.
Employed – Law School/University Funded. The position has a salary that is funded directly or indirectly by the school or its parent institution; in whole or in part by the school or its parent institution; or through donations solicited by or on behalf of the school or its parent institution. Any position meeting this definition is included in this category; the position is not counted in any of the other categories.
Note: A Law School/University Funded position is not counted as such if the following sets of requirements apply: 1) From the perspective of the law school or university, the position is expected to last for a term of one calendar year
or more; 2) the salary the graduate receives is equal to or exceeds $42,500 per year; and 3) the position, and its funding, are open to qualified graduates from all ABA-approved law schools; OR 1) the graduate was employed by the law school or parent institution before starting law school; and 2) the graduate continues to be employed in the same or a similar position as of the Graduate Employment Status Date.
Long-Term vs. Short Term. The position is Long-Term if, from the perspective of the employer, it is expected to last for one calendar year or more from the graduation date or Start Date, whichever is later. The position is ShortTerm if, from the perspective of the employer, it has a definite term of less than one calendar year from the graduation date or Start Date, whichever is later, or an indefinite length and the employer does not reasonably expect that the position will last for one calendar year or more from the graduation date or the Start Date, whichever is later.
Full-Time vs. Part-Time. The position is fulltime if it is one in which the graduate typically works a minimum of 35 hours per week or parttime if it is one in which the graduate typically works less than 35 hours per week.
Standard of Living: Sometimes Less Is More
Salaries vary by location, as does the cost of living, but the two do not always go hand in hand. For example, suppose that in the same year, two new law graduates take jobs that pay $205,000, one in Houston, the other in Los Angeles. Although these might appear to be equal financial outcomes, a $205,000 salary in Houston offers about 64 percent more buying power than the same salary in Los Angeles due to the relative costs of living in these cities.”
Sometimes less is more. A new law graduate taking employment in Nashville with a salary of $165,000 may appear to have done less well than a graduate making $215,000 in New York. But, although the Nashville salary is about 77% of the New York salary, it provides about 79% more buying power.
The source of the information above is an article, “Class of 2022 Buying Power Index,” posted on the National Association for Law Placement website at nalp.org. The article includes a table that shows a calculated Buying Power Index for 102 cities for which at least 10 law firm salaries were reported for law graduates in the Class of 2022 and for which cost-of-living information was available.
To read the NALP article, scan the QR code at the left with your smartphone or visit: https://www.nalp.org/class_of_2022_buying_power_index
Career Services guided me through the 2L OCI process to find my 2L summer job, which led to an offer for a full-time position. Everyone in Career Services works extremely hard to find opportunities for every student and ensure students are wellprepared for interviews and understand the interview process.
CHANDLER RAY | Class of 2021
2022–23 Clerk, Judge Elizabeth L. Branch, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
2021–22 Clerk, Justice Michael P.
Georgia Supreme Court
Boggs,
Vanderbilt Law School
131 21st Ave. S. Nashville, Tennessee 37203
615-322-6452
615-322-1531 fax admissions@law.vanderbilt.edu
Hours: Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central time (except VU holidays)
Location: Beasley Admissions Suite
NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990,the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Executive Order 11246, the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 as amended by the Jobs for Veterans Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, as amended, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, Vanderbilt University does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of their race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service, covered veterans status, or genetic information in its administration of educational policies, programs, or activities; admissions policies; scholarship and loan programs; athletic or other universityadministered programs; or employment. In addition, the university does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of their gender expression. Requests for information, inquiries or complaints should be directed to these offices: Equal Opportunity and Access Office, eoa@vanderbilt.edu, telephone 615-343-9336; Title IX Office, Title IX Coordinator, titleix@vanderbilt.edu, telephone 615-343-9004, 2100 West End Ave., Suite 700, Nashville, TN 37203; Student Access Office, studentaccess@vanderbilt.edu, telephone 615-343-9727.
Email: