CAREER SERVICES
Class of 2023
Employment Outcomes Judicial Clerkships
Public Interest Careers
Virtual & In-Person (VIP) Interviews 2025
WILL A VANDERBILT LAW DEGREE EQUIP YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR CAREER GOALS?
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.
Each summer, Vanderbilt hosts multiple interview programs with employers in major legal markets, including New York, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, and Chicago. We also host fall and spring career fairs, a smaller spring Virtual Interview Program (VIP), and multiple virtual job fairs. Participating employers include law firms from across the country, 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 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.
Through our comprehensive program of coaching and counseling, you will learn how to approach your job search strategically, identify and secure summer jobs and internships that will enhance your resumé, and make good long-term career decisions based on your career goals.
Even more critically, students gain networking skills and alumni connections through academic program activities, pro bono legal work, externships, and meetings with legal professionals who visit the law school each year to teach short courses or give talks about their areas of practice.
In addition to personalized career counseling, Vanderbilt hosts Virtual and In-Person Interviews and participates in job fairs with legal employers in major legal markets.
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.
J.D. Class of 2023 at a Glance
200 Total graduates
99.5% of 2023 graduates were employed 10 months after graduation.
Ranking
schools based on employment outcomes, cost, and student debt, Above the Law (2024).
Best for Federal Clerkships, Princeton Review (2024).
“Go-To” Law Schools, based on Percentage of Graduates to Nation’s 100 Largest Firms, National Law Journal / Law.com (2024).
Percentage of 2023 graduates who took “elite” full-time, long-term, bar-passage required jobs, either federal clerkships or associates at firms of 100 or more attorneys (69.4%, based on ABA data). 10 9 8 11 NO. NO. NO. NO.
84% of 2023 graduates took employment outside Tennessee across 29 states, Washington, D.C., and abroad (85% of 2019–23 graduates took employment outside Tennessee across 39 states, D.C., and abroad).
$215,000 J.D. Class of 2023 private sector median salary; average salary $190,928 (based on 139 of 150 graduates reporting salaries). Public sector media salary $69,107; average salary $68,914 (based on 47 of 49 graduates reporting salaries).
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.
of the Top 50 law
EXPERT ADVICE. EXCELLENT OUTCOMES.
Vanderbilt’s Career Services Office has a wellearned reputation for its effectiveness in helping students and graduates to secure top-tier employment and meet individual career goals.
Benefits include:
•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
Virtual Interview Program (VIP)
Legal employers representing hundreds of offices located throughout the nation and abroad interview Vanderbilt 2L and 3L students for summer and permanent employment. See page 3 for a list of participating employers.
1L Career Fairs
Vanderbilt Law 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 3 for more information.
Winter Virtual Interview Session
Employers from law firms across the nation join Vanderbilt each winter to interview first-year students for summer employment.
Job Fairs
Students may participate in 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 graduates online and updated continuously.
Judicial Clerkship Program
Vanderbilt offers a faculty-led judicial clerkship program that helps students apply for competitive clerkships. See pages 12-13 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 10-11 for more information.
“[My Career Services counselor] walked me through every step.
Once we had narrowed down where I wanted to be and what type of law I wanted to practice, she helped me find firms, showed me how to reach out to them, and practice the kinds of conversations you have for interviews, which I had never done in my life.”
ANSLEY MCDURMON ‘25
Summer Intern, Sidley Austin
VIP PROGRAMS AND MINGLES BY LOCATION
Firms seek to hire Vanderbilt Law students through a variety of programs sponsored by the Career Services Office. The following list shows all employers who participated in Vanderbilt’s Virtual and In-Person Interview program (VIP) during the past three VIP seasons (2022, 2023, and 2024) and / or attended mingles in either fall 2023 or spring 2024, by the office locations for which they were hiring associates.
ALABAMA
Birmingham Baker Donelson
Balch & Bingham LLP
Bradley Burr & Forman, LLP
Butler Snow LLP
Holland & Knight LLP
Lightfoot, Franklin & White, LLC
Maynard Nexsen PC
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Starnes Davis Florie, LLP
Huntsville
Bradley Maynard Nexsen PC
Mobile
Maynard Nexsen PC
Montgomery
Balch & Bingham LLP
Bradley Maynard Nexsen PC
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Greenberg Traurig
Husch Blackwell
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Perkins Coie
CALIFORNIA
Bay Area
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Century City
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Latham & Watkins
McGuireWoods
O’Melveny & Myers
Reed Smith
Sidley Austin
Irvine
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Jones Day
Rutan & Tucker
Los Angeles
Allen & Overy
Alston & Bird
Cooley
Barnes & Thornburg
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Frost Brown Todd
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Goodwin Procter
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Husch Blackwell
Jones Day
K&L Gates
Katten Munchin Rosenmann
Kilpatrick
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Mayer Brown
McGuireWoods
Milbank
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Perkins Coie
Polsinelli
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Sidley Austin
Skadden
Sullivan & Cromwell
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Venable
Newport Beach
O’Melveny & Myers
Northern California
Mayer Brown
Oakland
Husch Blackwell
Orange County
Frost Brown Todd
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
K&L Gates
Latham & Watkins
Reed Smith
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Palo Alto
Allen & Overy
Baker Botts
Foley & Lardner
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Kirkland & Ellis
Perkins Coie
Ropes & Gray
Sidley Austin
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett
Skadden
Sullivan & Cromwell
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Sacramento
Greenberg Traurig
San Diego
Barnes & Thornburg
Cooley
Foley & Lardner
Greenberg Traurig
Jones Day
Latham & Watkins
Perkins Coie
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
San Francisco
Allen & Overy
Alston & Bird
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Benesch
Cooley
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Frost Brown Todd
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Goodwin Procter
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Kilpatrick
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
McGuireWoods
O’Melveny & Myers
Perkins Coie
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Sidley Austin
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Venable
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Santa Monica
Goodwin Procter
Silicon Valley
Alston & Bird
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Goodwin Procter
Greenberg Traurig
Jones Day
Kilpatrick
King & Spalding
Latham & Watkins
O’Melveny & Myers
Ropes & Gray
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Walnut Creek
Kilpatrick
COLORADO
Denver
Butler Snow LLP
Fox Rothschild
Frost Brown Todd
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Greenberg Traurig
Husch Blackwell
Kilpatrick
CONNECTICUT
Stamford
Holland & Knight LLP
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Allen & Overy
Alston & Bird
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Baker Donelson
Barnes & Thornburg
Bradley
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Cooley
Eversheds Sutherland (US)
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
Frost Brown Todd
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Goodwin Procter
Greenberg Traurig
Hogan Lovells US
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Husch Blackwell
Jones Day
K&L Gates
Katten Munchin Rosenmann
Kilpatrick
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Mayer Brown
McGuireWoods
Milbank
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Paul, Weiss
Perkins Coie
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Sidley Austin
Skadden
Sullivan & Cromwell
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Venable
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
White & Case
Williams & Connolly
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
DELAWARE
Wilmington
Barnes & Thornburg
Benesch
Fox Rothschild
Greenberg Traurig
Reed Smith
Richards, Layton & Finger
Skadden
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
FLORIDA
Fort Lauderdale
Baker Donelson
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Fort Myers
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Jacksonville
Balch & Bingham LLP
Foley & Lardner
Holland & Knight LLP
McGuireWoods
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Miami
Fox Rothschild
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Jones Day
K&L Gates
Kirkland & Ellis
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Reed Smith
Sidley Austin
Venable
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
White & Case
Orlando
Baker Donelson
Foley & Lardner
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Plantation
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Tallahassee
Baker Donelson
Greenberg Traurig
Tampa
Bradley
Foley & Lardner
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
West Palm Beach
Fox Rothschild
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
GEORGIA
Alpharetta
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Atlanta
Alston & Bird
Baker Donelson
Balch & Bingham LLP
Barnes & Thornburg
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Butler Snow LLP
Eversheds Sutherland (US)
Fox Rothschild
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Jones Day
Kilpatrick
King & Spalding
McGuireWoods
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Macon
Baker Donelson
ILLINOIS
Berwyn
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Chicago
Baker & McKenzie
Barnes & Thornburg
Benesch
Cooley
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Husch Blackwell
Irwin IP
Jones Day
K&L Gates
Katten Munchin Rosenmann
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Locke Lord
Mayer Brown
McGuireWoods
Perkins Coie
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Sidley Austin
Skadden
Taft
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Venable
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
INDIANA
Indianapolis
Barnes & Thornburg
Dentons
Frost Brown Todd
Taft
South Bend
Barnes & Thornburg
KENTUCKY
Florence
Frost Brown Todd
Lexington
Frost Brown Todd
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Louisville
Dentons
Frost Brown Todd
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
LOUISIANA
Baton Rouge
Baker Donelson
Mandeville
Baker Donelson
New Orleans
Baker Donelson
MARYLAND
Baltimore
Baker Donelson
McGuireWoods Venable
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
Allen & Overy
Barnes & Thornburg
Cooley
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Goodwin Procter
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Husch Blackwell
Jones Day
K&L Gates
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Locke Lord
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Ropes & Gray
Sidley Austin
Skadden
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
MICHIGAN
Detroit
Foley & Lardner
Jones Day
Taft
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis
Barnes & Thornburg
Fox Rothschild
Greenberg Traurig
Husch Blackwell
Jones Day
Norton Rose Fulbright
Taft
MISSISSIPPI
Gulfport
Balch & Bingham LLP
Jackson
Baker Donelson
Balch & Bingham LLP
Barnes & Thornburg
Bradley
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Ridgeland
Butler Snow LLP
MISSOURI
Jefferson City
Husch Blackwell
Kansas City
Fox Rothschild
Husch Blackwell
Polsinelli
Springfield
Husch Blackwell
St. Louis
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Foley & Lardner
Husch Blackwell
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Norton Rose Fulbright
Polsinelli
NEBRASKA
Omaha
Husch Blackwell
NEW JERSEY
Atlantic City
Fox Rothschild
Florham Park
Greenberg Traurig
Morristown
Fox Rothschild
Princeton
Fox Rothschild
Reed Smith
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Newark
K&L Gates
NEW YORK
Albany
Greenberg Traurig
Long Island
Greenberg Traurig
New York
Allen & Overy
Alston & Bird
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Benesch
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Cooley
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Goodwin Procter
Greenberg Traurig
Hogan Lovells US
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Jones Day
K&L Gates
Katten Munchin Rosenmann
Kilpatrick
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Locke Lord
Mayer Brown
McGuireWoods
Milbank
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Paul, Weiss
Perkins Coie
Polsinelli
Proskauer
Reed Smith
Ropes & Gray
Sidley Austin
Skadden
Sullivan & Cromwell
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Venable
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
White & Case
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
NEVADA
Las Vegas
Fox Rothschild
Greenberg Traurig
NORTH CAROLINA
Charlotte
Alston & Bird
Bradley
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
Fox Rothschild
Greenberg Traurig
Hunton Andrews Kurth
K&L Gates
Katten Munchin Rosenmann
King & Spalding
Mayer Brown
McGuireWoods
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Greensboro
Fox Rothschild
Raleigh/Research Triangle
Alston & Bird
Baker Donelson
Barnes & Thornburg
Fox Rothschild
K&L Gates
Kilpatrick
McGuireWoods
Winston Salem
Kilpatrick
OHIO
Cincinnati
Frost Brown Todd Taft
Cleveland Benesch
Jones Day Taft
Columbus
Barnes & Thornburg
Benesch
Frost Brown Todd
Jones Day
Taft
Dayton Taft
West Chester
Frost Brown Todd
OREGON
Portland
Greenberg Traurig
K&L Gates
Perkins Coie
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City
Fox Rothschild
PENNSYLVANIA
Blue Bell
Fox Rothschild
Exton
Fox Rothschild
Harrisburg
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Philadelphia Cooley
Fox Rothschild
Goodwin Procter
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Reed Smith
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Pittsburgh
Fox Rothschild
Frost Brown Todd
Jones Day
K&L Gates
McGuireWoods
Reed Smith
Troutman
Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Princeton
Fox Rothschild
RHODE ISLAND
Providence
Husch Blackwell
Locke Lord
SOUTH CAROLINA
Charleston
Baker Donelson
Butler Snow LLP
Columbia
Baker Donelson
Greenville
Fox Rothschild
TENNESSEE
Chattanooga
Baker Donelson
Barnes & Thornburg
Holland & Knight LLP
Husch Blackwell
Franklin
Starnes Davis Florie
Jackson
Baker Donelson
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Johnson City
Baker Donelson
Knoxville
Baker Donelson
Memphis
Baker Donelson
Butler Snow LLP
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Nashville
Baker Donelson
Barnes & Thornburg
Bradley
Burr & Forman, LLP
Butler Snow LLP
Frost Brown Todd
Holland & Knight LLP
Husch Blackwell
K&L Gates
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
Polsinelli
Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison
Sims Funk
TEXAS
Austin
Baker Botts
Barnes & Thornburg
Butler Snow LLP
Greenberg Traurig
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Husch Blackwell
Jackson Walker
K&L Gates
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Locke Lord
McGuireWoods
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Perkins Coie
Reed Smith
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Dallas
Akin Gump
Alston & Bird
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Barnes & Thornburg
Bradley
Foley & Lardner
Fox Rothschild
Frost Brown Todd
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Greenberg Traurig
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Husch Blackwell
Jackson Walker
Jones Day
K&L Gates
Katten Munchin Rosenmann
Kirkland & Ellis
Locke Lord
McGuireWoods
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Perkins Coie
Polsinelli
Reed Smith
Sidley Austin
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Winston & Strawn
Vinson & Elkins
Fort Worth
Alston & Bird
Jackson Walker
Houston
Akin Gump
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Baker Donelson
Barnes & Thornburg
Bradley
Bracewell
Foley & Lardner
Frost Brown Todd
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Greenberg Traurig
Haynes & Boone, LLP
Holland & Knight LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth
Jackson Walker
Jones Day
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Locke Lord
Mayer Brown
McGuireWoods
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers
Perkins Coie
Reed Smith
Schiffer Hicks Johnson
Sidley Austin
Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett
Skadden
Vinson & Elkins
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
White & Case
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Winston & Strawn
San Antonio
Jacson Walker
Norton Rose Fulbright
UTAH
Salt Lake City
Foley & Lardner
Greenberg Traurig
Kirkland & Ellis
Mayer Brown
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
VIRGINIA
Charlottesville
McGuireWoods
Falls Church
Baker Donelson
Barnes & Thornburg
Norfolk
McGuireWoods
Northern Virginia
Greenberg Traurig
King & Spalding
Richmond
Hunton Andrews Kurth
McGuireWoods
Reed Smith
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
Tysons
Holland & Knight LLP
McGuireWoods
Reed Smith
Venable
Virginia Beach
Troutman Pepper Hamilton
Sanders
WASHINGTON
Seattle
Fox Rothschild
K&L Gates
Kilpatrick
Perkins Coie
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
WEST VIRGINIA
Charleston
Frost Brown Todd
K&L Gates
WISCONSIN
Madison
Foley & Lardner
Husch Blackwell
Milwaukee
Foley & Lardner
Husch Blackwell
EXTERNSHIPS & SUMMER STIPENDS
Vanderbilt Law students have ample opportunities to gain substantial experience working alongside legal professionals anywhere in the world. Externships and summer stipends allow students to choose and design placements tailored to their individual interests, typically by working with federal or state judges, prosecutors, defenders, or agencies; state attorneys general or legislative offices; corporate legal departments; or legal aid or other nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations.
Vanderbilt also offers two public service summer fellowships. The Environmental Fellowship provides financial support 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.
Externships: Course Credit for Supervised Legal Work Experience
Students may engage in externships throughout the U.S. and overseas in self-designed placements or through the International Legal Studies Program and the Energy, Environment & Land Use Program, both of which sponsor semester externships in Washington, D.C., and abroad.
Students may also engage in semester-long or summer externships in Nashville in self-designed placements or at sites that include the chambers of judges and magistrates of the Middle District of Tennessee’s federal district and bankruptcy courts; the Tennessee Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals and of Criminal Appeals for Tennessee’s Middle Section; in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office, and the Metropolitan Nashville Public Defender’s Office; with the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands; and with other courts, law offices, and advocacy organizations.
2024 Government & Nonprofit Summer Internships
WHERE ARE THEY GOING?
“The generous support provided by the Garrison Social Justice Scholarship will allow me to move one step closer to achieving my professional goal of leading a career in advocacy and litigation.”
KYLE SMITH ‘26
Garrison Social Justice Scholar, who spent summer 2024 participating in the ACLU of Kentucky’s Southern Legal Internship Program
GAIN VALUABLE LEGAL EXPERIENCE THROUGH EXTERNSHIPS
During summer 2024, 73 Vanderbilt Law students worked for legal employers in 14 states, Washington, D.C., and for legal non-profits in London, U.K., The Hague, Netherlands, and Valletta, Malta. The students receive stipend support to help defray their living expenses or earn course credit for their unpaid legal work with a variety of government and nonprofit legal employers.
Students received Vanderbilt Law stipends to support their legal work with the following organizations:
Federal District Courts
• Judge David M. Lawson, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
• Judge David C. Norton, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
• Judge Karen L. Stevenson, U.S. District Court for the District of California
• Judge Katherine A. Crytzer, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
• Judge Malachy E. Mannion, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• Judge Orelia E. Merchant, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• Judge Thomas M. Durkin, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices
• Southern District of Florida, Miami
• Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville
Federal Agencies
• Social Security Administration, Office of General Counsel, Remote
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Nashville
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Human Rights Violator and War Crime Center, Washington, D.C.
Federal Public Defenders
• Federal Public Defender of Idaho, Capital Habeas Unit, Boise
• Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville
State Agencies
• Nashville Department of Law, Nashville
• New York City Housing Authority Law Department, New York
• New York City Law Department, New York
• New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, New York
• Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Nashville
• Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Nashville
• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Nashville
• The City of Oceanside, Office of General Counsel, Oceanside
State Attorneys General
• Office of the Florida Attorney General, Antitrust Division, Tallahassee
• Office of the Tennessee Attorney General, Nashville
State Courts
• Judge Alexander S. Bokor, Third District Court of Appeals
• Judge Andrew W. Silverman, New York Court of Claims
• Judge Joseph Woodruff, Circuit Court 21st Judicial District; Franklin, TN
• Judge Margaret A. Chan, New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division; Manhattan, NY
• Judge Teresa L. Welch, Utah State Courts, Third District; Salt Lake City, UT
• Judges Thomas F. Mulvahill & J. Keith Collins, Colorado State Court, 20th Judicial District; Boulder, CO
• Judge William McKinnon, South Carolina Circuit Court, York, SC
• 15th Judicial Circuit Court, West Palm Beach, FL
State Prosecutors
• Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, Pittsburgh
• Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, Santa Barbara
Public Defenders
• Cook County Public Defender, Chicago
• Georgia Public Defender, Atlanta
• Nashville Defenders, Nashville
• State of Tennessee District Public Defenders, Appellate Division, Franklin
• Tennessee Office of the PostConviction Defender, Nashville
Nonprofit Legal Organizations
• American Bar Association, Washington, D.C.
• Beyond Legal Aid Chicago, Chicago
• Disability Rights Tennessee, Nashville
• Environmental Defense Fund, U.S. Legal and Regulatory Team, Boulder
• Harpeth Conservancy, Brentwood
• Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Nashville
• Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Boston
• Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Litigation & Law Department, Washington, D.C.
• Tennessee Disability Coalition, Nashville
• Tennessee Innocence Project, Nashville
• Tennessee Justice Center, Nashville
• YMCA of Middle Tennessee, Nashville
International
• Academia Cerebra, Manchester, U.K.
• Asser Institute; The Hague, Netherlands
• Guernica 37 Centre; London, U.K.
• The International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, Valletta, Malta
Other
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of General Counsel, Nashville
2023-2024 SEMESTER EXTERNSHIPS FOR COURSE CREDIT
Spring 2024
• American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• American Health Law Association; Washington, DC
• Beacon Center of Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• Judge Chip Frensley, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN (2)
• Judge Eli Richardson, U.S. District Court for the District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN (2)
• Judge Stanley Kweller, Fourth Circuit Court of Davidson County; Nashville, TN
• Justice Sarah K. Campbell, Tennessee Supreme Court; Nashville, TN (3)
• Nashville Defenders; Nashville, TN (2)
• Tennessee Solicitor General’s Office; Nashville, TN (2)
• Thurgood Marshall Institute; Washington, DC
• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN (2)
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Nashville, TN
• U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division’s Aviation, Space & Admiralty Litigation Office; Washington, DC
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Washington, DC
Fall 2023
• Administrative Conference of the United States; Washington, DC
• American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• Disabilities Rights Tennessee; Nashville, TN (2)
• Harpeth Conservancy; Brentwood, TN
• Judge Chip Frensley, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• Judge Eli Richardson, U.S. District Court for the District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• Judge Robin K. Hayes, Davidson County General Sessions Court; Nashville, TN
• Judge Waverly Crenshaw, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN (2)
• Justice Sarah K. Campbell, Tennessee Supreme Court; Nashville, TN (3)
• Legal Aid Society of New York; Bronx, NY
• Nashville Defenders; Nashville, TN
• Porsche Cars North America; Atlanta, GA
• Southern Environmental Law Center; Nashville, TN
• Tennessee Attorney General’s Office; Nashville, TN
• Tennessee Department of Education; Nashville, TN
• Texas Advocacy Project; Austin, TX
• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN (3)
• U.S. Department of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; New York, NY
• U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Trustee Office of Nashville; Nashville, TN
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama; Mobile, AL
• U.S. Federal Trade Commission; Atlanta, GA
• Vanderbilt Athletics Compliance Department; Nashville, TN (2)
• Vanderbilt, Office of General Counsel; Nashville, TN (2)
Spring 2023
• American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• Choosing Justice Initiative; Nashville, TN
• Clarity Value; Remote
• Davidson County District Attorney’s Office; Nashville, TN
• Disabilities Rights Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• Harpeth Conservancy; Brentwood, TN (2)
• Judge Chip Frensley, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• Judge Lynn Ingram, Eighth Circuit Court of Davidson County; Nashville, TN
• Judge Marcus Floyd, Davidson County General Sessions Court; Nashville, TN
• Judge Matthew Cloutier, Tennessee Supreme Court; Nashville, TN
• Judge Sheila Calloway; Davidson County Juvenile Court; Nashville, TN
• Judge Waverly Crenshaw, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee; Nashville, TN
• Justice Jeffery Bivins, Tennessee Supreme Court; Nashville, TN
• Nashville Defenders; Nashville, TN (2)
• National Center for Youth Law; Oakland, CA
• Southern Environmental Law Center; Nashville, TN
• Southern Migrant Legal Services; Nashville, TN
• Summit Behavioral Healthcare; Franklin, TN
• Tennessee Attorney General’s Office; Nashville, TN
• U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division; Washington, DC
• U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division; Washington, DC
• U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental and Natural Resources Division; Washington, DC
• U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Trustee Office of Nashville; Nashville, TN
• U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor; Nashville, TN
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Washington, DC
• Vanderbilt Athletics Compliance Department; Nashville, TN
2023/2024 Full Semester Externships
International (1)
•U.S. Department of State; U.S. Mission to the United Nation Switzerland (Fall 2023)
Federal Agencies (1)
•RLSO Naval District Washington; Washington, DC (Spring 2023)
•Arnold Air Force Base; Tullahoma, TN (Spring 2023)
State Public Defender (1)
•Broward Public Defender; Fort Lauderdale, FL (Spring 2023)
Corporate Counsel (1)
• The Advisory Incorporated; Memphis, TN (Fall 2023)
PUBLIC INTEREST CAREERS
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. The George Barrett Social Justice Program offers hands-on training and mentoring specifically designed to prepare graduates for work in the public interest.
Specialized Career Advising
The Assistant Dean for Public Interest works one-on-one with students seeking public interest careers. Vanderbilt Law’s 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.
Fellowships
Post-graduation fellowships are time-limited employment opportunities that provide pathways into the public interest legal sector for new law graduates. 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.
The George Barrett Social Justice Fellowship is awarded by competitive application to a graduating student to carry out a one-year 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.
Vanderbilt Law School Loan Repayment Assistance
This program pays 100 percent of annual loan repayment obligations for up to 10 years for students who earn less than $70,000.
PUBLIC INTEREST
Browse through the resources available to those seeking public interest careers.
“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 PUBLIC INTEREST CAREERS GUIDE
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.
Graduates Taking Federal Clerkships, 2019–23
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.
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 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.
CLERKSHIPS
Find out where our students have accepted clerkships and more.
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 2022, 2023, and 2024 have already served, are currently serving or plan to serve clerkships with the following judges:
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
Class of 2023
Federal Appellate Courts
• Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, Sixth Circuit
• Judge Dana M. Douglas, Fifth Circuit
Federal District Courts
• Judge Carlos E. Mendoza, Middle District of Florida
• Judge Lee P. Rudofsky, Eastern District of Arkansas
• Judge Jon P. McCalla, Western District of Tennessee
• Judge Travis R. McDonough, Eastern • District of Tennessee
• Judge Dana M. Douglas, Fifth Circuit
• Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr., Eastern District of Tennessee
• Senior Judges, D.C. Court of Appeals
State Courts
• Judge Toby Hampson, North Carolina Court of Appeals
• Judge Camille R. McMullen, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
• Judge Kimarie Rahill, New Jersey Superior Court, Vicinage 13
Class of 2024
Federal Appellate Courts
• Judge Kenneth K. Lee, Ninth Circuit
• Judge Kenneth F. Ripple, Seventh Circuit
• Judge Jane L. Kelly, Eighth Circuit
• Judge Duane Benton, Eighth Circuit
• Judge Adalberto J. Jordan, 11th Circuit
• Judge Danielle J. Forrest, Ninth Circuit
Federal District Courts
• Judge Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach, District of Puerto Rico
• Judge Jed S. Rakoff, Southern District of New York
• Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II, Southern District of Florida
• Judge Travis R. McDonough, Eastern District of Tennessee
• Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle, Eastern District of Texas
• Judge Thomas L. Parker, Western District of Tennessee
• Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle, Middle District of Florida
• Judge Eli J. Richardson, Middle District of Tennessee
• Judge Gregory N. Stivers, Western District of Kentucky
• Judge Claria Horn Boom, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky
• Judge Michael Brown, Northern District of Georgia
• Judge Diana S. Saldaña, Southern District of Texas
• Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, Western District of Kentucky
• Judge Samuel H. Mays Jr., Western District of Tennessee
• Judge Jon P. McCalla, Western District of Tennessee
• Judge Raag Singhal, Southern District of Florida
• Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., Western District of Tennessee
• Judge Dena H. Palermo, Southern District of Texas, Magistrate
State Courts
• Judge C. David Briley, Tennessee Circuit Court, 20th Judicial District
• Judge Jacqueline M. Bluth, Nevada Eighth Judicial District Court
• Judge Edward Artau, Florida Fourth District Court of Appeals
• Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz, Florida Fourth District Court of Appeals
• Judge Lynne T. Ingram, Tennessee Circuit Court, 20th Judicial District
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.
WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE? 32.2
Average number of states in which new Vanderbilt Law graduates have taken employment each year, 2019–23.
NATIONWIDE EMPLOYMENT
J.D. EMPLOYMENT DESTINATIONS—CLASSES OF 2019–2023
International: 11 Bahrain(1) Belgium(1) China(6) London,U.K.(1) Nepal(1) Switzerland(1) U.S. Military JAG: 15
DOMESTIC GRADUATES AT A GLANCE
Class: 20192020202120222023Total
New York 2623343642161
Tennessee3423281533133
Texas 1929191728112
Washington, DC 22525192293
Georgia 9141612758
California 1610510849
Florida 13383532
Illinois 3866932
Colorado 2228721
Pennsylvania8432320
Kentucky 3543318
Ohio 4652118
North Carolina 4342417
Alabama 2532113
Massachusetts 2 – – 3 5 10
New Jersey 4121210
Louisiana 2 3 – 1 2 8
Delaware 2 3 – – 2 7
Missouri 1 1 – 4 1 7
Nevada 111317
Virginia
The remaining 26% took employment across another 32 states and internationally.
1 – – 6 – 7
Michigan 121116
SouthCarolina 3 – 2 – 1 6
Minnesota 2 – – 1 2 5
Mississippi – 1 1 1 2 5
Oklahoma 111115
Washington 2 – 1 2 – 5
Arkansas
Nebraska
1 2 – 1 – 4
1 1 2 – – 4
Oregon 1 1 – 1 1 4
Maryland 1 1 – – 1 3
Utah – – 1 2 – 3
Alaska – – 1 1 – 2
Indiana 1 – – – 1 2
Kansas 1 1 – – – 2
NewMexico – 1 – – 1 2
Arizona 1 – – – – 1
Connecticut – 1 – – – 1
NewHampshire – – 1 – – 1
Wisconsin – – – – 1 1
INTERNATIONAL / U.S. MILITARY WORLDWIDE / U.S. TERRITORIES GRADUATES AT A GLANCE
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Bahrain(1) China(2) China(3) Switzerland(1) China(1) Nepal(1) U.S.Army JAG (3) Belgium(1) U.S.Army JAG (4) U.S.Army JAG (2) U.S. Army JAG (2) London,U.K.(1) U.S.MarineCorpsJAG(1) U.S. Army JAG (3) U.S.Airforce(1)
CLASS OF 2023 EMPLOYERS BY STATE
ALABAMA (1)
Birmingham Bradley
CALIFORNIA (8)
Lake Forest
Freedom Forever
Los Angeles
Seyfarth Shaw
Riverside
Riverside County District Attorney
San Francisco
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Ropes & Gray LLP (3)
COLORADO (7)
Castle Rock
Office of the District Attorney, 18th Judicial District
Denver
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Husch Blackwell
Office of the Attorney General, Colorado Department of Law (2)
Office of the Colorado State Public Defender
Polsinelli
WASHINGTON, D.C. (22)
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Cooley LLP
Dentons US LLP
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Site Remediation Enforcement
Foley & Lardner LLP
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Grameen Foundation
Hogan Lovells US LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton (2)
Sidley Austin LLP (3)
U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters
U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Department of Justice, Access to Justice Initiative
U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability
Venable LLP
D.C. Court of Appeals
Farmworker Justice
DELAWARE
(2)
Wilmington Bayard, P.A.
Womble Bond Dickinson
FLORIDA (5)
Coral Gables
Goldstein & Company
Fort Lauderdale
Gunster
Jacksonville
Fidelity National Title Group
Orlando
King, Blackwell, Zehnder & Wermuth
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
GEORGIA
(7)
Atlanta
Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Emory University School of Law
Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP
King & Spalding LLP
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP
Mableton
Your Brand’s Law Firm
ILLINOIS (9)
Chicago
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
King & Spalding LLP
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (2)
Locke Lord LLP
Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP
Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP
Paul Hastings LLP
INDIANA (1)
Indianapolis
Woodford Sathappan McGee
KENTUCKY (3)
Lexington
Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP
Louisville
Strause Law Group, LLC
U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky
LOUISIANA (2)
New Orleans
Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
MASSACHUSETTS (5)
Boston
Goodwin Procter LLP
Jones Day
Ropes & Gray LLP
U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
Worcester
Community Legal Aid
MARYLAND (1)
Fort Meade
U.S. Army JAG Corps
MICHIGAN (1)
Detroit
Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP
MINNESOTA (2)
Minneapolis
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
MISSISSIPPI (2)
Greeneville
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Mississippi
Madison
City of Madison
MISSOURI (1)
St. Louis
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
NEVADA (1)
Reno
Richard Harris Law Firm
NEW JERSEY (2)
Morristown
Fox Rothschild LLP
Trenton
New Jersey Judiciary
NEW MEXICO (1)
Albuquerque
U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico
NEW YORK (42)
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Defender Services
New York
A Better Balance
ACA Global
Alston & Bird LLP (2)
Baker Botts L.L.P.
Darger Errante Yavitz & Blau LLP
Dechert LLP
Dentons US LLP
Fenwick & West LLP
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (2)
Goodwin Procter LLP (2)
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Hogan Lovells US LLP (2)
Immigrant Justice Corps
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Kennedys Law
King & Spalding LLP
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (3)
Latham & Watkins LLP (2)
Milbank LLP (2)
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Paul Hastings LLP
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Ropes & Gray LLP
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (2)
The Legal Aid Society of NYC
U.S. Court of International Trade
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (2)
NORTH CAROLINA (4)
Charlotte
K&L Gates LLP
Moore & Van Allen, PLLC (2)
Raleigh
North Carolina Court of Appeals
OHIO (1)
Cleveland
Jones Day
OKLAHOMA (1)
Tulsa
She Still Rises
OREGON
(1)
Portland Stoel Rives LLP
PENNSYLVANIA
(3)
Philadelphia Ballard Spahr LLP
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
Pittsburgh
Jones Day
SOUTH CAROLINA
(1)
Charleston
Southern Environmental Law Center
TENNESSEE (33)
Brentwood
Farrar Bates Berexa Meridian Law, PLLC
Chattanooga Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
Franklin
Buerger, Moseley & Carson, PLC
Franktown Open Hearts
Outkick The Coverage, LLC
Knoxville
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
Memphis
U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
Nashville
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz
Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC (4)
Burr & Forman, LLP
Crow Estate Planning & Probate
Holland & Knight LLP(2)
K&L Gates LLP (3)
Maynard Nexsen PC
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, L.L.P. (2)
Office of the District Attorney General –20th Judicial District
Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts
Tennessee Innocence Project
Tennessee Justice Center
Vanderbilt Law School
Vanderbilt Law School, AI Law Lab
Vanderbilt University Office of the General Counsel (2)
TEXAS (28)
Austin
Gjerset & Lorenz, LLP
Hembree Bell Law Firm
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (2)
Travis County Public Defender’s Office
Dallas
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.(2)
Alston & Bird LLP
Haynes and Boone, LLP(2)
Husch Blackwell
Katten Munchin Rosenmann LLP
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (2)
Sidley Austin LLP (3)
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Peter O’Donnell, Jr. School of Public Health
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Winston & Strawn LLP (4)
Houston
Winston & Strawn LLP. (3)
Irving McKesson Corporation
Killeen
U.S. Army JAG
WISCONSIN (1)
Milwaukee Foley & Lardner LLP
INTERNATIONAL (3)
Shanghai
Commerce & Finance Law Offices
VANDERBILT J.D. CLASS OF 2023 EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY
EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY FOR 2023 GRADUATES
Employment Status
Employment Type
Class of 2023 Salaries
Class of 2023 Salaries and Employment by Region
IN, MI, OH, WI
West North Central IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD
South Atlantic DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV
KY, MS, TN
LA, OK, TX
AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY
AK, CA, HI, OR, WA
locations
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.
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.
more; 2) the salary the graduate receives is equal to or exceeds $45,000 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 Short-Term 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 full-time if it is one in which the graduate typically works a minimum of 35 hours per week or part-time if it is one in which the graduate typically works less than 35 hours per week. 2023 Employment
Employed – Professional Position. The position requires professional skills or training, managerial or supervisory responsibilities, or the regular use
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
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.
READ FULL ARTICLE
Read the full “Class of 2022 Buying Power Index“ article on the NALP site.
Vanderbilt Law School
131 21st Ave. S. Nashville, Tennessee 37203
615-322-6452
615-640-6774 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 university-administered 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.
