The numbers also confirm the YLD’s mentoring plans

By Annie Butterworth Jones
Associate Editor

Young lawyers with three years of experience or less in the legal field appear to be content with their education, according to a survey recently conducted by the Young Lawyers Division and the Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism.

The survey — sent electronically to over 2,000 young Florida attorneys — details young Bar members’ opinions of their law school experiences, including thoughts on student loans, professors, school curriculum, and mental health.

Of the 532 responses received, 75 percent agreed that their law school education had prepared them for the practice of law.

The numbers are encouraging, said Carl Zahner, director of the Bar’s Center for Professionalism.

“Everyone seems happy as a lark. They’re happy to be out of law school; they’re young and healthy. These new members of the Bar are feeling relatively good about themselves.”

Over four-fifths of all respondents agreed that both law school curriculum and professors were adequate in providing the necessary learning experience and skill development needed to practice in the legal field.

Aside from the overall satisfaction reported, perhaps the most promising piece of information to come from the survey results is the surprising fact that, in a faltering economy, only 3 percent of those surveyed reported being unemployed.

“I was really happy about that,” said Renee Thompson, YLD president.

About 70 percent of those who are employed work in private practice positions, a stark contrast to the 1 percent who choose to work for legal aid or legal services. That jump in numbers could be attributed to the astronomical amount of student loans graduates possess as they enter the workforce.

Forty percent of respondents reported that they graduated from law school with over $100,000 in student loan debt (including undergraduate student loans). Sixteen percent reported that their debt was over $150,000.

“To me, that was an astounding number,” said Thompson.

“Eighty-six percent of young lawyers are under the age of 36, and they are carrying upwards of $100,000 in debt. To handle that level of debt coming out is financially challenging for any young lawyer, and the big firms do a good job of recruiting in the law schools.

“Many may have had to make choices outside of public service to maintain some of these debt ratios.”

To help with that heavy load, the YLD supports a legislative position for financial student loan assistance for those who work in public service positions for at least three years. The division also provides law school scholarships to all 11 law schools in the state.

“While it’s not our function to help students pay off their debt, we do offer that funding source to law students,” said Thompson.

Despite the amount of student loans they acquired during their three years in law school, the primary exception to the young lawyers’ reported contentment lies in the area of practical experience.

“Too many people come out of law school without a job and without any practical experience,” replied one responder in the open-ended portion of the survey. “Nonetheless, these people obtain a J.D., pass the bar, and can open up a solo shop. Then, because legal work is at a premium, they take on cases they shouldn’t.

“The degree should not be awarded unless you’ve got that one extra year [of residency] under your belt.”

Although neither the Center for Professionalism nor the YLD can do much about requiring a year of residency from law students, both programs boast increased mentoring and professionalism efforts targeted toward young lawyers who need more practical training.

“Part of the purpose of surveys like these is to take a look at graduates to see what kind of programs we can join together to offer to current students, new graduates, recent graduates, and those practicing in the legal education field itself,” said Zahner. “Any programs we suggest or work on are practical; things they [the young lawyers] feel they need.”

One of Thompson’s primary goals for the YLD this year is to launch the new Mentoring with the Masters program, designed to coincide with the Mentoring Matters section of the YLD website.

Mentoring with the Masters will be an online curriculum with videos on topics ranging from board certification to jury selection. The videos will be available 24/7, giving young lawyers access to the best speakers and practitioners in the field.

The YLD also has increased its relationship with the state’s law schools, offering service and mentoring opportunities to law students before they even begin the process of applying for the Bar. These types of initiatives are often motivated by the results of surveys similar to the one recently conducted, said Thompson.

“It’s always good to see where your membership falls. The survey helps us to know where to channel our resources in the coming year.”