Equality at the Starting Line? Gender- and Race-Based Differences at the Transition from Law School to the Legal Profession

Abstract

Data from a longitudinal national survey, After the JD (AJD) Study, are used to investigate how the number of job offers law school graduates received from private and public employers are influenced by individuals’ social, cultural, human and economic capitals, and how job offers as an outcome of law education influence individuals’ income after controlling for other-income generating factors. The results indicated that women and minorities received significantly lower numbers of job offers than men from private employers after controlling for factors such as law school ranking, foreign-born parent(s), and personal finance of law education. In addition, the number of job offers from private employers had a positive impact on annual income two years after graduation for both male and female lawyers that was even stronger than the ranking of law school attended. The significant differences between genders and among individuals of different racial backgrounds are a clear indication of inequality and against the commitment to diversity in the legal system.

Keywords: Law education, gender equity, job offers