Baylor Law School Achieves Highest Employment Rate Among Texas Law Schools

Media contact: Joshua Weaver, Baylor Law School marketing and public relations specialist

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WACO, Texas (May 9, 2016) – In a legal job market that is slowly rebounding, Baylor Law School posted its highest employment numbers since 2006, and, among the nine Texas law schools that reported employment data for the Class of 2015, showed the greatest gains in employment numbers this year.

Baylor secured the top overall job placement rate for the state, tied with one other school. Other statistics show:

• 92.6 percent of the class members were employed as of March 15, 2016, which represents a 7.6 percent increase compared to 2014.

• 85 percent of graduates are employed in full-time, long-term positions that require a bar license or prefer a J.D. degree, an 18 percent jump.

• As noted by The Texas Lawbook, Baylor also fared the best in job placements for lawyer-only positions (bar passage required), placing nearly 82 percent of its 2015 graduates in such positions.

• Baylor Law School graduates garnered higher salaries this year, with the average salary increasing from $77,894 a year ago to $82,146 in 2015.

“The significant improvement in our employment rate this year cannot be explained by any single factor,” said Angela Cruseturner, Baylor Law School’s assistant dean for career development. “The Class of 2015 was committed to the job-search process and worked diligently to find opportunities; the legal market is improving; and the Career Development Office succeeded in our aggressive outreach to employers and our commitment to connecting employers and candidates in a mutually beneficial way.”

The Career Development Office (CDO) reorganized in 2012 by separating employer outreach and student counseling duties — one of the few schools nationwide to adopt such a model, Cruseturner said.

Since the change, the CDO staff has met with more than 400 employers, resulting in a substantial increase in job postings, on-campus interviews and relevant information about employers and the legal market. The new structure also freed up CDO staff to prioritize one-on-one counseling with students, which has improved dialogue between the CDO and student body.

The CDO is committed to offering the best recruiting environment for employers and to equipping students with the skills needed to execute an effective job search, Cruseturner said.

“Credit the Class of 2015 for seizing the resources and opportunities available to them,” she said. “We are incredibly proud of them, and we look forward to building on their success with the Class of 2016.”

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT BAYLOR LAW SCHOOL
Established in 1857, Baylor Law School was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,200 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law School has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law's trial advocacy program as #4 in the nation. Baylor Law School is also ranked No. 55 in the magazine's 2017 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools.” The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law in its top 10 law schools for practical training, and second best value in private legal education in the nation. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Learn more at www.baylor.edu/law.