Compared to their peers of other races, Black law school students in the Class of 2025 had the lowest rate of employment after graduation, according to new data from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP).
Overall, the Class of 2025 experienced one of the strongest legal employment markets on record, with 92 percent of all students securing employment after graduation. However, employment patterns varied significantly across demographic groups. By race, Black students had the lowest rate of employment at 87 percent. Employment rates were highest among Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students (96.3 percent), White students (94.4 percent), and Native American or Alaska Native students (94.4 percent).
Black graduates also reported the lowest rate of employment in bar admission required/anticipated positions at 72.6 percent — nearly 15 percentage points lower than that of White students (87.1 percent) and Middle Eastern or North African students (87.4 percent). Native American or Alaska Native graduates had the second-lowest rate of employment for bar admission required/anticipated positions, but their rate (81.3 percent) was still almost nine percentage points higher than that of Black students.
Furthermore, Black graduates were among the least likely to be employed in private practice. Instead, Black graduates were more likely than their peers to work in public interest organizations (12.8 percent) and business positions (10.1 percent).
“A law degree should open doors, but NALP’s latest report shows that those doors are not equally open to everyone,” said Nikia Gray, executive director of the NALP. “Graduates of color remain significantly less likely than White graduates to secure employment — and the gap is wider for jobs as practicing attorneys. These persistent disparities demand continued attention from everyone in the legal profession to ensure that all graduates have a fair opportunity to enter and succeed in the legal profession.”
