King Hall Graduate Employment Rate Continues to Improve

Building on a strong performance the previous year, the UC Davis School of Law Class of 2014 posted another significant improvement in post-graduate employment numbers.  According to statistics reported this month to the American Bar Association (ABA), more than 80 percent of King Hall alumni who graduated in May 2014 are now employed in full-time positions where bar passage is required or a J.D. degree provides an advantage.

These new statistics represent a gain over the placement record of the Class of 2013, which was already well above the state and national averages. A year ago, ABA statistics showed that the Class of 2013 had 73.5 percent of its members in full-time legal employment nine months after graduation. That showing placed UC Davis fourth among California law schools and 30th among 201 ABA-approved law schools, according to rankings published in the Sacramento Business Journal. (Rankings for the Class of 2014 will become available after statistics submitted by individual schools are compiled and analyzed by the ABA.)

The improved employment prospects for UC Davis graduates reflect, among other things, recent investments made by the UC Davis campus and the School of Law in Academic Success and Career Services.  The King Hall Academic Success office has been able to provide additional assistance for practice exams, tutors, and other resources to graduates studying for the bar examination, contributing to the Class of 2014's bar pass rate of 85.6 percent--fourth best among California law schools--which in turn helps graduates land jobs.  The Dean's Office and the University also have bolstered the resources of the Law School's Career Services office by, for example, hiring a new Associate Director for Public Interest & Public Sector Careers, expanding the post-graduate fellowship program, and increasing the number of job fairs and networking events for students.

Craig Compton, Assistant Dean of Career Services, said that his office is committed to building on recent successes and increasing the number of campus visits from both public and private sector employers. The recent creation of a special career fair for small and mid-sized firms has helped graduates to take advantage of growth in that sector, he added.  As one of the smaller top-tier law schools, UC Davis is able to provide more personalized career services, Compton noted, beginning with one-on-one meetings with students during their first semester.