Student networking for passing rigorous classes and having personal interaction with professors has long been a key part of the culture of law school. COVID made that more difficult, and Zoom classes have their drawbacks. However, as students have entered the fall session at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) William A. Bowen School of Law, things are looking more normal, said Dean Terri M. Beiner.
“COVID isn’t impacting us too much at the law school,” Beiner said. “Our students are very happy to be back together where they can build rapport and camaraderie.
“We have had no superspreader events at the law school. We are treating it like any other illness. Because of the pandemic, we have a lot of Zoom-enabled classrooms. It is still up to the discretion of the professors to allow someone with COVID or any other illness to sit in remotely. Most of our classes are taped, so students can watch classes later if they are sick.”
Photos courtesy of University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law
Noteworthy trends Beiner sees as a result of the pandemic are more flexibility to work remotely and more casual attire at the law office.
“Working at home and wearing sweatpants has translated to offices being a little more casual with dress and the working environment,” Beiner noted. “Everyone became more comfortable. It is easy to keep a suit on the back of the door, and pop into it when you need it.”
Currently, about half of law school students are female, and half are male. But, the higher up you get in the law firm hierarchy, the fewer women you see.
“Only about 23% of equity partners end up being women,” Beiner said. “More women drop out of big firm practice as time goes on, and don’t make it to partnerships. Women complain of not having adequate mentoring, not being offered the same opportunities and having more family obligations. Law firms are just not very accommodating to caregiving obligations that fall more on women.”
Photos courtesy of University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law
Women of color drop out at even higher rates than white women. But, Beiner said progress is being seen. A possible good side effect of COVID will be more flexibility, helping women with work-life balance that will allow them to stay in larger, more prestigious law firms longer.
Beiner also sees a fair number of their graduates going to work in-house for clients. That can be more economical for businesses, even if they might still need some outside counsel with expertise in other areas.
An interesting new offering at the Bowen School of Law is a Master of Studies in Law degree, targeted towards students who are not interested in practicing law.
“This allows people who are going to be encountering law in their jobs to learn more about the law or enhance their career prospects down the road,” Beiner explained. “There are legal issues that arise in professions such as human resources, where HR personnel encounter employment discrimination, employment law and compliance areas such health care or other government compliance work. Or, a business owner might want to know how business contracts work. It allows you to sit in and be part of regular law school classes in areas helpful to your career.”
Photos courtesy of University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law
Law school graduates have a lot of different choices about employers, which can include private firms, state or federal agencies, businesses and nonprofit organizations, said Diana Snyder, assistant dean for career services at the Bowen School of Law.
“We try to help them find a variety of clerkship experiences during law school because it can be hard to nail down what you really want to do if you don’t know what options are out there,” she said. “Trend-wise, coming out of COVID, we are seeing more students look for employers who offer flexible work environments with remote working options. Right now, the market is pretty open. There are lots of people who are looking to hire, which is great for our students.”
Snyder said there is a good amount of accountability for attorneys working remotely. Remote work has benefits and drawbacks.
“You can miss out on mentorship opportunities for younger lawyers when you work remotely,” Snyder noted. “With law, there is a certain amount of mentorship and on-the-job training, the need to have someone just down the hall to answer questions. There are probably few opportunities to work completely remotely. Most jobs have an in-office component. Most of what you are seeing is a hybrid, with employees trying to find the proper balance.”
The current job market for recent law school grads in Arkansas is healthy. Snyder said at 10 months after graduation, the vast majority are either employed or pursuing another degree.
“Obviously, we are working as hard as we can to get these students employed somewhere they are happy,” she said.
Terri Chadick
Terri Dill Chadick, director of career services at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville School of Law, also reports good hiring rates for recent graduates. For the class of 2021, 90% of the school’s graduates were either employed or pursuing another graduate degree after 10 months. About 60% stay within the state.
“We do have some new players in the market; some out-of-state firms that have attorneys based in Arkansas like DLA Piper, Gordon & Rees, Hall Booth Smith and Mayer LLP,” Chadick said. “We are seeing some of these bigger firms moving in, which may put some pressure on the salaries.
“We’re also seeing a high demand for entry-level tax attorneys in Arkansas. A lot of firms are asking about students who might go on to get the LLM tax degree. We’re seeing more hiring for prosecutors and public defenders. There was some funding through state legislation that promoted additional positions for both offices. Every year, we have students who have decided to pursue public service, and the public defender jobs are exactly what they want to do. It is their passion.”
On the downside of things, burnout can be an issue, or ending up in a firm that isn’t the right fit. Two things Chadick recommends are talking to people employed at the firm and being observant of the workplace. Do the firm’s lawyers seem very stressed? What time do they leave work? Are they sending work emails in the middle of the night?
“The practice of law typically involves managing and trying to solve other people’s problems. Clients are often anxious, and that contributes to highly stressed work situations,” Chadick explained. “Practicing law is difficult. It is challenging. I think if you are observant, you can get an idea of what the practice at a firm or organization would be like and if it provides a way to have rewarding work-life balance.”
She encourages students to determine what their financial situation will look like after graduation, including what their student loan payments will be, to know what they need as far as income for the first job. Some legal aid organizations and other nonprofits might offer loan repayment benefits and options, such as income-based repayment plans, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs should be considered as well.
“Each student is going to have a personal list of factors that go into the decision about which opportunities to pursue,” Chadick said. “We work with students to identify their own priorities and find work that suits them. For example, when people are interested in diversity – and that includes not just women and minority graduates – we help them identify employers that promote diversity.”
