Research and Directories

NALP is the premier resource for research and information on career services, legal recruitment and hiring, lawyers' professional development, and the careers of law school graduates.

We invite you to view our research analyses on various topics and our press releases.

Among NALP's key research:

• Associate Salary Survey (annual) — A comprehensive look at salaries for first- through eighth-year associates, as well as for summer associates, by region, firm size, and city or state. Also includes salary information for staff attorneys and law clerks, and information on compensation and bonus structures. (This printed report is available for purchase through the Bookstore; additional findings are available in the Salaries & Compensation section.)
• Jobs & J.D.'s: Employment and Salaries of New Law Graduates (annual) — Presents information on what types of jobs graduates find and when and where they found them; what members of the class were earning; how earnings varied with geographic location and job type; what size law firms and which states offered the most opportunities; and comparisons based on graduate demographics. (This printed report is available for purchase through the Bookstore; additional findings are available in the Recent Graduates section.)
• Starting Salaries: What New Law Graduates Earn (annual) — Based on the Jobs & J.D.'s report, this monograph presents a detailed look at new law graduates' salaries by type of employment, by size of firm, by state, and by graduate demographics. (This monograph is available for purchase through the Bookstore.)
• Patterns & Practices: Measures of Law Firm Hiring, Leverage, and Billable Hours (annual) — Provides trends in lateral, entry-level, and summer hiring as reported by law firms in the NALP Directory of Legal Employers. Also reports on law firm leverage, hours worked and billed, and minimum billable hours requirements. Information presented by region, firm size, and city or state. (Findings are available in the Recruitment & Hiring section.)
• Public Sector and Public Interest Attorney Salary Survey (biennial) — Reports on salaries by years of experience for prosecuting attorneys, public defenders, and attorneys at legal civil services and other public interest organizations. Information is nationwide and by geographic markets. (This printed report is available for purchase through the Bookstore; summary findings are posted in the Salaries & Compensation section.)
• Women and Attorneys of Color at Law Firms (annual) — Representation of women and attorneys of color among law firm partners, associates, and summer associates nationwide and in 40+ major markets, based on the NALP Directory of Legal Employers. (This annual press release can be found in the Diversity & Demographics section.)
• Availability and Use of Part-time Schedules in Law Firms (annual) — Details the availability of part-time schedules and the extent to which partners and associates are working part-time nationwide and in 40+ major markets, based on the NALP Directory of Legal Employers. (This annual press release can be found in the Diversity & Demographics section.)
• Perspectives on Fall Law Student Recruiting (annual) — Reports on summer program outcomes and fall recruiting activity as reported by schools and employers. Includes on-campus activity, levels of recruiting, and offer acceptance rates nationwide, by size of firm, and by region and city. (NALP members receive one copy of this printed report, which is also made available as a PDF in the Recruitment & Hiring section.)
• Law School Career Services Survey (biennial) — Provides information on salaries, education, and experience of career services professionals, as well as information on facilities, programs, and staffing. (Available to members as a free PDF download; non-members can purchase this report through the Bookstore.)
• Survey of Lawyer Recruitment, Professional Development, and Personnel Management Professionals (biennial) — Salaries, education, experience, and job responsibilities of attorney recruitment and professional development professionals. (Available to members as a free PDF download; non-members can purchase this report through the Bookstore.)
• Findings from the Workplace Questionnaire (periodic) — Reports on workplace characteristics of legal employers such as evaluation systems, training, and flexible schedule options based on offices completing NALP's online Workplace Questionnaire. (Posted as a PDF in the Special Topics section.)
• Findings from the Second Career Survey (one-time) — Reports on a December 2003 survey of attorneys in private practice, comparing the experiences of those who had a career prior to law school with those who went directly from undergraduate studies to law school. (Posted as a PDF in the Special Topics section.)
• For research on associate attrition and other selected topics, visit The NALP Foundation's website at www.nalpfoundation.org.

NALP's signature directories include:

• NALP Directory of Legal Employers — Published in print (available for purchase through the Bookstore) and online at www.nalpdirectory.com.
• NALP Directory of Law Schools — Published in print (available for purchase through the Bookstore) and online at www.nalplawschoolsonline.org.
  
• NALP Membership Directory — Published in print (one copy is sent to each NALP member; additional copies are available for purchase through the Bookstore) and online through members.nalp.org.