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The diversity of the Southern California economy shows up in diversity of occupation as well. The state Employment Development Department tracks 357 industries and some 2,000 different occupations ranging from Able Seamen to Yeast Pushers. What follows are brief looks at the employment outlook for other job areas that are key to the Southland’s economy. LAWYERS
Back in August, 1982, the Los Angeles Daily Journal, which covers the legal profession, reported that a recession was forcing local law firms and government agencies to cut back hiring.
Four years later, the employment picture is brighter. Several local law schools say their graduates, once they pass the rigorous California Bar examination, are finding jobs--mainly in private practices that range from the small to the very large.
And according to a 1985 statewide survey conducted by the California Young Lawyers Assn., only 0.8% of the 3,000 attorneys who responded were unemployed and less than 1% were not able to find work in the legal profession.
A spokeswoman for the USC School of Law’s placement office said 99% of its graduates are employed in permanent positions. Some 70% of USC’s 1985 class passed the state Bar exam in July of that same year.
Loyola University’s School of Law’s survey shows that 50% of its 1985 graduates were admitted to the Bar and that 90% of those are employed in permanent positions. Again, most of the graduates joined private firms, with the second-largest group picking up government jobs.
Bill McGeary, UCLA School of Law placement director, said that 85% of the 1986 graduating class had jobs before they received their degrees. He predicted that an additional 10% will find employment after they pass the Bar exam.
McGeary said UCLA graduates don’t have a hard time finding a job in the legal profession, but others might.
“All law schools are not created equal in the employment community’s eyes,” he said.
McGeary suggested that aspiring attorneys “get into the highest-ranked law school you can and learn how to market yourself.”
