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THE LEGAL PROFESSION

Law School Enrollment

In 1990 there were 127,261 students enrolled in American Bar Association-approved law schools. This number increased to 129,397 in 1995, but dropped to 125,627 by 1998-1999. Despite the decline in total law school enrollment, the number of women in law programs rose consistently throughout the decade. In 1990 there were 54,097 women (43 percent) enrolled in 175 law schools; by 1998 the figure increased to 57,952 (46 percent) in 181 programs. The number of minority students also rose. In 1990 blacks, Hispanies, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and Puerto Ricans constituted 14 percent (17,330) of law students. By 1998 minority enrollment increased to an historic high of 25,266 or just over 20 percent. The attrition rate among law students increased slightly during the decade, the vast majority of whom quit in their first year. A slightly higher percentage of men dropped out than women—in 1990, 3,187 male and 2,245 female students quit; in 1997, 3,418 men and 2,469 women dropped out.

Degrees and Bar Admissions

The number of Juris Doctorate degrees awarded increased from 36,385 in 1990 to 39,455 in 1998. Women received 42 percent (15,345) of these degrees in 1990 and 45 percent (17,662) in 1998. Minorities awarded law degrees also increased from 4,128 in 1990 to 7,754 in 1998. Bar admissions rose from 47,174 in 1989-1990 to 57,875 in 1994, but they declined slightly to 56,629 in 1996.

Earnings

In the early 1990s law firms showed a decline in profits earned. During the second half of the decade, however, gross revenues and profits per partner increased. In 1999 the median salary for first-year associates ranged from $51,000 in firms of 225 attorneys or fewer to $85,000 in firms ot 251 attorneys or more, with a first-year median of $70,000. Salaries for entry-level attorneys in larger firms and lawyers with expertise in specialized fields showed a noticeable increase during the decade. The average entry-level income for attorneys in larger New York firms ranged between $85,000 and $90,000. In some firms, first-year associates earned more than $100,000. The earnings of lawyers employed by state and federal agencies increased, but at a slower rate than in the private sector. By the end of the decade the salaries of entry-level county prosecutors averaged between $30,000 and $50,000. In 1999 the average income for State Attorneys General was between $55,000 and $150,000; U.S. attorneys made $118,400; federal public defenders ranged between $50,000 and $118,400; and public defenders at the county level could expect between $30,000 and $150,000.

Still Behind

The salaries and advancement of minorities and women remained lower than the national average. Only half of female associates and fewer than one third (30.8 percent) of minorities in large law firms perceived opportunities to advance to partnership as equitable. In smaller firms about 31 percent of female associates and 43 percent of minority associates perceived the criteria for advancement as being applied fairly. Minority partners in major law firms accounted for 2.95 percent; women accounted for 14.21 percent. Although minorities and women were underrepresented among partnerships, the figures documented a continuing, albeit small, increase from the early 1990s.