Graduation from law school is a milestone for everybody, but once you flip your tassel from student to graduate, what comes next?
For several students, it’s a smooth transition from law school to a career, but for others, it’s a more difficult task. According to 2014 law graduate Kelsey Fleharty, obtaining a job after graduation is becoming harder as the years fly by.
“This year it seems pretty difficult,” Fleharty said. “People have definitely looked a lot farther geographically this year in the job market.”
Fleharty is currently working as a nanny for an attorney, while awaiting her results of the bar exam she completed in July.
“In previous decades (finding a job) seemed to be a lot easier,” Fleharty said. “A lot more people use to find jobs before bar passage results.”
Several jobs that Fleharty is looking into require bar passage before she is an eligible applicant.
Rebekah Hanley, assistant dean of the University of Oregon school of law, said that not all jobs accepted by students stipulate the bar as a necessity.
“Our students find work in a variety of fields, with a variety of organizations, in a variety of places. And they go on to do a variety of things throughout their careers. Some practice law — others enjoy positions in which their JD (Juris Doctor) provides an advantage, but for which bar passage is not required,” Hanley said.
Hanley said that where the students take the bar exam, effects how long they will have to wait to receive their results.
“In Oregon, graduates learn the results of the July bar exam in September. In California, they don’t learn their bar results until late November,” Hanley said.
K.C. Safley, also a 2014 law graduate from the UO, received his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Washington before attending law school at the UO.
Safley took advantage of several opportunities while attending law school — including an externship for the Oregon Supreme Court and being a part of the Sports and Entertainment Law Forum at the UO. According to Safley, there is something for everyone as a law student.
After graduation, Safley obtained a first year associate position with Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt. This firm was both his number one choice and most recent internship.
Come September, Safley will begin his ideal career with Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, and he partly owes his success to his dedication to school.
“The more you put into it — the harder you work, the more you’ll get out. It can be really really hard if you want it to be, and it can be not as hard. It can be a great time if you’re going to football games and hanging out and just kind of floating around, but if you work really really hard you’ll see the fruits of your labor,” Safley said.