Even in a Hot Job Market for Law Graduates, Racial Gaps Persist

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2025 — The class of 2024 entered one of the most active legal job markets in recent memory. Law firms expanded hiring, government agencies filled long-standing vacancies, and starting salaries climbed. Within ten months of graduation, more than 93 percent of new law graduates were employed, one of the strongest outcomes in years.

Yet beneath this success, a persistent imbalance remains. White graduates were more likely to land jobs that required bar passage, positions that often set the stage for long-term career advancement. Black and Latino graduates, despite having the same qualifications, were less likely to secure those roles.

Data from the National Association for Law Placement shows that while employment rates for White graduates approached 95 percent, Black graduates lagged below 90 percent. The gap grew wider in positions requiring bar passage, with White graduates at 86.5 percent and Black graduates at 74.3 percent. A twelve-point difference in the middle of a booming market underscores how unequal access remains.

Why Do These Gaps Still Exist?

The persistence of racial disparities cannot be explained by academic performance alone. Many elite firms continue to rely on narrow recruiting pipelines that favour graduates from a select group of law schools and professional circles. Those networks often provide mentorship and exposure to opportunities that are not equally available to everyone.

The changing political climate has also influenced hiring decisions. Over the past year, major law firms have faced political pressure to reduce or remove public references to diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments. Nearly every one of the top fifty firms has modified or deleted statements related to diversity from their websites. This shift has weakened accountability and created room for old habits to resurface.

Bias, whether conscious or not, continues to shape hiring outcomes. Employers often assess candidates based on “fit,” a vague standard that can favour familiarity and comfort over fairness. Graduates from underrepresented groups may face subtle disadvantages in interviews where mannerisms, tone, or communication style are judged through subjective lenses.

The Double Filter of Opportunity

Who Receives the First Call: Recruitment often begins within small, exclusive circles. Firms focus on top-ranked schools and familiar referral networks. Students who lack those connections may never even be considered, no matter how qualified they are.

Who Secures the Job Offer: Reaching the interview stage does not guarantee fairness. Slight differences in perception can influence decisions. A confident tone might be viewed positively in one candidate but seen as arrogance in another. Such inconsistencies have long-term consequences for who enters the most influential spaces in the profession.

The first job often determines future opportunities. Graduates who begin their careers in large firms or respected agencies gain mentorship, exposure, and client experience that strengthen their paths forward. Those who start elsewhere must work harder to build equivalent momentum, even when their talent is equal.

Can the System Change?

Meaningful change is possible but requires consistent effort. Law schools are expanding mentoring and networking programs for students from underrepresented backgrounds, helping them prepare for the realities of the job market. These efforts are important but cannot alone eliminate hiring bias. Employers must review how they recruit and evaluate candidates to identify where inequities persist.

The National Association for Law Placement has urged both law schools and employers to publish annual data tracking hiring outcomes by race. Transparency helps expose patterns that might otherwise remain hidden. Firms that take this approach tend to show more progress over time.

Sustained commitment is essential. After 2020, many firms made public pledges to increase diversity in hiring and promotion. Those promises should not be quietly removed or rewritten. Real progress will come when equity is treated as an ongoing responsibility rather than a temporary initiative.

The Larger Lesson

The legal profession often describes itself as a meritocracy where hard work and intelligence are enough to succeed. The latest employment data challenges that belief. A strong job market has shown what the system can achieve, yet it has also revealed how deeply inequality remains rooted within it.

A thriving economy can create jobs, but it cannot automatically deliver fairness. For the next generation of lawyers, true progress will not be measured by the number of positions filled. It will be measured by whether a graduate’s race still determines the kind of job they can get and the kind of lawyer they are allowed to become.

The market is strong, but the divide is stronger. Progress feels real until you look at who is still left behind.

Inputs from Diana Chou

Editing by David Ryder