Legal Ease?
The job market for law school graduates is tight,
but many top students can write their own tickets.
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
T
cor n&
NOW OPEN!
he view from the 23rd floor
of a Jefferson Avenue high-
rise can be spectacular. It
is for Julie Schwartz Sil-
berg, a 28-year-old attorney who
works for Miller, Canfield, Pad-
dock and Stone, one of the state's
largest and oldest firms.
Mrs. Silberg can see more
than the Detroit River from her
Detroit office. Because of her ear-
ly success — in 1993 she gradu-
ated fourth in her class at Wayne
State — Mrs. Silberg, an intelli-
gent young attorney, can look for-
ward to a bright legal career.
"I feel very fortunate," Mrs.
Silberg said. 'Tye had a rosy path
so far. Yes, I did work very hard
and I continue to work hard but
I'm the type of person that can
be successful with a lot of hard
work."
study for the February test. She
may have to temporarily go into
retail work.
If you're in the top 10 percent
of your class, said one recent law
school graduate, you are all but
guaranteed a good job. That
leaves the other 90 percent of the
class looking for something.
While the large firms and high-
ly successful students covet each
other, the job market is tight at
the-medium-sized and smaller
firms because the market is over-
saturated.
"There has always been ex-
treme competition for the best
law students because there is a
relatively thin supply of the best,"
said Seth Lloyd, who chairs the
recruiting committee at Dykema
Gossett.
Robb Lippitt, an attorney at
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THE JEWISH NEWS
Her experiences are a
the Birmingham firm
Julie Schwartz
stark comparison to those
Hyman and Lippitt
Silbe rg holds a
of Northville resident Lisa
who conducts all his
Beatty. Mrs. Beatty, 27, coveted job at a top firm's on-campus in-
la w firm.
graduated from Detroit
terviewing, said 80 per-
College of Law last June
cent of the jobs for new
and has yet to find full-time em- lawyers are at smaller firms, but
ployment. She estimates she has those jobs can be harder to find.
sent out more than 100 resumes. Typically, he said, it's the large
Until last week, she did have a firms that make their presence
part-time job with the 47th Dis- known on law school campuses.
trict Court but economic realities And, most third-year law stu-
forced the court to lay her off. The dents are looking for jobs with
job paid well and suited her big firms.
needs and it seemed like there
"That's all they know or all
was a strong chance she would they've heard about," he said.
be offered a full-time position.
`The big firms, deservedly so, are
"I graduated with honors and best known. But it's unfortunate
I don't have a job," she said.
because that makes the small-
To add to her frustrations, er firms harder to find."
Mrs. Beatty didn't pass the bar
Mr. Lloyd doesn't think Dyke-
exam on her first try. Now she ma Gosset's size — approxi-
will have to find another part- mately 230 attorneys — helps
time job to allow herself time to them attract the best and bright-