In the high-stakes world of Big Law hiring, 2024 crowned a new heavyweight: Cornell Law School. According to freshly released American Bar Association data, Cornell placed a staggering 78.06% of its graduates into law firms boasting 251 lawyers or more — the highest percentage of any law school in the country.
Nipping at Cornell’s heels, Duke Law posted an impressive 74.76%, with Columbia Law close behind at 71.89%. Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law grabbed fourth place with 70.37%, and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School rounded out the top five, hitting 68.42%.
While the average graduate dreams of a steady paycheck, those slipping into the elite world of Big Law are starting at a brisk $225,000 a year — a fact that’s made these jobs some of the most fiercely contested trophies in the legal arena.
This year’s hiring frenzy wasn’t just good — it was historic. More than 82% of the Class of 2024 secured jobs that require bar passage, the highest rate the ABA has ever recorded. And they did it under pressure: the number of graduates ballooned by nearly 11% compared to the prior year, adding over 3,700 new competitors to the job hunt.
The numbers paint a stark picture: Big Law hiring remains a rarefied world. Less than 22% of all 2024 juris doctors nationwide landed at firms with 251 or more attorneys. Only 17 law schools managed to send more than half their graduating classes into those coveted jobs, while 95 law schools watched fewer than 10% of their grads make the leap.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear — the corridors of Big Law are still reserved for the few, the proud, and the pedigree-rich.
