What Yale Law School Grads Make In Their First Jobs

Graduates of Yale Law School’s Class of 2012 secured high employment rates and competitive starting salaries across various legal fields. Some 90.7% of the class had full-time jobs requiring Bar passage at graduation, rising to 91.2% nine months later.

Pay

Starting salaries for Yale Law School’s Class of 2012 varied by sector:

• Judicial Clerk: Average $60,432, Median $61,612
• Private Practice: Average $156,320, Median $160,000
• Government: Average $58,833, Median $44,000
• Public Interest: Average $50,352, Median $44,000
• Academic: Average $72,333, Median $67,000
• Overall: Average $100,188, Median $64,729

The highest starting salaries were in private practice, with a median of $160,000, consistent with top law schools like Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, and UPenn. Judicial clerks and academics also earned strong median salaries of $61,612 and $67,000, respectively, while government and public interest roles had lower median pay at $44,000.