Early-career lawyers in the United States are changing employers at unprecedented rates, according to major new research from the National Association for Law Placement.
The findings come from NALP’s 13th annual Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction Survey, which tracked the career movements of attorneys who graduated from law school in 2022.
The study reveals that approximately two thirds, or 63 percent, of third-year attorneys have held two or more jobs since completing their legal education just three years ago.
The scale of that movement is striking, given that many lawyers historically spent extended periods at their first employer before considering a move elsewhere in the profession.
NALP executive director Nikia Gray described the findings as among the most consequential the survey has produced in its more than a decade of tracking graduate employment trends.
“The continued high mobility of recent graduates is one of the report’s most significant findings,” Gray said, pointing to the structural implications for how the profession trains and licenses its members.
Gray argued that the pace of movement among early-career lawyers has made the ability to practice across different jurisdictions an increasingly critical factor in long-term professional success.
“Early-career lawyers are changing jobs at unprecedented rates, making the ability to practice in different jurisdictions an increasingly important component of long-term career success,” she said.
The findings have reignited debate around bar admission reciprocity, which allows lawyers licensed in one state to more easily gain admission to practice in another without sitting a full additional examination.
Gray used the survey results to make a direct case for preserving national systems that support cross-jurisdictional practice, arguing the data underscores their value for working lawyers.
“As the legal profession continues to examine accreditation and licensure, these findings underscore the importance of maintaining a national accreditation system that supports reciprocity and enables lawyers to pursue opportunities wherever their careers take them,” she said.
The survey adds fresh data to a well-established trend of younger professionals across many industries showing far less attachment to their first employer than previous generations did.
For law firms, the findings present both a retention challenge and a broader signal about what early-career lawyers now expect from their working environments and career trajectories.