Type of Practice
The chart on the right indicates the various types of practice selected by members of the Class of 2007. Many Syracuse Law graduates pursue traditional careers in private practice with specialized or full-service law firms, or as judicial clerks in one of the many local, state, and federal courts.

Other law graduates choose less traditional career alternatives following career exploration. Employment in government, business, and academia are a few career alternatives Syracuse Law students have chosen.

Starting Salaries
Practice type as well as geographic location greatly influence the starting salaries of law graduates. Compensation varies widely between the public and private sectors and among employers within each sector of the marketplace as well as among geographic locations, with larger metropolitan areas typically offering higher starting salaries. Other factors that may influence initial earnings for recent graduates are law school academic achievements and co-curricular activities.

For members of the Class of 2007 who provided salary information, the average salary for all employment types was $80,000. The average salary range spanned $51,000 for public law employment to $125,000 for large law firm practice.

The average salary reported by those students in public sector government jobs was $50,500, while the average salary reported by those students in private sector jobs was $90,000. The average salary reported by those in private practice law firm jobs was $93,000.

Geographic Distribution
A survey of the Class of 2007 shows the following geographical breakdown:

 

New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)	6%
Middle Atlantic (*NY, NJ, PA)	57%
Midwest (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD)	2%
South Atlantic (DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV)	21%
South (AL, KY, TN, AR, MS, LA, OK, TX)	2%
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY)	6%
Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)	6%
International	0%
*graduates employed in NYS working in Metro NYC:  35%