Employment Opportunities
Harvard Law graduates have a world of career opportunities from which to choose. They are highly sought after by employers in law firms, government, businesses and nonprofit organizations. Some graduates even launch their own businesses.
Employment Data for the Class of 2023
Detailed below is the employment data for the Class of 2023. In addition, view a comparison of the Classes of 2021, 2022, and 2023 further down on this page.
The judicial clerkship numbers reflect only 2023 clerkships held by graduates who began a clerkship within 10 months of graduation. An approximately equal number of 2023 clerkships were held by HLS graduates from prior classes, reflecting some judges’ preference for clerks to have post-law school work experience. For a fuller picture of clerkships, see Judicial Clerkships from HLS.
Download Class of 2023 Employment Report (Excel)
Resources for Students
Harvard Law School is in the fortunate position of being able to award several Public Service Fellowships each year to graduating students. These law school funded positions typically fund employment for a period of a year or more and routinely serve as a gateway to public service employment. The awards are made during a highly competitive process to students whose abilities, backgrounds, and proposals show demonstrated promise for undertaking such work upon graduation. Students also have access to international fellowship opportunities through funding from the University.
In addition, since 2013, Harvard Law School’s Public Service Venture Fund has awarded approximately $1 million in grants each year to help graduating law students pursue careers in public service. It is the first program of its kind at a law school. The fund offers “seed money” for startup nonprofit ventures and salary support to graduating J.D. students who hope to pursue post-graduate work at nonprofits or government agencies in the United States and abroad.
Additional Employment Data
A comparison of the employment data for the Classes of 2023, 2022, and 2021.
Download the Classes of 2021 to 2023 Employment Comparison (Excel)
NOTE: most of the salaries for the class of 2023 were reported prior to fall 2023 when many law firms announced salary increases. The table above reflects an average salary for graduates prior to the late 2023 salary increases for class of 2023 associates.