HispanicBusiness

Albert Hsueh discovered his passion for trials in law school.

He applied to jobs at public defender's offices and private defense firms all across California, but he didn't hear back.

"It was really difficult. I had to start preparing for the bar (exam) and getting prepared for that," Hsueh, 28, said. "I was also worried about what was going to happen after the bar." When he did hear back, most positions offered were unpaid. Not an easy option for law students who pay more than $100,000 to get a degree. Luckily, the San Bernardino County Public Defender's office offered him a paid position. But it was a temporary law clerk position with no benefits.

"After five or six months, I got frustrated," said Hsueh, who graduated from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2010. "It was a feeling of insecurity and fear because of uncertainty."

But Hsueh's anxiety is common among many law students today. According to the Association for Legal Career Professionals, 85.6 percent of law school graduates in 2011 were employed, the lowest since 1994. The employment rate reached its 20-year peak in 2007 with 91.9 percent, but the number has been declining since the recession hit.

Once considered a solid step toward earning a six-figure salary, law degrees may not guarantee that anymore in this tough economic time.

"The number of entry level associate positions at large law firms has declined over the past several years," said August Farnsworth, assistant dean of career services and professional development at the University of La Verne College of Law. "Additionally large law firms have corporate clients that are demanding more for less and from more experienced attorneys."

Moreover, government agencies such as the district attorney and public defender's offices instituted hiring freezes because of budget problems.

"One misconception is that all attorneys are guaranteed a job immediately after graduating from law school starting at a salary of $160,000 a year," Farnsworth said. "The fact is that attorneys can make a good living doing important work for society."

Greg Zumbrunn, who runs a law firm in Victorville, said the High Desert's not an ideal location for law school graduates without any experience.

"I think particularly in the High Desert, we are more economically depressed than a county as a whole," Zumbrunn said. "I don't know if any attorneys up here are hiring,"

About half of his clients end up owing their attorney fees once the case gets done, Zumbrunn said.

Both Farnsworth and Zumbrunn said getting practical legal experience while students are in law school would help them get a job.

Hsueh's law clerk experience paid off as he eventually got a full-time job at the Kern County Public Defender's office. He then landed a job as a deputy public defender in Victorville, where he now handles felony cases.

"I strongly believe that if I show up every day, keep working hard and fighting hard for my clients, things would work out," Hsueh said.