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Fordham Law Grads Share Their Hopes and Dreams with New York Mag

Monday, June 8, 2009 6:54 PM - By Kashmir Hill

fordham law grads.jpgGraduation usually marks a high point in our lives. Ceremonies celebrate graduates’ achievements and their bright futures. But this year, grads are faced with a rocky economy, a terrible job market, and predictions that things will stay this way for quite some time. A sign of the dire times: Harvard grads used their ceremony as a staging ground for a protest against layoffs.

New York Magazine conducted an unscientific survey of 2009 graduates to see what they think about the future. New York City may be ground zero for the fiscal meltdown, but NY Mag managed to find people who are bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and hopeful about the future:

We were startled by the fact that, circumstances be damned, we found very little bitterness at all — caution, yes; worry too — but judging from the responses to our questions, this is a reflexively optimistic cadre of graduates, feeling, if anything, existentially freed up by this era of radical change. They’re nervous about the job market but figure it’ll sort itself out.

The survey included 200 students from 10 schools. Among the allegedly hopeful lot are a bunch of Fordham Law students, photographed above.

If your depression over the End of Biglaw is still weighing on you, read on. Maybe the delusional optimism of the 2009 grads is contagious. (Or read on if you’re curious to find out when the majority of those surveyed lost their virginity.)

sawkar.jpgOf those surveyed, 58% have jobs lined up. The article doesn’t get this specific, but we suspect that the Fordham grads who are smiling in their photos [PDF] have jobs. And those who aren’t, don’t. A little Googling would seem to confirm this.

UPDATE (9:04 p.m. from a classmate of Sawkar’s): Anu Sawkar, 30, who is beaming at left, is heading to Ropes & Gray, per her LinkedIn profile. “is going to clerk on the 10th Circuit and then presumably return to Fenwick & West,” where she was a summer associate last year.

kunz.jpgWhereas Jennifer Kunz, 25, who looks a bit glum in her photo at right, summered last year with now-dissolved Heller Ehrman.

Kunz talked to UWire about her job prospects back in November:

Princeton 2005 graduate Jennifer Kunz, a third-year student at Fordham Law School, worked last summer at Heller Ehrman. She received a job offer, only to learn in September that the firm had dissolved.

Kunz is looking for another job, ideally in corporate law, but said she is being “realistic [because] the market is so bad.” Kunz said she is trying to be flexible and is considering other areas, like government and nonprofit law. She is looking into smaller firms as well.

We sent Kunz an inquiry as to her current job prospects, but have not yet heard back. So we can’t tell you whether she is among the 42% of those surveyed who doesn’t have a job lined up. UPDATE (11:04 p.m.): Kunz should be smiling in her photo. She replied to our e-mail:

I am very happy to be starting work at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in September.

Most of the questions posed to grads by NY Mag centered on the economy:

Will the country be better off or worse off in five years?

91% said “better off.” 3% said “worse.”

How long do you think the recession will last?
Less than one year … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . 11%
One to two years … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . . 38%
Two to three years … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . 23%
More than three years … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 26%
“La la la I’m not listening!”

Tell the Federal Reserve that it looks like there will be one to two more years of this. Surveying the crowd always works on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, right?

By comparison with the other schools in the survey, the salaries for the Fordham kids look pretty sweet. But compared to other law schools…. eek!

Average starting salary:

Brooklyn College … . . $40,000
Columbia School of Journalism … … . . $40,000
Fordham Law School … … … $102,000
Kennedy School of Government … … . $88,000
NYU … … … … … . $32,000
Wharton … … … … $113,000
Yale School of Architecture … … … $44,000
NYPD Police Academy … … … … $42,000

We know you may have regrets about choosing law, but doesn’t this make you glad you didn’t choose architecture?

It’s off-topic, but we promised it before the jump. When did most of these folks let someone else explore their briefs?

At what age did you first have sex?

13 … … … … … … … … . .1%
14 … … … … … … … … . 3%
15 … … … … … … … … .13%
16 … … … … … … … … .16%
17 … … … … … … … … .15%
18 … … … … … … … … .18%
19 … … … … … … … … . .9%
20 … … … … … … … … 10%
21 … … … … … … … … . .6%
Not yet… … … … … … … .8%

Unfortunately, none of the Fordham grads said anything — on the economy or on their sexual experiences — that the magazine found worth quoting. If you have thoughts on the future for those graduating into a terrible economy (or the best age to lost your virginity), feel free to share them in the comments.

Class of ‘09 [New York Magazine]

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Posted in: Fordham School of Law, Job Searches, Law Schools

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