Career Services

Vanderbilt has one of the most successful career services programs among the nation’s leading law schools, providing comprehensive resources to help students explore top-tier career placement options. Career Services prepares future lawyers for the full spectrum of available career opportunities and equips them to adapt to the rapid pace of change that characterizes modern legal practices both domestically and globally.

Recruiting Opportunities

Legal employers representing hundreds of offices located throughout the nation and abroad come to Vanderbilt each year to interview second- and third-year students for summer and permanent employment. Vanderbilt hosts a large on-campus interview session in the fall and a shorter spring session for first-year summer positions.

  • 99.5%

    of J.D. Class of 2023 graduates employed 10 months after graduation

  • $215,000

    Private sector median salary of J.D. Class of 2023 graduates (NALP)

  • 83.5%

    of graduates employed outside of Tennessee (ABA Employment Summary, 2023)

Explore Career Paths

  • Judicial Clerkships

    Judicial clerks gain inside knowledge of how parties pursue actual cases and how judges resolve legal issues. They are exposed to both substantive law and procedure while developing their research and writing skills. They also have the opportunity to develop a mentoring relationship with an experienced judge and a professional network with fellow and former clerks that will extend well into their legal careers. Clerkships are available at all levels of the federal and state court systems. Our Judicial Clerkship Program provides personalized support throughout the process.

  • Corporate Law

    The National Law Journal/Law.com rated us 8th for the highest percentage of 2023 graduates placed in the nation’s 100 largest law firms. From on campus interviews to personalized career planning meetings, the Career Services team will provide comprehensive resources to help you explore top-tier corporate law career options.

  • Public Interest

    Vanderbilt provides extensive resources to students as they prepare for and launch a public interest career in government service, criminal defense, nonprofit advocacy, legal aid, NGOs, or their own brand of public interest entrepreneurship. From public service pathways to loan repayment assistance, Vanderbilt is committed to supporting public interest careers.

  • Externships

    Vanderbilt Law students can gain valuable experience through externships and summer stipend opportunities in a variety of practice settings anywhere in the world. In externships, students receive academic credit for supervised field work at faculty-approved placements, while stipends provide financial support for gaining pro bono experience. In recent years, Vanderbilt has expanded its array of externships to include work in corporate legal departments and also increased funding for summer stipends.

Associate, Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York

Raghav Gupta '24

"My career services counselor demystified the process by showing me what to look for in firms based on my career goals and what to expect from each interview, and I landed at a firm that matches my short- and long-term career goals.”

Career Services News

Have Questions?

Contact Career Services
(615) 322-6192 | e-mail: vls.cso@vanderbilt.edu