New York has greatest oversupply of lawyers in the US

A recent study that compared the number of people passing the state bar exams with an estimate of job openings in the same year shows that New York has the largest surplus of unemployed lawyers. Consulting firm Economic Modeling Specialists Inc says that the surplus in New York was more than 7,500 lawyers in 2009, way above the figures for California, which has the second largest oversupply of about 3,000 lawyers. Meanwhile, the study suggests that that Nebraska, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia have lawyer deficits. The data is, of course, a rough estimate of the actual difference between the number of job openings and the number of newly qualified lawyers looking for work - because not all those who pass the bar in a certain state will practice there. Still, the numbers point to a disturbing imbalance between the supply and demand for newly qualified lawyers.

New York has greatest oversupply of lawyers in the US blogs.wsj.com Thu, Jun 30, 2011