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Law school tier shapes initial job placement, with lasting effects on career trajectory.
After the JD,
wave four.
The only nationally representative longitudinal study of the careers of lawyers admitted to the bar in 2000.
More than two decades of American legal careers.
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About the Study
A national study of lawyers’ careers.
The After the JD (AJD) study is the largest and most ambitious study of the careers of American lawyers ever undertaken.
You are part of this unique and historic study, which has followed the same group of lawyers, those admitted to the bar in 2000, across more than two decades of their professional lives. This survey continues that work, asking about your career, your experiences in the profession, and the changes you have navigated since we last heard from you.
The world of legal work probably looks different than it did when we last surveyed you, including how and where lawyers work, the technologies they use, and the broader social and political climate.
In times of remarkable changes in the economy, technology, and the legal profession we are interested in your experience of these changes.
We first heard from you near the beginning of your career. Your answers now let us understand what has changed along the way.
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What’s Involved
Seven short modules.
We know how busy you are, and so we have designed this wave differently. Instead of one long questionnaire, we will send you seven short modules of about 10 to 12 minutes each.
They go out over the course of one week, beginning in October 2026. You can receive them by text or by email, whichever you prefer. The survey itself is being administered by Angus Reid, a professional survey firm.
Every response increases the credibility and value of our effort, so we hope you can take the time to complete this survey.
Whether or not you are currently practicing law, we want to hear from you.
Confidentiality
Your answers will be kept completely confidential and will be used only for aggregated statistical purposes. No identifying information is attached to your responses, and they are not shared with employers, bar authorities, or other third parties in individually identifiable form. The protocol has received ethics approval from the American Bar Foundation.
If your email address has changed, or if you would rather receive the modules by text, send your updated contact information to ajd@abfn.org.
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Findings
Findings from the first three waves.
Thanks to you, along with the thousands of lawyers who have responded to these surveys since 2002, After the JD has produced a body of groundbreaking findings on how legal careers unfold and how the profession itself is changing. The first three waves generated more than fifty publications and culminated in The Making of Lawyers’ Careers, which reviewers call “the gold standard for studying legal careers.”
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Legal careers are highly mobile yet patterned, with mobility following recognizable pathways across sectors.
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Gender pay gaps emerge early, persist, and widen across lawyers’ careers.
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Attorneys of color report persistent experiences of racial discrimination and workplace bias.
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Social origin and class background shape access to elite positions and professional networks.
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78% of lawyers report moderate-to-extreme satisfaction with their decision to become lawyers, despite these inequalities.
The Capstone Book
The Making of Lawyers’ Careers
Inequality and Opportunity in the American Legal Profession
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Research Team
Executive coordinating committee.
Swethaa Ballakrishnen
UC Irvine School of Law; American Bar Foundation
Elizabeth Bodamer
Law School Admission Council
Meghan Dawe
American Bar Foundation
Ronit Dinovitzer
University of Toronto; American Bar Foundation
Bryant G. Garth
American Bar Foundation; UC Irvine School of Law
Andreea Mogoșanu
American Bar Foundation
Robert L. Nelson
American Bar Foundation; Northwestern University
Aaron Taylor
AccessLex Institute
Kellye Testy
Association of American Law Schools
Fiona Trevelyan
NALP Foundation
David B. Wilkins
Harvard Law School
Sponsors
The study is based at the American Bar Foundation and is led by a team of lawyers and social science researchers. It is sponsored by a consortium of organizations: the American Bar Foundation, AccessLex Institute, the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research & Education, and the Law School Admission Council.
The American Bar Foundation is an independent research institute advancing the understanding of law, legal processes, and legal institutions through rigorous empirical social science.
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Contact
Get in touch.
To update your contact information, or to ask anything about the study, write to ajd@abfn.org.
Project Coordinator
Andreea Mogoșanu
American Bar Foundation
750 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611
750 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611