Ave Maria School of Law has been recognized by National Jurist  among its Most Improved Law Schools for Employment, highlighting significant long-term growth in employment outcomes for Ave Maria Law graduates.

In its analysis of 50 law schools, National Jurist ranked Ave Maria Law No. 5 for percentage growth in employment outcomes.

But behind the numbers is a story that begins well before graduation.

At Ave Maria Law, preparing students for the profession is not reserved for their final semester or the weeks leading up to commencement. Students are encouraged throughout law school to gain practical experience, develop professional relationships, build their résumés and begin thinking intentionally about the lawyers they hope to become.

That emphasis on hands-on experience, networking and career preparation is central to Ave Maria Law’s approach and, according to Associate Dean for Student Engagement Jill Backer, an important part of what is driving stronger employment outcomes.

“We tell our students from the beginning that building a legal career starts while they are in law school,” Backer said. “The classroom gives them the foundation, but they also need practical experience, professional relationships and a résumé that demonstrates what they can do. We want them to be intentional about building all of that throughout their three years at Ave Maria Law.”

A Broader Measure of Progress

The National Jurist analysis provides an independent measure of Ave Maria Law’s long-term improvement in graduate employment outcomes.

Using American Bar Association employment data, National Jurist compared three-year averages for the Classes of 2012–2014 with those of the Classes of 2023–2025. Ave Maria Law’s modified employment rate increased from 49.8% to 81.4%, a gain of 31.6 percentage points and 63.4% growth.

That percentage growth placed Ave Maria Law No. 5 among the 50 law schools included in the analysis.

National Jurist calculated its modified employment rate by weighting different categories of graduate employment, with the greatest weight given to full-time, long-term positions requiring bar passage.

Ave Maria Law also tracks its outcomes through a more focused internal measure that it calls the “Golden Number.” The Golden Number measures graduates securing full-time, long-term positions requiring bar passage or preferring a J.D.

For the Class of 2024, Ave Maria Law’s Golden Number reached 82.3%.

Because the National Jurist analysis and Ave Maria Law’s Golden Number use different methodologies, the percentages are not directly comparable. Both, however, provide encouraging measures of the School of Law’s progress in preparing graduates for legal careers.

Building a Career While Earning a J.D.

At Ave Maria Law, students are encouraged to treat their three years of law school as an opportunity to begin building their professional lives. Classroom learning is complemented by practical experience, mentoring, networking and opportunities to develop relationships within the legal profession.

Much of that work is led by Backer and the Office of Professional Development, with an emphasis on hands-on experience, networking and career preparation throughout law school.

“We talk a lot about ‘building your résumé,’ but what we really mean is building your professional story,” Backer said. “What have you done with your summers? Where have you gained hands-on experience? Who have you met in the profession? What skills have you developed? By graduation, we want our students to be able to show employers not only what they learned in law school, but how they have prepared themselves to practice law.”

The effort extends across the Law School. Faculty members mentor students, help create opportunities, make introductions and encourage students to put their legal education into practice. Students can gain professional experience through internships and externships, clinical experiences, judicial placements, summer employment and other opportunities that allow them to develop skills and professional relationships before graduation.

The goal is not simply to help students find a job after earning their J.D. It is to help them develop the experience, relationships and professional foundation that will position them to pursue meaningful legal careers.

Preparing Students for What Comes Next

For Chief Executive Officer and Dean John M. Czarnetzky, employment outcomes are connected to the larger purpose of an Ave Maria Law education: preparing graduates not only with an excellent legal education, but with the experience and professional foundation they need to enter the profession.

“Our responsibility to our students extends beyond providing an excellent legal education,” Czarnetzky said. “We are preparing men and women to enter a profession in which they will be entrusted with the interests of clients, families and communities. Helping our students develop the skills, experience and professional relationships they need to begin meaningful legal careers is an important part of fulfilling that responsibility.”

The National Jurist recognition is an encouraging measure of progress and reflects a collaborative effort across the Law School.

As a new academic year begins at Ave Maria Law, students arriving for their first classes are also beginning something else: the process of building their professional lives. The experiences they pursue, relationships they develop and skills they acquire during law school will help shape where their J.D. ultimately takes them.

At Ave Maria Law, preparation for that future begins long before graduation.