Trump Hiring Freezes and Purges Leaving Lawyers and Career Paths in Limbo
The competition for jobs among recent law school graduates has continued to increase in intensity over the years. For some, working as a federal attorney holds appeal as a potential career path. The chaos and uncertainty of the first month of the second Trump Administration may derail those dreams.
A hiring freeze combined with the threatened purging of lawyers at the Department of Justice means more attorneys will be looking for work in a pool with fewer jobs. It's not exactly the graduation present this year's 3Ls were hoping for.
A Bevy of JDs
There is no shortage of potential future attorneys applying to law schools -- even as the institutions adjust their admissions policies to avoid violating new guidelines. The size of graduating classes continues to increase each year as well. What lies ahead after getting a legal sheepskin has gotten much less certain.
The second Trump Administration came into power with a promise to greatly reduce the size of the federal government. They have attempted to fulfill that promise through executive actions, many of which have dubious legal grounding. Despite the question marks over how it will all play out, freezes, budget cuts, and terminations have had a very real effect on government employees.
Federal agencies have long been mainstays at career fairs. They enticed the best and brightest law school students with summer jobs and internships. Impending and recent law school graduates could pursue career paths and agency honors programs within the multitude of federal agencies requiring attorneys.
With a single hiring freeze declared on Jan. 20, 2025, the Trump Administration turned the entire federal legal world upside-down and shook it around a bit for extra effect. It canceled all pending job offers and internships. Given that over 1,000 attorneys were hired for federal positions in 2023, this came as a shock for hundreds of 3Ls.
This Way to the Egress
To further complicate matters, graduating law school students will find the job market potentially saturated with experienced attorneys looking for work as well. While legal political hires tend to leave their jobs when the administration changes, federal career attorneys often keep their positions and are exempted from the change of party purges.
The new administration swept in with threats of retribution along with the promise to gut the federal government. This uncertainty and fear of persecution have sent unprecedented numbers of federal attorneys seeking safer employment in the private sector.
Given the experience and expertise of some of these career federal workers, it's no surprise that law firms and corporations have been eager to snap these attorneys up. Not all agency escapees have the type of legal background that puts them in high demand, which means they get added to the already-crowded pool of job seekers.
Related Resources
- Resources for Law Students (FindLaw's Law School Center)
- What Does a Government Lawyer Really Do? (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
- Pre-Law Internships (FindLaw's Pre-Law)
