Jobs Scarce for Lawyers With the Lesser Degree

Like many law students, Nadia M. thought it went like this: You graduate, then you practice law.

But two years after earning a degree from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago and passing the bar exam, she's yet to land steady work with benefits. Despite networking aggressively, hunting for jobs constantly, and sending out endless resumes, Nadia hasn't had an interview for a full-time law position in more than a year.

In that time, she's drained her savings, watched the approximately $110,000 that she took out in student loans sprout more interest, and put any plans of buying a house or car, or of settling down with her boyfriend, on indefinite deferment. She's beginning to think that law school was a catastrophic mistake.