Even Bar Exam Passers Have a Hard Time Finding a Job

The Judicial Research and Training Center held its 34th commencing ceremony on Tuesday for 957 trainers who passed the 44th national bar exam in 2002 and took the training course for two years. The 34th class is the group in which the government selected 1,000 people for the second time.

However, a whopping 320 trainees, or 33.4 percent, excluding 144 who will serve the obligatory military term, are leaving the center without a job. Last year, 22 percent, or 213, of the 966 trainees did not get a job upon completion of the training. This clearly shows that even bar exam passers are not immune to the current tight job market.

Among the 34th class, 269 have chosen to become a lawyer. Those who will run their own office fell from 19.7 percent, or 191, to 12.2 percent, or 117, partly because of the slump of lawyers. Almost the same number of trainees (113 or 11.8 percent) got a job at a law firm like last year, when 12.8 percent, or 124, went to a law firm.

Following last year, 33 trainees chose not to work in the legal community and will work for government organizations, companies, and other social groups. Eleven trainees will work as government officials in non-legal fields, including two lawmaker aides, a National Assembly Secretariat officer, and an administrative secretary apprentice. Thirteen of the trainees will work for companies, including one for Samsung, one for LG Phillips, three for Eland, one for Migliore Shopping Mall, and one for SBS.

Six went to social organizations including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Beautiful Foundation, the Foreign Workers’ Shelter, and the Korea Volleyball Association.

“Preference of working at an organization over running one’s own office is a clear trend,” said Professor Im Si-gyu at the Judicial Research and Training Center. “We are diversifying our curriculum so that students can work in various fields other than the legal community.”

At the same time, among 191 who will be judges (97) and prosecutors (94), 43.5 percent, or 83, are women (47 judges, 36 persecutors), giving greater power to women in the legal community.

Summa cum laude graduate Ms. Lee Ji-young (26) received the Award of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Mr. Kim Won (33) and Ms. Lee Mi-sun (26) received the Award of the Minister of Justice and the Award of the President of the Korean Bar Association respectively.

jin0619@donga.com