Georgia State Law, with 56 percent of its 2018 graduates employed at a law firm and 36.1 percent working at small firms, has made preLaw Magazine’s Employment Honor Roll.

Georgia State Law is also a leader in overall employment, with 91 percent of graduates employed within 10 months of graduation.

The magazine analyzed career placement data from 2018 graduates.

Trends show small firms account for more hires than large ones. In 2017, firms with no more than 10 attorneys accounted for 35.3 percent of attorney hires, according to the National Association for Law Placement.

“At Georgia State College of Law, we take a concierge-style approach to career services,” said Lyn Rogers Knapp, senior director of the Center for Professional Development & Career Strategies. “I’m interested in placing our students in positions that speak to their passions. My goal is to provide the best support and guidance, so that they graduate and enjoy their practices, no matter what kind of company that ends up being in.”

College of Law students are required to take a professional development course during their first year. Knapp and her team have an open-door policy with students in order to build relationships early and meet often.

In addition to making the Employment Honor Roll, the health law program was bumped from an A to an A+ in preLaw’s assessment. Georgia State Law students have numerous opportunities to engage with this area of law through the Center for Law, Health & Society’s programs, Student Health Law Association, Certificate in Health Law and the Health Law Partnership (HeLP) Legal Services Clinic. In the HeLP Clinic, they collaborate with medical students from Emory University and Morehouse School of Medicine to advocate for low-income families who are receiving services from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The school’s proximity to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services’ regional office and a large Veterans Administration hospital were also cited as assets.

“We are thrilled that the program received an A+ from preLaw Magazine,” said Leslie Wolf, interim dean and director of the Center for Law, Health & Society. “We have a dozen health law faculty who are committed teachers and scholars covering the breadth of topics that fall within the field of health law. Our students are well-prepared to work in health law, whether it be in a law firm, hospital, insurance company, government agency or other setting.”