Attorney overload-- In 48 states, including Washington,there are more lawyers than jobs

YAKIMA, Wash. -- When Dave Power passed the bar exam three years ago, the new attorney applied for 30 to 40 jobs throughout Washington -- only to be rejected again and again.

In one letter, he was told that more than 300 people had applied for a single opening, 100 of whom had two to three years of experience.

Luckily, Power found work, but not always in his field. At one point, he even supervised an information technology crew for Boeing.

"It was really competitive then. I can't imagine what it's like now," said Power, 28, who was hired as a Yakima County deputy prosecutor six weeks ago. "I like my job. I'm very happy to be here."

Power's struggle to find work is typical for new attorneys, according to research compiled by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc., an Idaho-based company that focuses on employment trends and economic analysis.

According to its data, every state but Wisconsin and Nebraska -- plus Washington, D.C. -- are producing far more attorneys than needed. Across the nation, there were twice as many people who passed the bar in 2009 as there were openings.

Washington state has the 20th-highest surplus of lawyers in the country, a statistic that doesn't surprise Terri Jackson. As operations manager for the Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, she helps with staffing.

A few years ago, she'd receive 10 to 20 applications per opening. The number has since jumped to about 35, she said.

To get noticed, she advises new attorneys to volunteer their services. That way, they can make connections while proving their value to prospective employers.

"We need resources, and we call upon them for legal research and other things," she said. "It's good for them and for us."

In the private sector, the situation appears less grim.

Two weeks ago, Lee & Associates of Yakima hired Ryan McPherson, a Montana native and graduate of Regent University in Virginia, who had been searching for steady work since 2008. Although frustrated by the job market, McPherson said he never lost hope.

"I realized you needed a personal connection to find opportunities," said McPherson, 29, who learned of the position through the wife of a law school friend, Peter Ritchie.

"The most difficult part is finding someone who you can convince you're worth hiring. You can't just go into a law firm and ask to speak with a partner."

Ritchie, who's worked at Meyer Fluegge & Tenney for more than a year, went through similar struggles before he was hired. Through cold calling and taking on hourly contract work, he said he finally found an employer who gave him a chance.

"In the back of my mind, I kept thinking to myself, 'Why did I do this?'" said Ritchie, 29. "(My law-school class) all figured we'd have great jobs. Then everything collapsed."

While the economy is hurting some, business is good at Meyer Fluegge & Tenney, said Bob Tenney, one of the firm's partners. That's why, in addition to hiring Ritchie more than a year ago, the firm is hiring another attorney this fall.

By then, the firm will have eight lawyers.

"Our practice is being driven by demands of our clients. Fortunately for us, the demand is pretty high," he said.

But when considering the level of competition across the country, Tenney said people should only go into law if they're truly passionate about the profession.

"If you want to be a lawyer, you should be doing it because you really want to practice law," he said. "If you want to be a lawyer because you think you'll have a high status or make a lot of money, you should pursue something else."

Holai Holbrook agrees. The 36-year-old passed the bar exam a year ago, and when lawyer jobs seemed out of reach, she considered going back to work as a high school teacher.

"If law school is not the right fit, or if this is not what you want to do, it's not too late to drop out," said Holbrook, who's worked for the Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney's Office since June 1. "The marketplace is so scary. ... It was hard to get to where I am right now."

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.