The NALP Foundation and NALP Release Joint Study of Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction for the Canadian Class of 2022

The NALP Foundation and NALP today released their eighth joint study, Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction, for Canadian alumni of the Class of 2022. This annual study examines recent graduates’ employment status, compensation, and mobility, and their assessment of how well their legal education prepared them for practice (see attached selected findings).

This year's study offers valuable insights into the experiences of the third graduating class to enter the legal profession during the pandemic era. New queries explore graduates' use of artificial intelligence in law school, the extent to which their legal education prepared them to use AI, and how they are incorporating AI into their current roles. The study also examines a range of issues affecting early-career lawyers, including career shifts during law school, student debt and loan forgiveness, professional identity formation, the timing of post-graduate recruitment, and employment preferences.

The new data provides unique insights into the careers of the Class of 2022 three years after graduation, including:

AI Adoption: Over one half (54%) reported they use AI “frequently” or “occasionally” as either an essential part of their daily work or for specific tasks or projects, while 30% reported they “rarely” do so, despite having access to AI tools. Only 16% reported they “never” use AI tools or capabilities in their current roles.

AI Applications: The leading applications for those using AI in law firms were compiling and synthesizing information (55%) and legal research (55%), followed by drafting documents (46%).

Mobility: Mobility was high, with over one half (53%) of Class of 2022 graduates reporting they’ve already held two or more positions by the three-year mark, but low levels (14%) of graduates reported they were actively seeking a new job (historical rates ranged from 11% to 21%).

Educational Debt: Participating graduates’ average debt load was significant at C$52,688, with 79% of it attributable to law school. Graduates’ debt impacts their job choices, major life decisions, as well as their personal lives and mental health and well-being, with impact increasing measurably with debt load.

Intriguing differences emerged between the Class of 2022 Canadian vs. U.S. results:

AI Adoption: Canadian graduates reported using AI tools and capabilities “frequently” or “occasionally” in their current positions at higher rates than U.S. graduates did (54% vs. 48%).

Job Satisfaction: Canadian graduates were “extremely satisfied” with their current positions at notably lower rates than their U.S. peers (39% vs. 51%).

Mobility: Canadian graduates exhibited greater stability than their U.S. peers, with higher rates reporting they had held a single position since graduating (47% vs. 37%).

Work Location: Employed Canadian graduates were more likely than U.S. graduates to work hybrid schedules (65% vs. 50%) and less likely to work in the office every day (30% vs. 42%).

“This year's robust response rate gave us a particularly strong data set detailing the early-stage careers of the Class of 2022,” noted NALP Foundation President & CEO Fiona Trevelyan. “They are navigating high professional mobility, the personal and professional impacts of educational debt amidst the sea changes AI is bringing to the profession, and their overall satisfaction with their current positions, particularly when contrasted with their U.S. peers, is something for all in the profession to attend to.”

“The speed with which AI is becoming part of the work of early-career lawyers is remarkable,” said NALP Executive Director Nikia Gray. “Just three years after graduation, more than half of the Class of 2022 are already using AI frequently or occasionally in their work. These findings make clear that AI is no longer on the horizon – it is already reshaping the practice of law and how we must prepare lawyers for the profession.”

This year’s study reflects data collected from 409 Class of 2022 alumni from 14 Canadian law schools. Data collection took place between November 2025 and January 2026. All Canadian law schools were invited to participate.

In addition to the topics noted above, the report also contains detailed information, segmented by gender identity, demographic cohorts and work setting, on Employment Status, Compensation, Career Trajectory, Efficacy of Law School Preparation, Experiential Education, Key Skills for Practice, and Post-Graduate Law School Engagement.

The full PDF report for Canadian law schools is available for purchase from The NALP Foundation at www.nalpfoundation.org/bookstore. The comparable report for U.S. law school alumni is also available there.