Nearly a third of US law school graduates from the Class of 2022 rarely use artificial intelligence tools at work, even when those tools are available to them, according to a new study from the NALP Foundation and the National Association for Law Placement. The findings mark the first time the organizations have tracked AI adoption in their 13 joint studies on law school alumni employment, and they arrive as the legal industry grapples with how quickly new lawyers are integrating the technology into daily practice.
The study, which surveyed 1,302 graduates between November 2025 and January 2026, found that 30% of respondents rarely use AI tools despite having access to them. Another 22% said they never use AI in their current positions. On the other end of the spectrum, 48% reported using AI "frequently" or "occasionally" for day-to-day tasks or specific projects.
Job mobility hits new highs
Sixty-three percent of graduates have already held at least two roles since finishing law school, and 11% said they are actively searching for new positions. That level of turnover is reshaping conversations about licensure and accreditation.
"Early-career lawyers are changing jobs at unprecedented rates, making the ability to practice in different jurisdictions an increasingly important component of long-term career success," said Nikia Gray, NALP's executive director. "As the legal profession continues to examine accreditation and licensure, these findings underscore the importance of maintaining a national accreditation system that supports reciprocity and enables lawyers to pursue opportunities wherever their careers take them."
Remote and hybrid work remain standard
Fifty-eight percent of 2022 graduates work either fully remotely or under hybrid arrangements. However, the share of graduates back in the office full-time rose to 42%, up from 35% for the Class of 2021. Job satisfaction levels held steady across all work locations.
Fiona Trevelyan, NALP Foundation's president and CEO, said the data paints a picture of an evolving career path "characterized by high mobility, adoption of AI, and hybrid work environments, but also affected professionally and personally by the significant debt they've incurred to attend law school."
Debt loads fall, but compensation gaps persist
Average debt for graduates dropped for the third consecutive year, landing at $81,876 three years after graduation. Compensation varies sharply by firm size. Eighty-two percent of graduates at large firms earn more than $200,000 annually, compared to 59% at mid-size firms with 251 to 500 lawyers and just 12% at small firms.
For legal professionals watching these trends, the AI for Legal Professionals training landscape is becoming harder to ignore as firms weigh how to equip new associates with practical technology skills. The study's AI adoption numbers suggest that nearly half of early-career lawyers are already using these tools regularly, while a significant portion have yet to engage with them at all.
Why this matters for legal professionals
The split in AI usage among recent graduates - 48% using it regularly, 52% rarely or never - signals a widening skills gap inside the profession. Firms that invest in AI training may accelerate the productivity of their new associates. Those that don't risk leaving a large share of their junior lawyers unprepared for workflows that increasingly depend on the technology. For individual lawyers, familiarity with AI tools is becoming a differentiator in a job market where six out of ten peers have already moved between roles within three years of graduation.
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