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(Editor’s note: This piece originally ran in the May 12, 2011, issue of the BrieflyLegal e-newsletter)

Oregon鈥檚 first batch of new law school grads will celebrate their commencement from Willamette University this weekend, with those from the University of Oregon and Lewis & Clark College law schools following over the next two weekends.

Once they pass the bar exam, these new lawyers will venture off in search of what has become a rare and elusive thing during the past few years: an entry-level job in the legal industry.

鈥淲e still have a number of recent grads who are looking for employment, which is standard for Oregon anyway, but it doesn鈥檛 look as promising as in the past,鈥� says Norma Freitas, assistant director of Career Services for Willamette鈥檚 law school.

While Willamette鈥檚 grads tend to join smaller law firms, the competition for those jobs is even tougher because larger firms aren鈥檛 hiring as many new lawyers, she adds.

Libby Davis, associate dean for Career Services at Lewis & Clark鈥檚 law school, says it鈥檚 difficult to predict how many recruiters will come to campus in the fall, but the number of firms interested in participating seems to be on the rise.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 say that the job market has changed radically from a year ago, but everybody I talk to says it鈥檚 improving,鈥� she says.

Linda Green Pierce, president of Portland-based Northwest Legal Search Inc., sees better times ahead, too.

鈥淚鈥檓 already starting to see the demand for associates come up just in the last couple of months,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a boom by any means, but there is a little trickle coming back.鈥�

Davis says she advises new grads to be flexible when it comes to a job鈥檚 location, the type of job they will accept and the compensation offered She also reminds new grads not to get discouraged while seeking work and, above all, to join the mix in one way or another.

鈥淒o something, whether it鈥檚 volunteer or contract work,鈥� she says. 鈥淓ven if you have to do non-legal work don鈥檛 just sit at home, especially right after graduating.鈥�