@Gadolhadorah
Your post to which I replied did not specify TOP NYC FIRMS. MOST newly graduated lawyers are not employed by these firms, especially frum lawyers who can’t produce all those hours because of Shabbos and Yuntif restrictions.
MOST newly graduated lawyers are NOT in NYC and its commuting distance.
I was in court today in Bridgeport, CT. It is one of the 5 highest paying cities for attorneys in the USA. There was a 2 hour delay in a case and I had coffee with a number of lawyers who own local firms of decent size. All had hired Ivy league grads this year, not one had to pay more than $94,000 starting salary, and that student was on the law review and in the top 3% of her class. She did not want to work or live in NYC.
Because my new hires know they will never be in a partner track, I will never attract the top percentile of graduates from the top schools.