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For Adam Trott, a third-year law student at UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, law school was the perfect way to combine a stable career with something he was passionate about.

"Law seemed like an intellectual challenge, one that I didn't fully understand at the time," he said. "I later found that it was the right thing for me."

But in the midst of an economic crisis, Trott, like many students, is unsure about the job market.

When Trott was turning in his applications, the time was ripe for new law school graduates to join prestigious law firms or take clerking jobs.

"In 2006, if you went to Berkeley, it was no problem getting a really good job," said Trott. "Everyone was hiring, and law firms wanted more and more people."

Although Trott has performed well at Boalt Hall, surviving the LSAT and intensive classes, he is unsure where he will find himself come spring.

"Usually you graduate in May, take the bar at the end of July and start (a job) in September or October," he said. "Because of the economy, there's a lot going on right now. I have a law firm job lined up for 2011 because they deferred it."

The law firm that hired Trott-�the San Francisco office of Ropes & Gray LLP-gave him two options. He could either wait until the firm calls him to begin working, or accept a stipend and work a public interest job until 2011.

"Now I'm looking for that public interest job," Trott said. "But if you don't get the job, you don't get the stipend."

Trott is not alone in his struggle to find a job. Susan Gluss, media relations director for Boalt Hall, said students have had to look into different law careers rather than immediately getting hired by a large firm.

"(Some firms) have had to defer students for six months to a year," she said. "We have more students doing public interest law or joining small-to-medium sized firms. Our graduates are the best of the best. They can get hired, it's just a lot harder-it's definitely a difficult market."

According to the Association for Legal Career Professionals, the employment rate for new law school graduates is down for the first time since 2003. Additionally, the number of employed recent graduates dropped 2 percent from 2007 to 2008.

Khalil AbuGharbieh, a third-year at Boalt Hall, has been similarly deferred from his job at a law firm in Washington, D.C. and is waiting to be told when he will officially start.

"Most people that I know that have accepted jobs have been deferred, some as late as January 2012," he said. "It's almost entirely attributed to the economic situation. Two years ago, it was not this difficult to find a job."

Paul Cane, a partner at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, said most law firms are seeing a change in their hiring practices because of the economy.

"Every significant law firm is hiring fewer students than in the past," he said. "Two summers ago, we had a summer class of 20, and next summer it'll probably be 12 to 15. Every law firm is being more careful with their hiring."

A Boalt alumnus himself, Cane's job search was much easier when he

graduated 30 years ago.

"I was a law clerk for the United States Supreme Court," he said. "The economy then was very strong, major law firms were hiring aggressively, and for students who had done well academically, it was a favorable market."

Hiring caution is not limited to private law firms, however.

Larry Paradis, executive director of the nonprofit law firm Disability Rights Advocates, has seen strain within the firm because of the economy.

"We have seen the number of people applying for fellowships go up, which is not surprising," he said. "The for-profit law firms have cut back on their hiring of new law grads, so more people are looking into the law nonprofits."

According to Paradis, 20 law school graduates applied last year, up from the usual 15. From that number, two applicants are selected for the fellowship, who are usually hired by the firm upon completion of the two-year program.

"In this last year, it has become harder (to hire the fellows) because the donations and grants we rely upon have become much more scarce since the economic collapse," Paradis said. "The funding for nonprofits in general has been impacted very heavily."

Despite the uncertainty of the current job market, there is no doubt that a law degree leaves students prepared for any career, Cane said.

"Our profession is experiencing a great deal of change and tumult; certainly the job security that has traditionally existed is less now," he said. "However, there are a lot of things you can do with (a law degree). It's awfully powerful."