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# Pathways to Restoring the Job Market for Lawyers
- URL: https://www.jeffcobeacon.com/pathways-to-restoring-the-job-market-for-lawyers/
- Published: 2026-09-02T00:11:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-02T00:11:47.000Z
- Description: The Law Clerk Program paves way for more licensure.
- Author: Angela Michelle Downs
- Tags: local-news, Washington Supreme Court, WBLTF, Rule 6, attorney licensure, Attorney Shortage, Apprenticeship, Angela Downs

JEFFERSON COUNTY, WA — On March 15, 2024, the Washington Supreme Court signed an order to adopt a recommendation from the Washington Bar Licensure Task Force (WBLTF) to implement three additional pathways to law licensure besides law school; graduate apprenticeship, a law school experiential pathway and an Admission and Practice Rule 6 work-study apprenticeship, as additional pathways to attorney licensure.

Apprenticeships were the traditional form of law training in America until 1934, when formal four-year schools with a standardized curriculum began. 

Across the nation, there are critical staffing issues for both the prosecution and public defense offices. The Beacon reported on the [technological issues in Yakima during the August Bar exam](https://www.jeffcobeacon.com/retaining-prosecuting-attorneys-a-collective-problem-a-jefferson-county-sore-spot/), creating significant concerns for our prosecuting office currently looking to hire lawyers. 

According to [Cascadia Daily News](https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2026/jul/29/turnover-is-high-at-whatcom-county-prosecutors-office-whats-happening/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com), Yakima County had a 16% vacancy rate in its prosecutor's office in 2023, and Kitsap County had a 27% reduction in 2024\. 

With at least 20 other counties in Washington currently hiring, one of the setbacks for Jefferson County is a combination of the cost of living and noncompetitive wages, with a monthly salary range of $7,871.58 - $12,026.75.

Examples of monthly salary ranges from other counties are $8,000 - $16,411 in Clark County, $7,287.25 - $15,373.78 in Kittitas County, $8,389.00 - $14,322 in Grays Harbor County and $8,500 - $14,908.08 in Yakima County.

Fewer prosecuting attorneys do not translate into less crimes being charged. Unlike with defense attorneys, prosecution does not have caseload caps, meaning they are spread thinner and potentially a less attractive career for applicants.

Jefferson County prosecuting attorney Holly Graham said in an email correspondence with the Beacon in August, “People in positions like mine can suffer from burn-out. With only two attorneys covering all of District Court, Superior Court, Juvenile Court, Drug Court and Behavioral Health Court, I do worry about someone getting sick or taking vacation (or not being able to take vacation because there’s no coverage).”

Trent Diamonti is currently in his third year of the Rule Six Law Clerk apprentice program under attorney Sam Feinson. Diamonti says he plans to join Faber Feinson PLLC Law Firm after he takes the bar exam to practice family and property law, largely because it makes more financial sense to him than criminal law.

The Law Clerk Program is a four-year program designed to offer educational and practical experience through work–study under the guidance of an experienced lawyer or judge. Enrollment costs $2,000 a year and completion of the program qualifies a person to take the Washington lawyer bar exam. To participate in the program, a person must have a bachelor's degree and work full-time with a judge or lawyer with at least ten years of experience.

The program consists of mandatory courses covering a range of law, from criminal to property law, along with monthly exams, book reports, day-to-day paralegal work drafting filings and an independent study. In the fourth year, there are electives to help define a specific legal track. 

As the WBLTF overall recommendation read:

“The best available data indicates that the bar exam disproportionately and unnecessarily blocks historically marginalized groups from entering the practice of law. In addition to the racism and classism written into the test itself, the time and financial costs of the test reinforce historical inequities in our profession.”

Diamonti said that he feels Washington, as the second most cited state in court decisions after California, has a strong foundation for apprenticeship programs that allow people who may not have had access to the career previously. After years of poverty-working in the service industry, he’s grateful for the apprenticeship track that would otherwise mean he’d have to take out huge loans for school.

Diamonti also said that he has provided feedback to the Washington State Bar Association Rule Six committee, suggesting they provide syllabus examples to first-year students to help them structure their independent studies. He also said that he misses the cohort experience, but the practical experience is rewarding. 

With potential [shifts in societal perception](https://wabarnews.org/2025/02/11/no-rest-for-the-prosecution/?ref=jeffcobeacon.com) of the prosecutorial role as a morally sound career, an inflation rate above the Federal reserves goal and high tariffs, alternative pathways to law licensure such as Rule Six may not solve the concerns prosecution offices across the country are facing—but it may increase the potential for lawyers in rural areas to start careers without crippling debt.