The numbers are dramatic: By a couple measures, the job market for new law school graduates is the toughest it's been since the mid-1990s.

But I also heard some optimism from schools and recent grads that things have been picking up in recent months.

Nancy Lochner, director of career services for Hamline University School of Law, said this:

Longtime attorneys and recent graduates: What do you say? What's the job market like in Minnesota? Have things improved? In which sectors?