The erosion of new associate hiring at law firms has resulted in a dramatic three-year decline in starting salaries for recent law graduates.

Research by NALP, formerly the National Association for Law Placement, found that average starting salaries for members of the class of 2011 holding full-time jobs fell by 6.5 percent compared with the previous class, to $78,653 from $84,111. The median reported salary dropped by 5 percent, to $60,000 from $63,000.