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On-campus recruiting for summer time associates falls in recognition as regulation companies ‘jockey for positions’
On-campus interviewing by regulation companies has “firmly tumbled from its place of prominence” within the recruiting of summer time associates, in line with a report launched Tuesday by the Nationwide Affiliation for Legislation Placement. Picture from Shutterstock.
On-campus interviewing by regulation companies has “firmly tumbled from its place of prominence” within the recruiting of summer time associates, in line with a report launched Tuesday by the Nationwide Affiliation for Legislation Placement.
In 2023, on-campus interviewing was the most well-liked recruiting technique for summer time 2024 applications for second-year regulation college students, with 93% of surveyed regulation places of work reporting that they used on-campus interviewing, in line with a abstract by the NALP Bulletin. By the subsequent yr, direct utility grew to become the most well-liked technique, utilized by 91% of places of work.
In 2024, 56% of affords for summer time 2025 2L applications have been made outdoors a regulation faculty interview program. Solely 24% got here from on-campus interviews, and solely 20% got here from early interview applications via regulation faculties.
Nikia Grey, the manager director of the NALP, commented on the findings in a March 11 press release.
“We now know from the information,” she stated, “that the market is coalescing round direct recruiting and different non-law-school-based recruiting practices as being the popular strategies—or a minimum of essentially the most mandatory—to compete for expertise.”
On-campus interviewing, she stated, “is taking a secondary and even tertiary position, used solely to high off or spherical out summer time affiliate lessons as wanted.”
The provide timeline has additionally modified. Within the 2023 recruiting cycle, August was nonetheless the most well-liked provide month, accounting for 52% of all affords. In 2024, nonetheless, July was hottest, accounting for 45% of affords; adopted by June, with 30% of affords; and August, with 20% of affords.
The modifications are taking place “as competing companies jockey for positions in an more and more tight hiring market,” in line with the report.
The report additionally discovered that 97% of 2024 second-year associates obtained affords to turn into associates after commencement. Supply acceptance charges reached an all-time excessive of 90%.
A complete of 549 regulation places of work reported info on their 2024 summer time applications.
Publications protecting the report, Views on 2024 Legislation Scholar Recruiting, embrace Law.com, Law360 and Reuters.
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