Written by: Dan Roe

Many agree an arms race to secure top talent sooner and sooner is bad for first-year law students, but the firms behind the trend aren't sure how to stop it.

The first semester of law school used to be about getting acclimated to law school itself. Students could focus on exploring the opportunities the profession has to offer, getting involved on campus, learning how to be a professional and, of course, studying and achieving good grades on final exams.

However, an arms race among law firms to lock down top talent earlier and earlier—thanks to the pandemic-driven de-emphasis on fall on-campus interviews, or OCIs—has Big Law firms effectively asking law students to make decisions about post-graduate employment before the end of their first semester.

This academic year, an increasing number of law firms opened applications for 1L summer positions on Nov. 1 rather than Dec. 1 or later. And unbeknownst to applicants, some of those 1L summer interviews were also used as screening interviews for 2L summer offers. Some firms—including Sidley Austin and Kirkland & Ellis, according to sources with knowledge of the situation—extended 1L and 2L summer offers simultaneously, albeit with 2L summer offers allowing longer response times.

Strangely, none of the parties involved in raising the stakes, and potential stress levels for 1Ls, seem to think the new normal is ideal. Two Big Law recruitment professionals, who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said they recognized the burden that an expedited recruitment timeline places on law students.

“One firm has to lead the charge because we’re really upending everything. Something has to give,” said an Am Law 100 firm recruiting manager.

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