Surveying candidates to whom your firm made offers can yield important information on what is and isn't working. Here are some tips for creating an online survey.
The participating law firms cited marketing, greater outreach, innovative technology, and competition as the major reasons for deciding to participate in VIP...
Not only is writing a job description the best way to think through what skills the job requires, it also can be your best evidence should an unwarranted claim of discrimination be filed.
One placement agency addresses the myths surrounding contract attorneys and offers some ground rules for effective working relationships between law firms and agencies.
The NALP Recruitment Practices Advisory Group has developed a new interpretation of the Principles and Standards addressing the responsibilities of employers, candidates, and law schools regarding the use of the Internet in the recruiting process.
There are any number of reasons why employers may wish to moderate the use of alcohol in the recruitment process, but self interest is primary among them.
Conveying firm culture through a variety of media -- podcasts, BlackBerrys, the web.
Deciphering the educational systems and qualification requirements of candidates from various countries is a challenge.
The time has come to ask whether summer associate programs serve anyone's needs and interests. This article is not intended to answer this question, but rather to inspire self-reflection and analysis
Is OCI Dead or Is This Just the New Normal? On-Campus Interviews (OCI) in 2012
Here are some tips for those who have transitioned to recruiting from other roles within their firms.
What recruiting and lawyer professional development lessons might law firms draw from the NFL?
A survey explored the compensation of recruiting professionals in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, and DC, and also satisfaction levels with that compensation.
The idea for Waller Lansden's Schola2Juris Apprentice Program was simple. Shorten the law student recruiting cycle from twelve months to three and a half. But would the program work? Read about the program's first year.
A strong network has always been an important tool for employers seeking to quickly connect with talented candidates. However, some employers and some geographic locations rely more on professional contacts to spread the word about job opportunities than others. Employers may want to adopt a variety of tactics when designing a recruitment strategy to avoid the hazards of a homogenous workforce. But based on my outreach and research as the PSJD Fellow, I believe that open hiring via company websites and/or online job boards provides an excellent and affordable first step.
From 2014-2016, summer programs saw only modest growth (both in total number of summer associates and in average program size), and it is evident that this modest growth did not occur across all firm sizes or parts of the country.
Over the last couple of years, a number of states and municipalities have considered or enacted measures aimed at narrowing pay gaps for women and minorities. One such measure seeks to end systemic wage inequalities by prohibiting employers from asking about or considering a job applicant’s salary history (including benefits and other compensation) when making recruitment or employment decisions. The rationale is that pay inequity is perpetuated over the course of one’s entire career when employers rely on previous disparate salaries to assess the value of a prospective employee, rather than on bona fide job-related factors such as experience...
The key to building your firm's brand on campus is to get in front of students early and often. Here are some suggestions.
The Innovating Talent Acquisition Work Group has set out to understand and report on how other professional services industries identify, recruit, and on-board talent for their organizations.
NALP research takes a look at trends in law firm summer programs over the years.
Legal recruiting professional and part-time improvisation teacher Emily Lindholm explains how a little bit of improv could go a long way in figuring out recruiting during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
NALP Director of Research Danielle Taylor shares key findings from the latest Survey of Legal Employers on 2020-21 Recruiting, which shows that the percentage of early offers for law students in 2L summer programs has increased for the fifth year in a row.
Director of Research Danielle A. Taylor examines NALP data on how fall recruiting for summer programs at law firms has changed over time, as well as the impact on callback ratios during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wisnik Career Enterprises Founder Eva Wisnik shares highlights and trends from the company’s 2021 surveys of legal recruiting professionals across five cities.
This article provides an overview of trends, data, and key takeaways that we hope will assist small and mid-size law firms in preparing for the upcoming 1L and 2L student recruiting seasons.
Get the most from student receptions.
Two career services directors go straight to the source to ask students what impresses them — and what doesn't — in employers' web sites.
Suggestions for fun summer program events on a lower budget.
Summary of recruiting discussion during Roundtable on the Future of Lawyer Hiring, Development, and Advancement.
The Schola2Juris program at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis reimagines the recruiting process and the transition from law school to law firm.
Tips for maximizing a law firm's visibility with diverse law students -- and these law firm marketing suggestions cost little to implement.
What do the NALP numbers really mean? Are we experiencing a major recession or, alternately, a fundamental reordering of the legal services industry? Professor Henderson asserts that we are in the midst of changes affecting both law firms and law schools.
Findings from the task force charged with exploring talent acquisition research, to provide NALP members to experiment with innovation in the recruiting process, and particularly to seek innovations that both increase the period of engagement between law students and potential employers, and use technology in innovative ways.
Editorial Note: On December 12, 2018, the NALP Board of Directors wrote to members to announce the new NALP Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruiting Process. This article is adapted from that correspondence.
Before we know it, the OCI season will be upon us, and it is during this hectic time that workplace self-care is most needed yet often neglected. With a bit of preparation and intention, however, self-care can actually save you time at work and help you accomplish your goals, all while maintaining your well-being during the recruiting madness. Here is an offering of helpful self-care ideas with tried-and-true examples from your NALP colleagues. We hope these tips help you tackle OCI with less stress and worry.
As summer programs wind down and fall recruiting begins, the topics of target sizes for the next year’s summer program and of how to achieve those targets and desired yields may become subjects of discussion. NALP research has long documented summer program sizes and outcomes, as well as the level of fall recruiting activity for 2Ls and those outcomes, in annual Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting reports. There is an additional question that NALP’s research can answer: How many callback interviews are needed to result in one accepted offer for the summer program?
Suited Co-Founder and CEO Matthew Spencer explains how law firms can use artificial intelligence to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in recruiting and hiring.
With shifting timelines and earlier interview programs, each recruiting season brings new challenges. Christie Vonk, embedded on the employer side, recently had a conversation with Columbia law school recruiter Jennifer Torres, to see how these changes have impacted their team and to learn where there are opportunities to collaborate in the future.
NALP Research: What Share of 2L Summer Program Offers and Acceptances Are a Result of Precruiting? October 2021
Over the past decade, more and more firms have forged international alliances, many with foreign firms with a pre-existing corporate culture. One of the most difficult aspects of business for a multinational firm to overcome is recruiting.
Sterne Kessler's technical specialist program was built upon the premise that, "It is easier to teach patent law to Ph.D. scientists than molecular biology to lawyers."
Although the thought of applying normal ethics rules to recruiting materials should not create panic, it should induce caution and care. Law firms should avoid the kind of statements that create gross ethics violations.
In May 2001, Howrey Bootcamp debuted... Four weeks, 161 attorneys, 15 staff members, and 48 summer associates later we took a hard look at the lessons learned from the experience. Here's what we learned...
Before rescinding an offer, employers should consider any and all alternatives.
Review of Recruiting Lawyers: How to Hire the Best Talent
As the competition for recruiting top talent continues to increase, follow-up techniques are becoming more critical in the recruiting process.
Here are a few hints for navigating your way through the recruitment process.
Assessing "firm fit" in the recruitment and decision-making process is no easy task. If it were easy, everyone would already be doing it succesfully.
A stack of warm résumés hits your desk, fresh off the copier. How do you work through the stack in the best, most efficient way, to find the candidates who would truly enrich your organization?
A no-offer is a lost opportunity and failed investment; here are 5 tips for preventing a no-offer or at the least minimizing the impact of a no-offer.
preparing lawyers for fall recruiting
Behavioral interviewing looks at past experiences to better anticipate how a candidate might handle future real-life work situations.
Talent management approaches provide an opportunity to systematically review and benchmark hiring outcomes against long-term performance.
When law students request a split summer, this long-time recruitment professional follows this roadmap to explain why she thinks a split summer is often not in a student's best interests
Board adopts clarifying changes to Parts IV and V of the Principles and Standards
Congratulations! You've landed a new job at a law firm. How do you hit the ground running?
Within the large group that makes up millennial lawyers — lawyers born between the years 1980-2000 — there are unique nuances we should be aware of to help us in our efforts to recruit and retain diverse millennial lawyers.
Your summer law clerks' relationship with your firm begins long before their first day of orientation, and the way you communicate with them during the school year can do a lot to lay the foundation for a successful summer.
Panelists Jordan Furlong, Cat Moon of Vanderbilt University and Air Canada’s Fred Headon discussed lawyer formation during a virtual plenary May 1 as part of NALP’s 2020 Annual Education Conference.
NALP’s Recruitment Tools Evaluation Work Group, made up from members of the Recruiting and JD Career Advisors Sections, present the results of a study on the types of resources that recruiters use to evaluate job candidates.
Howard University School of Law’s Lauren R. Jackson explains how counting pro bono hours as part of law firm practice could help even the playing field in the effort to increase DEI within the legal profession.
NALP Ten Timely Resources for OCI Success
Behavioral interviewing techniques can prove particularly helpful in eliciting job-related information from Millennials with little past job experience.
The summer is almost over but it's never too early to start thinking about next year!
Seven tips for making summer programs more effective.
Over the last few years, there has been explosive growth in the use of the annual law school rankings compiled by US News & World Report.
Due diligence should start from the moment the applicant walks in your door.
From the Employer's and Law School's Perspectives
While staying competitive is a legitimate, pro-competitive reason for being interested in collecting information about the compensation packages offered by other law firms, care must be taken to gather this information in a manner consistent with goals
1Ls; first-years; recruiting
The second in a series of Roundtables explores alternatives to current recruiting methods.
Lavender Law Despite Economic Climate
Law firm recruiters who develop partnerships with their marketing department will reap benefits for both recruiting and marketing department.
Learn how one Canadian firm uses a simple, low-tech tool to help ensure summer students/associates get feedback throughout the summer.
What factors influence student selections of employers?
These suggestions can help both employers and candidates mitigate the impact of unconscious bias on recruiting.
As we enter a new era of hiring, fresh approaches to candidate interaction, experience, and assessment will become the defining features of law firms’ successful recruitment strategies.
Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting
Minimal due diligence procedures such as those that many firms utilize when hiring students for their summer programs are no longer sufficient to guarantee that your star candidates is, in fact, who he says he is.
The Canadian recruitment process continues to be condensed as a growing number of firms now fill most, if not all, of their student positions (i.e., summer and articling) through the summer recruitment process.
Overall, only about two-thirds of students reported that their summer experience was a positive influence on their interest in practicing for an employer similar to their summer employer.
Here are some tips for recruiters on preparing for the spring.
Responses about the impact of the events of the fall ran the gamut. Some schools reported almost no impact. Others reported as much as a 30% decline in the number of employers coming on campus.
As was the case in 1992, law school and legal employer administrators are facing tough times and, with them, a number of critical questions.
Tips for involving summer associates in a firm's professional development program.
A look at the findings of the NALP Foundation's latest survey of associate attrition.
This past year has been an exceptionally difficult one for the legal profession, upending many of the legal market's typical trends and patterns. NALP research provides added insights on the 2009 recruiting season and associate deferrals.
This summer, in response to the changing economy, law firms might think about focusing at least one summer program event on giving back to the community through a volunteer event, and also perhaps about moving one event to a nonprofit venue like a museum or public theater.
A key take-away from one PDI plenary was that it's going to be more and more crucial for law firms to change their current recruiting models, and that firms need to collaborate on all aspects of legal education with the law schools from which they recruit.
The volume of entry-level associates starting work in 2009 plunged by an estimated 40%.
Sometimes it's helpful to remember the ultimate reasons we are legal career professionals.
The new normal that panelists at the most recent Roundtable on the Future of Lawyer Hiring, Development, and Advancement see emerging involves more careful management, more purposeful action, more people in more dialogue about more decisions, more contingency planning, more thoughtful recruiting, and more work directly with law school CSO offices.
Most employers are not taking full advantage of the ways Symplicity can help them build their brand on campus by featuring their social networking sites, statistics, or culture.
Career advisors don’t pick favorites when it comes to students, but if we did, it’s likely the students who transfer in as rising 2Ls would be at the top of the list. Transfer students tend to be enthusiastic, determined, and a little bit gritty. But there is a challenge inherent in working with these students, given the tight timeline between when they are admitted and when on-campus interviewing begins. If you implement some best practices, your transfer students have a better chance of being successful at OCI.
A summary of the discussions and outcomes from the Reimagining Recruiting Design Thinking Workshop and NALPathon held in March 2019 in Washington, DC.
As the recruiting cycle has lengthened from a heavy first quarter to cover the entire year, we thought it could be helpful to shout out a Top Ten List for Working with External Recruiters.
NALP Director of Research Danielle A. Taylor explains how lateral hiring at law firms plummeted according to information in the 2020-21 Survey of Legal Employers on Recruiting.
Sarah Jasper of Equal Justice Works and William & Mary Law School’s Moriah Berger Allen share results from an environmental scan of how the public service environment has changed due to the lingering effects of the pandemic.
NALP Research: Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting annual report, March 2020
The Recruiting Section is for NALP members who are responsible for, or who have an interest in, issues related to law school outreach, summer programs, and entry-level lawyer recruiting.
The firm's hope is that, by encouraging future lawyers to incorporate public service into their careers, the communities in which the firm resides will benefit and the experiences of all Morgan Lewis lawyers will be enriched.
When reviewing these applications (and when counseling non-U.S. trained lawyers), remember that the requirements for bar admission vary from state to state.
Most employers doubtless have a good sense of what the acceptance rate from their summer program will be. However, a look at the broader picture and trends over time provides a better understanding of the larger market.
Four important elements to a successful work assignment program include: a motivated work coordinator; quality assignments; a well-organized assignment tracking system; and a thorough process that provides substantive feedback and evaluations.
The "Y" Generation -- also called the Millennials -- have begun to arrive in law firms. This article reports on the differences law schools and law firms are noticing in this new generation -- and on the ways law firms can tap the talents of Millennials.
"I challenge NALP members to rethink the recruiting process, and to push up against the barriers to change where that is practicable and to experiment with new recruiting tactics that might lead us all to a better place."
Legal career professionals, whether working in law schools or in employer settings, may be interested to know about the efforts underway to encourage the adoption of the uniform bar examination.
At a plenary session at NALP's 2010 Annual Education Conference, Dan DiPietro predicted lasting changes in law firm recruting models.
Now could be the perfect time for law firms to take a fresh look at their hiring processes and endeavor to make their interviews more rigorous and the information they elicit more valuable.
Here are some suggestions for taking LGBT counseling or recruitment to the "201" level.
Chapman Cutler’s Shannon Burke and Jessica Hoffer offer tips for increasing cross-departmental collaboration and communication among the recruiting and DEI functions at legal employers.
ForeReach Consulting Founder Kristy Foreman shares the results of a study of law students about their experiences with the virtual interviewing process over the past year-plus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two new publications related to attorney hiring by small law firms are now available online, one directed to law school CSOs and the other to small firms.
International students enrolled in the growing number of two-year J.D. programs are different from the typical J.D. or LL.M. students law firms are accustomed to recruiting.
Here are some ways firms can develop a strategic brand-building plan that focuses on students at every stage of their law school career.
In 2015, for the second year in a row, lateral hiring outpaced entry-level hiring — just one of the findings of the NALP Foundation's newly released study.
As employers begin to explore new 1L engagement activities, they should take stock of any existing relationships between their lawyers and law schools.
Make plans now to attend the inaugural kick-off networking reception on Wednesday, January 25, as well as the Summit on Thursday, January 26.—
NALP Bulletin+ article by Executive Director Nikai L. Gray discussing the evolving recruiting timeline for Big Law firms.
The answer is varied but, in the final analysis, it seems that a little of both will be served at firms around the country as employers attempt to balance the demands of the economy with the demands of a competitive student market.
Although most small firm employers expressed the importance of a strong academic background, more emphasis is placed on the importance of the "total package."
A look at the issues involved in public interest placements of associates with deferred start dates.
Suggestions for dialogue between law schools and law firms to address issues raised by the current legal economy.
How much change will the current legal economy cause? And will it last?
Most employers doubtless have a good sense of what the acceptance rate from their summer 2006 program will be, but comparing experiences with NALP research findings can be instructive.
Big firms need to use language that appeals to this new generation of recruits to tell their story.
The importance of gathering this information should not be underestimated when recruiting from a new generation of attorneys.
Discussion at the fifth Roundtable on the Future of Lawyer Hiring, Development, and Advancement made it clear that law schools, law firms, and other legal employers are changing in ways that are likely to be permanent.
The NALP Board and the Transforming Talent Acquisition Task Force have experimented with pilot programs that leverage technology in the recruiting process.
A focus on communication and on class cohesion is essential in managing a multi-office summer program.
Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s Lisa Pachucki and Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP’s Katie Ivory explain the networking opportunities available when joining the NALP community and volunteering for a work group or leadership position.
In the NALP spirit of collaboration, it is time for some live, in-person innovation. Enter NALPathon 2019, which will be held on March 14-15, 2019, in Washington, DC! As created by the Reimagining Recruiting Task Force, this opportunity for member education and training in design thinking and experiential learning will gather participants from across the country to engage in design thinking training and facilitated learning while, at the same time, helping devise new solutions to these long existing challenges in the legal recruitment process.
Penn State Dickinson Law’s Tom Lee explains why legal employers should consider neurodiverse candidates in their recruiting practices.
Matt Spencer argues that the changing legal environment demands a reimagined recruiting process that incorporates more data and leverages technology and innovative tools to ensure accurate and equitable outcomes.
Reviewing resumes, cover letters, and other application documents is a key aspect of being a career counselor. This guide is meant to help provide a framework for how to conduct effective document review while still honoring your own style of feedback and communication.
Planning and carrying out a summer program is quite an undertaking -- but it doesn't end there. Here are some ideas for ensuring success in the recruitment process as you close out the summer and wait for acceptances to roll in.
Law firms can take the following steps to be more strategic and effective in their planning, hiring, and management processes to help them weather the storm and be in a strong position as the economy rounds the corner.
Much of the effectiveness of a hiring committee depends upon how well the firm's recruitment administrator supports and promotes the work of the committee.
Two members of different teams within a firm explain how they found new ways to work together that can work for other firms as well.
Employers must continually reflect on their workplace policies and programs and revise those programs to meet the needs of their recruits.
A moving company offers advice to those who manage relocations for their firms.
All too often, interviewing attorneys assume it's their job to "tell them what we do" or just "sell the firm" — a role that requires a lot of talking but not much listening to the candidate.
Only by getting to see how a student performs in a realistic setting can we find the diamonds in the rough.
why at-graduation employment rates will never be the measure of a law school
The 2010 Lavender Law Conference was an impressive testament to the dedication of employers, law schools, and practitioners to supporting the LGBT legal community.
The future of lawyer hiring will be shaped by the changes we are making in the here and now.
Taking the opportunity to get in front of law students early can be an important step in building a firm brand among the pool of candidates.
Making the most of your recruiting "off season" can pay big dividends in the long run.
On January 22, 2014, NALP will host its first ever Legal Recruiting Summit, a high-level one-day conference on current issues in legal recruiting.
Recruiting effectively in today's market requires new skills and new strategies -- from developing a talent acquisition plan to using social media, leveraging alumni, and partnering with partners.
These common myths cause many employers to overlook the strengths LL.M.'s can bring to a firm.
Recent changes have relaxed the restrictions placed on foreign-trained lawyers to sit for the Massachusetts Bar Exam.
As the legal world becomes increasingly global, employers as well as candidates are often uncertain about how or when during the recruitment process to discuss immigration status or permission to work.
One area that is explored less often is the gender diversity of the legal professionals who work in administrative roles, such as recruiting and career services. In contrast to the statistics for attorneys, the majority of these roles are occupied by women. I used the NALP Directory of Legal Employers and NALP Directory of Law Schools to do my own quick tally of gender diversity among recruiting contacts at the Am Law top 25 law firms and the U.S. News & World Report top 25 law schools.
The recent NALP Legal Recruiting Summit held in New York featured a speaker named Josh Miller, Director of Gen Z studies at XYZ University, a consulting group that helps companies and associations engage and retain employees and members of all generations. Sounds like pretty standard stuff for a NALP event until you learn that Josh Miller is 17 years old. Were we really going to spend an hour listening to a teenage boy? Yes, we were, and it was fascinating
Solidifying relationships with firm recruiters, identifying pain points, maintaining frequent contact, showcasing the local area and leveraging family connections are all ways recruiters can close the deal.
The First-Year Diversity Recruiting Task Force created the common application to simplify the recruiting process for diversity fellowship programs for firms and for students by reducing the workload of students during a particularly stressful time of the academic year.
It's important to properly screen candidates for if left unchecked, associates can bring considerable risk to the firms that hire them. This can take the form of reputational damage from incendiary social media posts; malpractice claims over undisclosed conflicts or poor legal skills; financial loss from the alienation of clients; and cultural harm caused by bullying or harassment.
The past several years have brought us into a new landscape of legal recruiting. One of the key differences is a crowded, arguably nonstop, annual calendar of recruiting activity. When and how should recruitment teams fit in data and strategy assessment?
NALP Research: Entry-level and Lateral Hiring
There are fewer job opportunities for first-year lawyers. Now you have their attention: what a great opportunity to sell your firm.
Did the economic downturn cause NALP member institutions to implement — or at least consider — belt-tightening measures in 2001?
Students seemed to adjust well to the new 45-day rolling deadline during the fall '08 recruiting season.
Insights into lawyer hiring activity just before the slow-downs of 2008.
There is a good case to be made for placing the responsibility of conducting substantive exit interviews with those of us who are the recruiting, legal personnel, and/or professional development directors of our firms.
Strategies some firms have employed to cope with the challenges of early interviewing week.
Learn how Cardozo tapped alumni connections and others to establish a new legal residency program that is employing 18 graduates in its first year.
You've just been told that you need to hire a foreign-trained associate to build an international practice, now what? Here are some tips for navigating the labyrinth of unfamiliar credentials and complex hiring rules.
The combination of the one-on-one interview for recruiting with the structured panel interview (SPI) for identifying high performers is the killer app for lawyer hiring.
Collaboration can lead to more effectiveness not only in recruiting but also for other departments.
Employers and law schools alike continue to express concern that more should be done to prepare graduates for success in the practice of law. Many of us are asking one another, “How can we bridge this gap?” Law schools have taken note, and several are instituting new programming as a result.
Whether this year is your first law student recruiting season or your tenth, here are five tips for getting through the season successfully and (hopefully) with minimal impact on your blood pressure.
NALP seeks a select committed group of legal industry stakeholders to engage in a team competition with a spotlight on entry-level recruiting — a process involving lots of frustrations and concerns, but limited concrete solutions. Challenged by NALP President Melissa Lennon, and task force co-chairs Kristine McKinney and Donna Gerson, the Reimagine Recruiting team has “ideated” NALPathon 2019, a two-day program to be held on March 14-15, 2019, in Washington, DC.
tips for success in the recruiting season
Consider these two scenarios. Which does your orientation most resemble?
NALP Executive Director James G. Leipold reviews some of the trends that emerged in 2020 following the COVID-19 outbreak in March, including virtual work environments, struggles to fight racial inequality, and changes to OCI.
In recognition of the continued evolution of law student recruiting, and the latest phenomenon of simultaneous 1L and 2L recruiting, NALP’s Board of Directors dedicated time to thoughtfully discuss these issues. This article derived directly from those discussions, with a goal of providing guidance regarding updated terminology for law student recruiting as well as considerations for employers, law students, and career services professionals navigating the legal recruitment landscape.
Director of Research Danielle A. Taylor shares key findings from NALP’s Survey of Law Students Who Interviewed with Law Firms for a Summer 2022 Position.
Three C-Suite leaders share their insights and perspectives on the legal industry — what’s changing, what’s challenging, and where things are headed.
NALP Webinar - The Temp and Intern Blueprint: Hiring and Using Seasonal Support in Legal Recruiting
Recruiting diverse students by reaching out to student organizations
How exactly are US News numbers derived - and what can career services and recruitment professionals do about these rankings?
When it comes to hiring, begin with the end in mind.... The most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar situation.
Do you want more control of these outcomes? If so, your recruiting committee's most important initiative this year is to take a hard look at how lawyers' interviewing skills can be channeled to produce a more reliable, productive, and stable workforce.
There are many ways a firm can support pro bono and showcase that support as a recruiting and retention tool.
More law firms are beginning to use behavioral interviewing to find candidates who best fit their firms.
Here are some creative ways employers and schools can use (and re-use) existing resources to increase the effectiveness of recruiting.
Here are some findings from a new Small to Mid-Size Firms Subgroup of the NALP Recruiting Section.
Preparing an interviewing guide can be an important step in preparing interviewers for an effective interview process.
What do law schools wish employers knew about the role of a CSO and how a CSO can help an employer?
In 2011, Wisnik Career Enterprises, Inc., surveyed law firm recruiting and PD professionals to learn more about changes in the way they are managing their functions at their firms — and to determine what core competencies are central to these roles.
The Recruiting Commission is working to develop a framework that is creative, proactive, and responsive to industry and member concerns.
As deferred associates entered the public service arena this fall, questions remained about the effectiveness -- and effects -- of these placements.
What a difference nine months make! When NALP and the NALP Foundation began a series of Roundtables on the Future of Lawyer Hiring, Development, and Advancement in June 2009, law firms, law schools, and client corporations were staggering under the weight of the worst of the recession, with no clear end in sight.
The author shares a Canadian firm's perspective on ten key components of a successful summer program.
If you are a recruiter, you are probably accustomed to seeing students who have already secured post-graduate clerkships interview at your firm during the recruiting season. Did you notice a drop in that trend last summer? The reason is the new federal law clerk hiring plan. This article outlines the plan, its potential impact on law firms, and suggestions for moving forward.
Diversity fellowships are effective ways of recruiting and hiring diverse students but by themselves are an insufficient means of increasing diversity in the legal profession.
NALP’s Sexual Harassment and Recruiting Conduct: Considerations for Legal Employers and Law Schools offers a series of guidelines to promote a safe and healthy work environment for all.
Becca Newberger of Kirkland & Ellis and Drexel Kline School of Law’s Jim Walsh explore what the recruiting process for the legal community might look like after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
Whiteford Taylor Preston LLP Chief Legal Talent Officer Meredith J. Kahan shares her unique perspective on the recruiting process after going through her own job search during the pandemic.
Charting the course for an updated recruiting strategy in the midst of a law firm merger or other significant change requires both detailed data analysis and strategic alliances.
A personal account of a NALP member reflecting on her recruiting career. She writes, "As I approach my tenth year in legal recruiting, it feels like the perfect time to reflect on how far I have come and to look ahead at the exciting future that awaits."
With the shift to earlier recruiting timelines, firms are competing for talent, and they must move quickly if they want to hire the best candidates. Given the accelerated timeline, students must prioritize identifying job opportunities, networking, preparing application materials, and developing effective interviewing skills.
While much of the accelerated recruiting timeline is being controlled by Biglaw, small and mid-size law firms still want a fair shot at great talent. By examining recruitment trends, smaller and mid-size law firms can develop recruitment strategies that are competitive, intentional, and achievable.
This coming fall, the first millennials will begin to interview for summer associate positions.
In the past few years, NALP members have been talking about the apparent increase in early interview weeks, August off-campus interview programs, and summer job fairs.
A look at why law firms have hired from elite law schools and why that pedigree bubble has burst.
Advice for recruiters during a downturn.
How can employers use not only their website but also other online resources to recruit today's law students more effectively? And how can blogs, social networking sites, and email both help and hurt a student's job search?
More strategic selection of interviewers yielded positive results for one firm.
Your website is often a student's first introduction to your organization. Is it grabbing and retaining their interest?
There is a common belief that NALP could somehow change the entry-level recruiting regime if only it had the political will. If only it were that simple!
Large firms do much 3L hiring these days, yet this "just in time" entry-level hiring can be a way to respond to changing market conditions and develop a talented team of lawyers.
How can you interview to find the lawyers who already speak confidently and professionally or can be trained to do so?
What do candidates and employers want when it comes to using social media in legal recruiting?
Last year has been called the worst year for the legal market in the past half century -- and it included some tough sledding for NALP and for NALP members.
When I came to West Virginia University College of Law two years ago, it was obvious that the OCI program was more diverse than at many schools. But students were still seeing it, and responding to it, as a program for big firms looking for top students. We have attempted to tackle this problem with a three-pronged approach: collecting data, redoubling our efforts, and rebranding our OCI program.
How many callback interviews are needed to result in one accepted offer for the summer program? The answer has been surprisingly consistent over the last 16 years.
How can law firms best identify candidates with growth mindsets?
Working with 1Ls, we face the trend of firms recruiting and hiring outside of the typical on campus interview timeline. How is early recruiting impacting career services offices that are considered small by NALP standards (office size of three or fewer)?
NALP Executive Director Nikia Gray explains the history of on-campus interview (OCI) timelines, the complex dynamics shaping the recruiting environment including competition and antitrust considerations and encourages NALP members to collectively drive new advances in recruiting by sharing insights, ideas and best practices.
As the summer employment recruiting process (SERP) timeline evolves — with many law firms engaging with students earlier than ever before, the traditional milestones of law school have been reshuffled. While the timeline has shifted, our mission as members of NALP remains the same: working together to support students in making informed career choices through a fair and ethical hiring process while allowing employers to identify candidates with the skills, judgment, and potential to thrive in their organizations.
outcomes of summer programs
The front wave of a new invasion hit law school campuses last fall. Generation X gave way to the Millennials, and soon they will be in the legal workplace.
What do you need to know about the people who make up the contingent workforce to make it work for you?
Now, with a steady stream of international resumes to consider, understanding non-U.S. credentials is an integral part of our job.
One of the greatest values a recruiter can bring to the firm is to understand the trends and patterns within their organization and help educate the leaders as to "what works and what doesn't" in their environment.
With over 40,000 law students entering the legal market each year, why are firms continuing to fight the salary and recruiting wars for talent?
A look at why "cold" or "fake" offers are considered unethical.
visas; international LLMs
Some tips on rewriting recruiting materials.
How are HR and recruiting functions being folded together, what does this look like in practice, and what does this mean for the future of recruiting?
Implementing an effective training program to ensure the 2Ls you employ meet certain core competencies by summer's end is one surefire way to add more substance to your summer program and build skills in future associates.
NALP research findings provide a picture of summer programs and fall recruiting outcomes from 2007 through 2012.
Tips for gathering feedback and evaluations from summer associates.
NALP Executive Director James G. Leipold’s column explores how the COVID-19 pandemic could lead law schools and law firms to reimagine the process of identifying and hiring lawyers.
Husch Blackwell’s Ginette Mueller offers advice for new legal professionals about recruitment marketing, including identifying your goals, highlighting what your firm can offer, pinpointing ideal candidates and having an action plan to get results.
NALP Executive Director James G. Leipold analyzes the data from the Perspectives on 2021 Recruiting report, which shows increased competition for entry-level talent amid a surge in the demand for legal services.
Forms (Updated October 10, 2025)
Forms and tools to aid communication among job seekers, employers, and law schools
The Pulse of Recruiting: Real Time Trends & Practical Guidance
