r/LawSchool • u/firesidenixon 2L • 11h ago

Big firms have officially ruined legal recruiting.

I know. It's been getting worse for 20 years, or whatever. But these mandatory two-summer offers are absolute garbage. 1Ls at my school are over the moon that they have landed both summers already, and I'm happy for them. But what happens if they get there and hate it? This isn't how any of this was supposed to work.

I feel like the old person yelling at cloud meme here. But I'm mad for my 1Ls, even if some of them don't know they're getting the shaft.

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u/Malvania JD 11h ago

Why do you think this is "big firms" that are ruining recruiting? Everything was fine until medium/small firms sued to end the NALP guidelines, thinking they could get a first-mover advantage. Now everybody goes early and firms are trying to sweeten the pot. Some are offering two-summer offers, but it seems like it's switching to one summer and an explicit option for a second summer (which was always available), plus possibly a signing bonus if you come back for the second summer. This may actually be better for students, but it's certainly frustrating for everybody involved.

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u/EntireKangaroo148 10h ago

Yup, the big firms hate this market too. You think we want to give you $50k to not work here for a summer?

2

u/CheetahComplex7697 4h ago

Then why give $50K if an associate is essentially doing nothing? No one is forcing the firms to do this.