Getting Hired

The Hiring Process Generally

Large law firms in major metropolitan areas have organized summer programs for which they will hire many second-year students and a smaller number of first-year students as “summer associates.” These firms typically make permanent job offers to their second-year summer associates in the hopes of having them return upon their graduation or upon completion of a judicial clerkship. For those firms that hire first-years, some make permanent job offers at the end of the summer, while others give an offer to return for part of the following summer. In general, smaller firms hire few, if any, summer associates and are more likely to hire those students permanently only if their workload demands it.

Some firms offer diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) opportunities, legal summer internship programs that also offer scholarship/fellowship opportunities for a select group of their summer interns. CDO has information about those opportunities here. Other first-year students who are successful in securing law firm summer internships focus their efforts in regional locations to which they have a connection, rather than large metropolitan areas. First-year students with significant prior business experience are attractive to firms. Find a list of law firms who have recently hired first-year students here.

If you have your heart set on working for a law firm, but are unsuccessful in securing a law firm position for your first summer, consider working for an organization that will enable you to improve your knowledge base and skills in the practice area(s) of interest to you. For example, if you are interested in litigation, consider working for a district attorney or U.S. Attorney for summer. If you are interested in securities law, pursue an internship with the SEC. Ultimately, law firms don’t really care where you worked your 1L summer, but it makes for an easier interview experience if you have done work that aligns with your interests. 

Timing

In recognition of the importance of the first semester of law school in providing a strong academic foundation, CDO’s Recruiting Policies state that first-year students shall not submit applications to prospective summer employers and prospective summer employers shall not consider applications from first-year students before December 1. Larger firms hiring first-year students expect to hear from them in December or early January and are likely to make offers by February. The NALP Directory provides information under the “Recruitment and Hiring” tab about whether a firm plans to hire first-year students, and if so, when they wish for them to apply. 

Second-year students can interview with many large firms through the June Virtual Interview Program (June VIP), scheduled for Saturday, June 22, and Monday through Wednesday, June 24–26, 2024. Most third-year students who work for large firms after graduation return to the firm where they worked in their 2L summer. Some apply to large firms in late summer or early fall prior to the start of the third year.

Smaller law firms vary in their hiring timeframes and often hire only when they have a particular need. First-year students interested in applying to smaller firms should commence their job searches in December but may need to continue reaching out to employers well into the spring. Upperclass students should conduct their research and begin applying to smaller firms in the fall, keeping in mind that it may be April, May, or after graduation before hiring decisions are made.

Consult CDO’s Recruiting Policies for more information about the timing of offers and when students must make decisions. 

Credentials

Law firms generally seek students who are intelligent, motivated, mature, articulate, confident, and enthusiastic about the firm and the practice of law. Firms generally do not hire students, especially first-year students, based on their legal acumen. Instead, they seek candidates who have the basic skills necessary to succeed, with the hope that those students will develop into good lawyers. Some firms with specialized practices seek students with particular academic/professional backgrounds (e.g., engineering or biochemistry for intellectual property), but these firms are the exception, not the rule. Law firms are also keen on hiring students who are likely to return to the firm after the summer. As a result, demonstrating a sincere interest in the location of the firm and the firm’s practice are keys to success.

For many large firms, law school grades are a factor in assessing a candidate’s qualifications. When interviewing Yale students, a firm may want to see one or more honor on a student’s transcript. For smaller firms, the candidate’s fit with the firm, good judgment, and ability to hit the ground running are often primary considerations. Public interest law firms seek a demonstrated commitment to the work of the firm. Law firms hiring students for a foreign office seek relevant language skills.

Application Materials

All law firms expect to see the résumés of students applying for summer or permanent positions. Law firm résumés should be tailored, when possible, to demonstrate an interest in the substantive work of the firm, experience with the types of clients served, and the ability to research and write effectively. Refer to the Credentials section above and gear the content and descriptions on your résumé toward demonstrating those qualities.

Students applying for positions through the June Virtual Interview Program (June VIP) need not provide employers with cover letters. For all other job searches, a cover letter is necessary. Like the résumé, the cover letter is a writing sample and, as such, should be brief (preferably one page), persuasive, well-reasoned, and grammatically perfect. If the firm has a recruiting department (as most larger firms do), direct the cover letter to the recruiting director. For firms without recruiting departments, use the firm’s website or call the office to find out to whom you should direct your letter. When applying to a foreign office of a U.S. law firm, cover your bases by emailing a letter and résumé to both the international office and the recruiting director in the main U.S. office. Check their websites for application instructions. Consult the CDO Toolkit subpages dedicated to resumes and cover letters for advice and samples.

At some point in the interview process, firms may request a writing sample, a transcript, and/or a list of references. Most often, firms want only a transcript at the initial interview and may request a writing sample and/or list of references at a later stage of the interview process. Some law firms do not request those materials at all. The smaller the firm, the more likely it is that they will want to see those materials. Law firms interviewing June VIP inform students, through the CMS web site, which materials they wish for students to bring to their interview. Consult the CDO Toolkit subpage dedicated to writing samples, references, and transcripts for more information.

Interviews

Law firm interviews are not known for being particularly rigorous. The interviews are a conversation, with the interviewer using your résumé to ask questions to see if you have a sincere interest in their practice and if you would be a good fit with their firm. Substantive legal questions are rarely asked. Large firm interviewers may refer to your transcript during the interview as well. By reviewing the list of courses you have taken, the interviewer can assess the sincerity of your interest in the firm’s practice areas. Because large firms are typically grade conscious, they may also use your transcript to see whether you have any honors.

Your first interview with a prospective law firm is usually called a “screening interview.” Screening interviews can be at the firm, but more typically take place during an interview program and are typically 20–30 minutes in length, although they can be longer. If the screening interview is viewed positively by the firm, the usual next step is to invite a candidate to the firm for a “callback” interview.

During a callback interview, the firm has already seen your résumé and talked with you, is impressed with you, and has chosen to spend a substantial amount of time to get to know you better. Typical callback interviews last for half a day and involve meeting individually for 20 to 30 minutes with four or more attorneys. The firm will often have two or more junior attorneys take you out to lunch after the interviews are completed.

Visit the Interviewing subpage of CDO’s Toolkit for Student Job Seekers for complete interviewing advice, including a link to sample law firm interview evaluation forms.

Splitting the Summer

Some firms allow students to split their summer between two employers. The NALP Directory, under the “Recruitment & Hiring” tab in the Summer Associate Hiring Questions section, asks employers to indicate whether they will allow students to split the summer, and if so, how many weeks the student is required to spend at their firm. If a firm allows their summer associates to split with another employer, they may place limitations on that split, including requiring that the other employer not be another firm; requiring that the student spend the first half of the summer with their firm; and/or requiring that the student spend a certain number of weeks with their firm (typically 6–8). Some firms allow students to split the summer between two different offices of their firm. This happens most typically when the firm has a U.S. and international office. Students can inquire about this type of opportunity at interviews. The possibility of splitting your summer between two different law firms is remote—most firms require the first 6–8 weeks, and most firms end their summer programs in early August. Participating in June VIP also limits the time available for splitting.

Typically, less than 10% of first-year students and around 20% of second-year students split their summer between two employers. For information about the pros and cons of splitting the summer, consult the Responding to Offers section of the Toolkit for Student Job Seekers. Some firms offer students the opportunity to work for the firm for part of the summer and a public interest organization for the other part, with the firm paying the student’s entire summer salary.