Stang Decision Systems’ Post

Once considered among the highest end of high-end summer gigs, the position of “Summer Associate” is apparently a dying art at today’s law firms, with recruitment for said position reaching the lowest point in more than a decade. Offers to law student interviewees were down almost 20% from last year alone. What is causing this shift, and what can recruiters in other high-wage industries take away from it?

2023 was a tough year for landing Big Law summer associate positions! According to the latest report from the National Association for Law Placement, firms extended a staggering 19% fewer offers than the previous year, leaving law students navigating a tougher job market. Dive deeper into the insights by tapping the link below 🔍 https://ow.ly/HkEu50QRERX #legalnews #LevelEsq #lawyers

Rising 2Ls! For 2L summer applications, you should be intentional in deciding what size firms, in which markets. When I look back, I 🤦♂️because I was applying to the biggest firms in DC and Boston. I got caught up in the mentality I was supposed to want prestige. Anything else would be settling for less in a prestige-obsessed profession. Never mind my authority problems. Never mind that I was homesick for Baltimore. My actual thought process was that happiness was something a ways down the road after I proved myself. Again, 🤦♂️ Fortunately, although it was excruciating at the time, the big firms saw I was a bad fit and all said no. Even more fortunate, my mid-size Baltimore firm was running late in hiring, and they made me a summer offer that turned into an associate offer. I had more responsibility as a summer law clerk than I would have had as a junior associate in Big Law. Baltimore is an amazing place to live and work, and you can make a name for yourself just by doing good work. It’s fundamentally unlike the white-glove markets, where great lawyers can toil in obscurity. Big Law in big markets is perfect for some, but don’t make your decisions based on what you think you’re supposed to do.

Are you a lawyer looking to hire a law student for the summer? Are you a law student looking to be hired by a lawyer for the summer? Check out Melanie Kalmanson's post below, and go add your comments. Happy Friday! #lawyers #lawstudents #lawjobs #summerlawjobs #attorneys

Is this the next evolution of BigLaw recruiting, or a form of "dirty rush?" When I was a 1L, I didn't know crap about what I wanted to do with my legal career, and I suspect this will lead to many 1Ls and 2Ls making rash decisions simply to secure a BigLaw job (and BigLaw $$$) after graduation. Those who will make the most informed decisions at such an early stage will be those with BigLaw lawyers in their "friends and family" network who can pave the way for them (read: the more privileged among us). We aren't *yet* seeing this trend bleed over into overseas practice groups (e.g., Asia BigLaw, where incoming first-year classes are small), but the same advice we give to law students with an eye on Asia can now apply to everyone - get in touch with a recruiter early who can help guide you toward the right practice groups and firms that align with your interests and goals.

If your firm is hosting law clerks this summer, please share with them this free, virtual opportunity to hear some tips and tricks from the FBA's younger lawyers on a successful clerk summer!

Curious about the differences between a 1L Judicial Externship and a 1L Diversity Summer Associate position?  Join our forum discussion to gain insights and make informed decisions about your legal career path. https://lnkd.in/eBDdYwWe #LawStudents #LegalInternships

Hard to believe that law firm recruiting season is just around the corner! If you are a law student or know one, this series of tips and information about BigLaw recruiting process is a great place to start! Please share with the law students in your life!

Happy Friday! Let's help the law students on here who are still looking find summer jobs. If you work at a law firm or other law-related organization and are looking for summer help, post the details in the comments. 👇 #lawschool #networking #lawpractice

Landing a Big Law summer associate position was tougher in 2023.   Offer rates to law students interviewing for those temporary jobs last year were the lowest since 2012 with firms collectively extending 19% fewer offers than the previous year, according to a report by the National Association for Law Placement.   The average number of offers extended by law firms went from 28 in 2022 to 22 in 2023, while the median fell to seven from nine. The NALP figures include hiring data from more than 180 firms, with the vast majority having 500 or more lawyers.   With fewer offers on the table, law students couldn’t afford to be choosy. The overall acceptance rate for law firms’ summer associate offers was 47% — the highest on record since NALP began tracking it in 1993.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/gKQtR4mC