Something new is in the works when it comes to law school recruitment. For law students who have relied on “On Campus Interviews”, there is now an option in the works. Maybe we all should have seen it coming during uncertain times for law firms as the economy remains uncertain. Hiring is down, but there is still a demand for top talent.
The following two articles are instructive. This article is an important harbinger for all law students seeking summer positions in Big Law and presents the concept of “prerecruiting, and this article is an update on summer associate positions, which turn out to be less of a guarantee of permanent hire after graduation.
The new “Precruiting” scheme seems like a power play from firms under the guise of allowing law students to lock in summer positions early and have more time to concentrate on their studies. How benevolent. I guess it has nothing to do with competition and wanting to “one up” other firms participating in traditional On Campus Interviews.
Although I understand the constraints that law firms are experiencing, I still value not using law students as pieces on a chess board. It seems to me to be a bit disingenuous to pretend to care about the well-being of potential hires in the beginning and then throw them to the side at the end.
Decide for yourself. And plan accordingly.
