S&C Reportedly Backs Off Demand for a 2-Week Response Window to Job Offers

Sullivan & Cromwell reportedly told several of the nation’s top law schools that it would require students to respond to job offers within two weeks, but quickly abandoned the plan.

Sullivan & Cromwell backed down after Harvard Law School told the law firm it would not be allowed to recruit on campus if it stuck with its plan, the Am Law Daily reports. The publication based its report on interviews with six anonymous sources. A law firm spokesperson and the assistant dean for career services at Harvard did not comment to the publication.

The usual window for students to respond is 45 days. A law firm source told the Am Law Daily that the two-week window would have provided more certainty and allowed the law firm to make more job offers. The source also pointed out that the firm was prepared to make offer decisions within two days of a second interview.

Sullivan & Cromwell isn’t the only law firm seeking flexibility, according to the story. James Leipold, executive director of NALP, an association for legal career professionals, said several firms had asked his organization for permission to retract outstanding job offers after they get all the acceptances needed. NALP refused to change its guideline, although it has formed a commission to study recruitment and the on-campus interview schedule.