Skadden’s One-Day Offer Strategy Didn’t Hurt Acceptance Rate

An unusual job-offer strategy by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom didn’t hurt acceptance rates, according to the law firm’s hiring partner.

The law firm raised some eyebrows when it decided to make all its summer associate offers on one day—Sept. 22—after the close of on-campus interviews. Some critics suggested the firm could lose out, since some students would say yes to earlier offers made by other law firms, the American Lawyer explains.

Skadden hiring partner Howard Ellin admitted the timing was a worry. "We definitely thought about that," Ellin told the American Lawyer. "We had absolutely no idea which way it would play."

But Ellin said the results were good. The number of students who turned down Skadden because they accepted offers at other firms is lower than usual.

Ellin wouldn’t disclose specific numbers. The law firm has previously said it plans to cut the size of its 2010 summer program by more than 50 percent.