18 law student groups ask ABA Legal Ed council to protest recruiting timelines
Leaders of 18 student organizations from top law schools wrote the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar protesting the high-speed timelines for employment recruiting at law schools. (Photo illustration by Sara Wadford/ABA Journal)
Leaders of 18 student organizations from top law schools wrote the council of the ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar protesting the high-speed timelines for employment recruiting at law schools.
While the student leaders supported the employers’ enthusiasm to find top talent, “the accelerated timelines have also begun to undermine legal education, student and staff well-being and the recruitment market,” according to the Jan. 1 letter written to Daniel Theis, the council’s chair.
In June, the ABA Journal first reported on the fast and furious pace of recruitment that shifted from just before the students’ 2L year to as early as during the 1L years, with some outreach starting just after students receive acceptance into law school.
The Jan. 1 letter included signatures from 17 of the top 14 (or the T14, as it is called) law schools, and it cites the National Association for Law Placement’s 2024 report that first-year students often receive outreach and employment offers before completing core courses or gaining experience in clinics, labs or writing classes that may inform career interests.
The accelerated recruitment timelines increase the stresses of the first year of law school, as they must juggle applications “before their professional and academic interests can meaningfully develop,” the letter states. Those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are especially harmed, and law school staff and employer recruitment teams are negatively affected, according to the letter.
Potential solutions offered by the students included soliciting input from students, schools and employers to create a discussion between stakeholders; developing recruitment program polices that allow students to acclimate to law schools and learn about their options; and evaluating accreditation standards that could support the educational focus of the first year of law school.
“The council appreciates the thoughtful outreach from these law student leaders,” said Jennifer L. Rosato Perea, the managing director accreditation and legal education for the ABA, in a statement. “We look forward to engaging in a dialogue with them around the issues related to recruiting timelines and the effects on first-year law students and whether changes to the accreditation standards align with these concerns.”
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