One-Month Interview Delay Is ‘Bold New Move’ for Northwestern Law School and Jones Day
Updated: Northwestern and Jones Day have decided to do something about the much-criticized process of holding on-campus interviews for summer associates in August before their second year of law school.
In a “bold new move,” Jones Day will visit the campus a month later, according to a Northwestern press release. The law firm intends to hold open the usual number of spots for Northwestern students so the school won’t be harmed by the delay.
Law school dean David Van Zandt is backing the change as part of an effort to explore alternative ways to improve the recruitment process that are based on mutual trust. According to the press release, Van Zandt “ultimately would like the period from recruitment to full-time employment reduced significantly and universally.”
Van Zandt thinks August interviews don’t benefit employers or students. In testimony earlier this year, he told NALP’s Commission on Recruiting in the Legal Profession that compressed August interviews create hardship for employers who want to take vacation that month. He also said the students have little time to make sensible decisions about potential employers or to adjust their interviewing techniques.
“It contributes to a frequent lack of fit between graduates and the law firms, which inevitably leads to higher attrition levels for the firms,” Van Zandt said in an updated press release. The new release has different wording and additional details.
NALP had proposed a different measure to address concerns about early on-campus recruiting for summer associates: Push back the date for summer associate job offers until mid-January of the second year of law school. NALP said a January kick-off day would reduce pressure to schedule interviews at the earliest possible moment.
NALP abandoned the idea in March after several large law firms—including Jones Day—opposed a late kick-off day. Some law partners had expressed concerns that a January kick-off meant law firms would have to wine and dine law students over a period of several months.
Jones Day had argued NALP’s idea could be an illegal restraint of trade. The law firm also noted NALP’s desire to help firms having difficulty making hiring decisions far in advance. Jones Day said NALP appeared to be attempting to level the playing field by disadvantaging more stable firms and favoring those less confident in their ability to manage hiring.
Updated at noon CST to include information from updated press release.
