Associates
Didn’t get a summer season affiliate provide? You’re not alone
July 9, 2025, 12:15 pm CDT
Legislation college students hoping to land a coveted legislation agency spot post-graduation are dealing with a altering job market. The standard summer season affiliate position is now not a direct path to a job. As a substitute, legislation companies are discovering new recruiting methods. (Picture from Shutterstock)
Legislation college students hoping to land a coveted legislation agency spot post-graduation are dealing with a altering job market. The standard summer season affiliate position is now not a direct path to a job. As a substitute, legislation companies are discovering new recruiting methods.
In response to a brand new report by the Nationwide Affiliation for Legislation Placement, U.S. legislation companies slashed summer season affiliate hiring in 2024 to its lowest stage since 1993, issuing a median of simply six affords per workplace. That’s a drop from final 12 months’s median of seven affords per workplace—a quantity that, on the time, represented the bottom determine since 1993. The companies, grappling with a wildly unsure financial system, are shifting focus to hiring skilled attorneys slightly than investing in coaching new graduates.
The findings are based mostly on the 2024 recruiting cycle of scholars who’re anticipated to take part within the 2025 summer season packages and graduate in 2026, explains Nikia Grey, government director of NALP in Washington, D.C.
Companies are reeling after pandemic hiring surges in 2021 and 2022, inflicting overstaffing points. Mixed with slower shopper demand, this has led to extra conservative summer season affiliate hiring, Grey says.
New hiring strategies
The change in recruiting efforts has affected all elements of hiring, says David Torosyan, human sources and payroll supervisor at J&Y Legislation in Los Angeles. Now that the markets have slowed and companies have realized how a lot they over-hired in earlier years, they’re now adjusting staffing ranges to be extra sustainable.
The most recent NALP report, launched in March, finds that direct functions from graduates and early interview packages have been gaining traction, and 78% of affords are being made earlier than August.
“The vast majority of affords resulted from employers recruiting exterior of legislation faculty interview packages, resembling through direct software, resume collects and referrals,” Grey mentioned in an announcement. “The pandemic-era shifts in know-how and hiring practices facilitated direct engagement between employers and legislation college students, with out legislation faculties being required as intermediaries, and gave legislation companies higher flexibility in crafting their recruiting methods.”
And as an alternative of counting on the standard on-campus interviews, they’re doing extra direct recruiting—chatting through digital interviews that may occur at any time, reaching out to college students earlier and making affords earlier than the standard recruiting season even begins, Torosyan says. Some companies are even making affords within the spring of a final pupil’s first 12 months as a result of they need to lock in high candidates earlier than their rivals actually have a likelihood, Torosyan says.
“It’s gotten very aggressive behind the scenes, however the internet result’s fewer open spots total for summer season associates,” he says. “The slowdown could be very actual.”
In 2024, 78% of affords for full employment occurred earlier than August, in contrast with 45% in 2023, the NALP examine finds.
Monica Uddin, hiring companion for AZA Legislation in Houston, says she doesn’t imagine the result’s a optimistic one. The unchecked push by Massive Legislation companies to maneuver recruiting earlier and earlier within the tutorial 12 months leads to summer season associates who know much less in regards to the companies they wind up at, and fewer in regards to the observe teams they’re signing up for, she says.
“This results in worse-equipped and worse-performing summer season associates than we’ve got ever had earlier than,” Uddin says.
Excessive turnover in early-career associates predictably observe, resulting in hesitation by the companies to rent the following batch of summer season associates.
Expertise is also having an influence. Many new attorneys prioritize hybrid or distant work preparations, however these could make it difficult to offer the hands-on mentorship and coaching that’s essential in numerous observe areas, says Elizabeth Carazolez, director of administration at CaseyGerry Trial Attorneys in San Diego. On the similar time, the authorized business skilled a notable wave of retirements throughout and after COVID-19, resulting in the lack of seasoned attorneys. This created a spot the place the work, particularly in litigation-focused fields, requires a sure stage of sensible expertise to make sure success, she says.
“Because of this, companies have gotten extra selective, usually searching for candidates with some demonstrated case-handling potential or courtroom publicity to take care of the standard and effectivity shoppers count on,” Carazolez says.
This can be an try and curb the affiliate attrition charge, which was 20% in 2024, up from 18% in 2023, in response to the NALP Basis.
Different choices
Companies desire to rent folks they already know—individuals who have spent the summer season working with their crew, studying their programs and becoming into the tradition, Torosyan says. However they’re not the one roads to a job, particularly on this financial system.
In the event you didn’t obtain a summer season affiliate provide, you’ll should be extra productive. This might imply judicial clerkships, fellowships and networking, Torosyan says.
You’ll additionally want to grasp what legislation companies need, because the definition of what makes an awesome candidate is evolving, he says.
“Educational efficiency continues to be essential, however companies are in search of extra than simply grades now,” Torosyan says. “They need individuals who present they will hit the bottom working, candidates who’ve performed clinics, internships or one thing sensible, not simply classroom work.”
To face-out, candidates ought to spotlight any actual world drawback fixing they’ve performed, management roles, printed writing and expertise with rising areas like information privateness, AI regulation or crypto legislation, the place shopper demand is rising rapidly, says Anthony Could, the founder at Want An Legal professional, an AI-powered lawyer matching service.
“There’s been an increase in project-based work, contract roles and a higher willingness to rent non-traditional candidates who can ship outcomes,” he says.
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