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The pace of recruiting in fall 2002 changed relatively little from that of
the prior fall, according to Perspectives on Fall 2002 Law Student Recruiting,
an annual review of selected aspects of fall season recruitment activity and
experiences of both legal employers and law schools published by NALP. It
appears that the employment market for entry-level and summer associates
continued to be affected by weaknesses in the economy. Among the additional
findings:
OCI Activity
Over half of law schools reported a decrease of 5% or more in the number of
employers on campus, and 36% of law firms reported visiting fewer schools in
their recruiting efforts. The nationwide median number of schools at which
employers recruited was seven, with firms of more than 100 attorneys and those
reporting from the Midwest and Western regions most likely to have decreased the
number of schools they visited.
Nationwide, about one-quarter of law schools reported an increase of 5% or
more in the number of employers on campus and 22% reported a change of less than
5%. Regional variations are apparent: schools in the Southeast were more likely
to report an increase of 5% or more with about one-third doing so; few schools
in the Northeast, less than 1 in 10, did so.
Job Fairs
Nearly all schools responding participated in one or more job fairs, and 36%
participated in eight or more. Firms in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region
were most likely to participate in job fairs; firms in the Southeast, Midwest,
and West were least likely to do so. Schools in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
regions were far more likely to participate in eight or more job fairs with 76%
and 67%, respectively, doing so. In contrast, about one in five schools in the
Southeast and West reported that level of participation and one-third of schools
in the Midwest did so. About 41% of responding employers did not participate in
any job fairs and just over one-third reported participating in two or more.
Callbacks, Offers and Acceptances
Most summer program participants (81%) received an offer for an associate
position and 74% of these offers were accepted. The median class size for summer
programs was five. Summer programs were the largest in New York City, Atlanta,
and Dallas, with medians in these cities five times the national figure. The
offer rate of 81% is a small decline from a figure of 84% in 2001, while the
acceptance rate of 74% is similar to that for 2001.
Figures for 2002 thus represent the second consecutive year of decreased
class sizes (from an average of 14 and a median of 8.5 in 2000, and an average
of 12 and a median of 6 in 2001), decreased offer rates (from about 90% in 2000
and the late 90's), and increased acceptance rates (from about 66% in 2000 and
the late 90's.) Offer rates in 2002, in fact, were similar to what they were
after the summer of 1993 - about 78%.
Employers issued a median of 33 callback invitations each to second-year
students. Nationwide, over three-fourths of these callback invitations (78%)
were accepted. Half of callback interviews resulted in an offer, with a median
of 11 offers per employer. Just over one in three of these offers made to Class
of 2004 students for the upcoming summer program were accepted.
The level of activity is similar to that of 2001, when the average and median
number of callback invitations was 60 and 33, respectively. Both 2002 and 2001,
however, are in contrast to an average of 95 and a median of 55 in 2000,
suggesting considerable moderation in recruiting in fall 2001 that carried over
into 2002.
For large firms of 501 or more attorneys, 55% of callback invitations to
second-year students resulted in offers, compared with less than about 36% in
firms of 100 or fewer attorneys. However acceptance rates were higher at firms
of 50 or fewer attorneys (61%) and at firms of 51-100 attorneys (44%), compared
with about 33% in larger firms.
Analyses at the city level revealed wide variations. For example, employers
in New York City reported by far the highest level of activity in callback
invitations and interviews of second-year students, making an average of 74
offers to second-years for summer 2003. Acceptance rates were lowest at firms in
New York and the San Jose area, where about one-quarter of offers were accepted.
Acceptance rates were highest in Greenwich/Stamford, Baltimore, Miami, and
Missouri, where half or more of offers were accepted, followed by Pittsburgh,
Houston, Tampa, and Indiana, where close to half of offers were accepted.
Just one-quarter of survey respondents, or 154 employers, reported recruiting
of third-year students not previously employed by the employer. The median
number of callback invitations was 4.5, and most (90%) of these callback
invitations were accepted. About 30% of these interviews resulted in offers,
well over half of which were accepted. Third-year recruiting activity was
highest in New York and Chicago where employers averaged 11 callback
invitations, and 3 and 4 offers, respectively. Acceptance rates ranged from
about 37% in Houston and San Francisco to 100% in Los Angeles.
Full Report (PDF
format)
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