Members Approve Changes to NALP Principles & Standards

NALP members voted overwhelmingly to approve changes to the Timing Guidelines (Part V of NALP’s Principles & Standards) as well as changes to Parts I-IV of the Principles & Standards. Of those voting, 91% voted in favor of adopting the proposed changes to Part V, and 99% of those voting voted in favor of the proposed changes to Parts I-IV. Among school members, 94% voted in favor of the changes to Part V, and 98% voted in favor of the changes to Parts I-IV. Among employer members, 89% voted in favor of the changes to Part V, and 99% voted in favor of the changes to Parts I-IV. The revised Principles & Standards, along with two new interpretations, are now included here. For background on the referenda at the 2009 Annual Education Conference, click here.

Recruitment Guidelines

• Full text of NALP's Principles & Standards
• Interpretations of NALP Principles
• Comments on Rescinded Offers
• Student Professionalism During the Interview Season
  

Law schools, legal employers, and law students together share the responsibility of ensuring fair and ethical legal hiring practices. NALP's Principles & Standards are guidelines that offer an ethical framework for all participants in law student recruiting. They guide the timing of responses to offers and set forth the obligations of all participants in the recruiting process. Compliance with the Principles is voluntary, yet virtually all ABA-accredited law schools and many of the nation's legal employers subscribe to these guidelines.

NALP also offers interpretations of the Principles that provide guidance for dealing with specific difficult recruiting situations, such as signing bonuses, exploding offers, establishing a waiting list, and first year recruiting.

One of the thorniest recruiting dilemmas occurs when an employer receives too many acceptances of its offers to law students. Schools and employers can work together to minimize the effect of a rescinded offer.

NALP has prepared a list of some of the questions law students most often ask about these ethical standards. These answers provide students with a quick guide to the essentials of navigating the fall interviewing season with professionalism.