NALP Bulletin+
March 2025

NALP's Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting report, being released March 11, 2025, depicts a 2024 recruiting season that was more accelerated than ever before — which should come as no surprise to NALP members. The report, based on responses from nearly 580 U.S. law offices to NALP's annual recruiting survey, documents not only how the recruiting timeline for summer programs is shifting earlier, but also the ways in which recruiting methods are changing. This article provides a preview of some report highlights that can be explored in greater detail within the full publication.

Chart 1 shows how the use of several recruiting methods shifted between the 2023 recruiting cycle (for summer 2024 2L programs) and the 2024 recruiting cycle (for summer 2025 2L programs). Notably, on-campus interviewing (OCI) was the most popular method in 2023, with 93% of offices using OCI, but direct application was most popular in 2024, at 91% of offices. OCI remains popular though, with 82% of law offices still recruiting via this method in the most recent cycle.

In the 2024 survey, NALP asked law offices to report the number of offers that they made via OCI, law school early interview programs (EIP), and all other methods outside of a law school interview program. For purposes of the survey an EIP was defined as a law school program that is less structured than a traditional OCI program, in which firms may be responsible for organizing interviews, and that often takes place prior to the traditional OCI program at a school. This category also includes instances where an office may have signed up for OCI and received a list of candidates but ultimately interviewed these students prior to the law school's OCI. Chart 2 shows the percentage of all offers that were made for summer 2025 programs via each of these three main categories. More than half of all offers (56%) were made outside of a law school interview program, 24% were made via OCI, and 20% were made via EIP.

Chart 3 explores how offer volume is changing by each method. Overall, offer volume for summer 2025 programs was down 1% compared to the previous cycle; however, OCI offer volume declined by 44%. In contrast, EIP offer volume increased by 26%, and offers from recruiting that took place outside of a law school interview program grew the most, up 35%.

But how has that shift in the use of recruiting methods and offer volume impacted offer timelines? Chart 4 compares the percentage of all offers made in 2023 by month for summer 2024 programs to the percentage made in 2024 for summer 2025 programs. In 2023, August was still the most popular offer month, accounting for more than half of all offers (52%). However, in 2024, July was the most popular (45%), followed by June (30%), and then August (20%). Overall, 78% of all offers were made prior to August 2024, compared to just 45% that were made prior to August 2023.

Finally, Chart 5 explores how offer timelines vary by recruiting method. For recruiting that took place outside of a law school interview program, just under half (45%) of all offers were made in June 2024 or earlier. For EIP offers, July was the most popular month (61%), and August was still the predominant month for OCI offers (59%).

There's much more to explore about the 2024 recruiting cycle, as well as the outcomes of 2024 summer programs in NALP's Perspectives on 2024 Law Student Recruiting report. This year's report includes new data on the length of time returning 1Ls will spend with firms during their 2L summers, early interview program recruiting, and return requirements for scholarship/stipend award recipients. The publication will be available free of charge to all NALP members on March 11 on the Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting page.

Note: Percentages add up to more than 100% because employers could select all that apply. Law school early interview program data was not collected in the previous year. Law school early interview programs are defined as a law school program that is less structured than a traditional OCI program, in which firms may be responsible for organizing interviews, and that often takes place prior to the traditional OCI program at a school. This category also includes instances where an office may have signed up for OCI and received a list of candidates, but ultimately interviewed these students prior to the law school's OCI.
Source: NALP's Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting, 2023-2024. The summer 2025 program data is based on responses from 546 offices.

Note: In total, 2,837 offers were made as a result of OCI, 2,396 were made as a result EIP, and 6,538 offers were made as a result of recruiting that took place outside of a law school interview program.
Source: NALP’s 2024 Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting. Based on 524 law offices that made at least one offer to second-year students for summer 2025.

Note: Figures are based on 534 offices reporting offer volume for both summer 2024 and summer 2025 2L programs.
Source: NALP's 2024 Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting.

Note: Figures are based on 11,396 offers for which the timing of the offer was reported, representing about 96% of all offers made by these firms' offices.
Source: NALP's Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting, 2023-2024.

Note: OCI timing figures are based on 2,768 offers for which the timing of the offer was reported, representing 98% of all offers made by these offices. Early interview program timing figures are based on 2,269 offers for which the timing was reported, representing 95% of all offers made by these offices. Recruiting outside of a law school interview program timing figures are based on 6,232 offers for which the timing of the offer was reported, representing 95% of all offers made by these offices.
Source: NALP’s 2024 Perspectives on Law Student Recruiting.