NALP Bulletin, April 2006 

Most employers doubtless have a good sense of what the acceptance rate from their summer 2006 program will be, based on experiences of prior years. However, a look at the broad picture and trends over time provides not only a perspective against which to compare one’s own past and expected results, but also a better understanding of the larger market — whether it be the city, firms of the same size, or nationwide.

NALP has been monitoring summer and fall recruiting activity in some manner for more than 15 years and has collected information on summer program outcomes since the early 1990s by means of a yearly survey of employers. The findings are published annually in Perspectives on Fall Law Student Recruiting. A compilation of results from the six most recent years is shown in the table below and on the opposite page. Highlights of the findings include:

• Generally, about 90% of summer associates receive an offer for employment, but the figure was notably lower for summer associates during 2001 and 2002. In recent years, about three-quarters of these offers have been accepted, but in 2000 acceptance rates were somewhat lower.

• The major markets for summer employment are by no means homogeneous, and annual differences in the size of the summer program are not surprising, with median sizes for summer 2005 programs ranging from 5 in San Francisco to 14 in New York and over 15 in Dallas. Median summer program sizes are sometimes, but not always, highest in New York. Other cities that may have large programs include Boston, Philadelphia, and Dallas.

• Cities also differ with respect to offer and acceptance rates. For example, firms in Boston and New York typically make an offer to nearly all of their summer associates. Acceptance rates in these cities tend to be higher as well. Dallas and Houston tend to be below average on both of these measures. Firms in Washington, DC are about average in terms of offer rates, but below average with respect to acceptance rates. Firms in Philadelphia and Chicago have fluctuated on all three measures over the years.

The five most recent Perspectives reports have been posted under Research & Directories > Recruitment & Hiring. In addition to more detailed information on summer program outcomes, these reports offer information on fall recruiting for summer programs and on third-year recruiting, including numbers of call-back invitations and offer and acceptance rates nationwide, by firm size, and by city and region.

Summary of Summer Program Outcomes — 2000-2002

Summary of Summer Program Outcomes — 2003-2005