When do grades no longer matter in hiring decisions? Ever?

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When do grades no longer matter in hiring decisions? Ever?

The short answer: law school grades will most likely come up in every position you attempt to apply for throughout your career. The long answer: how much they matter depends on several factors.

Question

possible are doing the work. It also increases

In many respects, this is somewhat under-

At what point in a lawyer’s career does expe-

the “aura” of a firm if they are widely known

standable and there is support for firms

rience outweigh grades and class rank?

for being highly selective. In addition, these

taking law students’ grades so seriously. For

firms can afford to be so selective because

example, several studies have been conduct-

Answer

they are places where many want to work. If

ed showing that your LSAT score, not your

Grades play a part in a great many hiring

you want to move into the very highest rungs

undergraduate grade point average, is the

decisions. However, the weight they are given

of law firm practice (which is often defined

best predictor of your academic performance

depends on the particular firm involved and

by prestige) your grades will be significant

in your first year of law school. Similarly,

whether you are (A) a junior attorney or law

throughout your career.

there have been studies done that show that your performance in your first year of law

student, (B) a mid level to senior associate or (C) a partner. At each stage of your career

The Importance of Grades for Junior Attor-

school (and not during your second and third

the importance of grades will diminish.

neys and Law Students

years) is the best predictor of whether you

When you are considering a lateral move,

As any attorney who has ever participated

there are certain firms that will never look at

in on-campus recruiting is no doubt aware,

you unless your grades meet their standards.

grades are an extremely important criterion

The largest and most prestigious firms typi-

The most prestigious firms such as Latham

that firms use in the hiring of junior attor-

cally have the most serious grade cutoffs for

& Watkins, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher &

neys. Grades are far more important for law

law students. In addition, the firms that do

Flom, Wachtel Lipton Rosen & Katz, Munger

students than junior attorneys. Indeed, at no

on campus recruiting at your law school also

Tolles & Olsen and others will almost never

other point in your career will your grades

tend to place a great deal of emphasis on

interview or hire you unless your academic

be more important than when you are a law

grades since they can compare the tran-

performance falls within a very high cutoff

student.

scripts of many students at one time. There

will pass your state’s bar exam on the first attempt.

are many large national firms that will only

set by the firm, regardless the stage of your career.

Law Students

However, it is also worth noting that the most

One of the main reasons that grades are

below this to the upper 50% in the hiring of

prestigious firms are often willing to look

emphasized so much for law students is

law students from top national law schools.

at individuals who are stellar performers

that firms have very little else to go on when

The importance of your grades will gener-

who did not go to Top 10, or even Top 25, law

they are making hiring decisions. Firms can

ally increase as you go down the law school

schools. The most prestigious firms are look-

look at your college and your performance

ranking ladder. For example, if you attended

ing for excellence; excellence in their minds

there. Firms can look at what activities you

Yale Law School, your grades will be less

begins when you receive your first grades in

participated in during law school. Firms can

important to most law firms than they would

law school, even if it is on the second or third

also decide how much they like you. But in

be if you attended a fourth tier law school.

tier.

terms of judging how serious you are about

consider graduates in the top 5% from top national law schools and others that will dip

law school, and how much aptitude you show

Nevertheless, law students from most law

There are many reasons that several top

for the practice of law, grades are generally

schools can find positions in most cases,

firms are so aggressive about grade cut-offs.

the most important criterion that firms use in

regardless of their grades. If you are inter-

The main reason is because it provides their

the hiring of law students.

viewing with firms that typically do not do a

clients assurances that the best lawyers

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lot of on-campus recruiting at your school,

continued on back

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the odds are that grades will be emphasized

go to the best students from the best schools.

• Fourth, the law of supply and demand is

less than they otherwise might be. In addition,

As a practicing attorney moving laterally, the

also governed by the fact that many attorneys

many smaller firms may emphasize grades

best jobs generally go to the attorneys who

disqualify themselves from big firm practice

a great deal less than top national law firms

are most in demand. In this case, more often

very early in their careers by accepting jobs

because they may be more than happy to get

than not, it means the attorneys from the best

with firms that are not conducive to moving

a student from your school. Finally, there are

firms, with the level of experience and the

laterally to a grade conscious firm at a later

certain specialties (such as patent law) where

demonstrated expertise that the firms need.

date. For example, many attorneys accept

your academic performance in law school may

As set off below, due to the law of supply and

positions with insurance defense firms, or

be emphasized even less than your under-

demand, as a lateral attorney moving you will

smaller unknown firms that do unsophisti-

graduate performance by some firms.

be competing with fewer attorneys for the

cated work. While there is nothing wrong with

same positions and firms will not be able to be

this decision, the fact of the matter is that

as selective in terms of your grades:

most firms that care about grades want to hire

As recruiters, we have been amazed by the

attorneys they perceive as having the training

fact that grades are not always emphasized as much as some attorneys might think. We have

• First, when you are one to three years out

seen attorneys from fourth-tier law schools at

of law school, you have presumably begun to

ment. Because the substantial majority of law

the bottom of their class get positions during

specialize in some branch of law. The more

graduates go to firms that grade conscious

law school with top national law firms, for

unusual that branch of law is, the fewer at-

firms perceive as not providing a high-level

example. In general, there is some predict-

torneys you will be competing with for your

of training, the fact of the matter is that most

ability to where people end up based on their

position. Accordingly, firms desiring someone

grade conscious firms cannot afford to be

grades, but there are always exceptions to

with your skills will be more likely to overlook

overly grade conscious when hiring laterals.

this rule. The fact that the exceptions do occur

a less-than-stellar academic performance to

In fact, the quality of the firm you are coming

with regularity should clearly demonstrate

get someone with your skills. As you are no

from is most often more important than your

that there are forces at work beyond grades in

doubt aware, firms are forced to “write off” a

grades when you are moving as a lateral with

hiring decisions made by many firms.

great deal of an attorney’s time during their

1-3 years of experience.

it takes to practice law in a big firm environ-

first year of practice because attorneys are Junior Associates

not the most productive their first year. As you

If there was ever a better illustration of the

get more skills and experience, your value to

points discussed above in action, it is the hir-

Associates with 1 to 3 years of experience

firms increases because they do not have to

ing of corporate attorneys on both coasts in

considering a lateral move are typically

write off as much of your time. The value of

1998 through most of 2000 which took place

worried about how their academic perfor-

this training increases exponentially depend-

at a dizzying place. Many of the most presti-

mance might affect their move because they

ing on how few attorneys practice in the same

gious national law firms were hiring corporate

have been so recently conditioned about the

branch of law as you do.

attorneys out of small law firms without ever

importance of grades during law school. As

seeing so much as a transcript. This pattern

you progress in your career, grades recede in

• Second, many attorneys leave the practice

emerged because the firms had more work

importance. Many attorneys are able to move

of law entirely during their first three years

than they could handle. While most of the

to firms they might not have been able to get

of practicing law. Accordingly, those that con-

best-known names in the legal profession

jobs in while they were in law school when

tinue to practice law are competing with fewer

were inflexible with lowering their standards,

they move laterally as junior associates.

people for the same positions. Because there

a great many firms did budge on their stan-

are fewer people you are competing with,

dards and hired everyone they could get. In

The largest explanation for why grades will

firms do not feel the need to be as selective

this circumstance, the importance of grades

recede in importance when you have 1-3 years

with whom they hire based on grades.

virtually vanished.

demand. If you think about it, the law of supply

• Third, you will be benefited by the fact that

None of this is to say that grades completely

and demand is something that is important

you have proven that you are dedicated to the

recede in importance. If you think about the

throughout your legal career. As a law stu-

geographic location you are in. The benefit of

law of supply and demand, you will quickly

dent, you competed with many associates who

being part of the legal community and having

realize that it can also make grades important

are indistinguishable based on not much more

stability in the region is something that is very

later in your career. In the example above,

than the law school they attended and how

important to law firms.

there was a tremendous demand for corporate

of experience is due to the law of supply and

well they did there. The best jobs generally

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associates on both coasts for a three-year

continued

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period. In 2002 this trend has reversed itself.

strengths. In addition, firms become more

With numerous corporate attorneys from top

concerned with your potential to make partner

national law firms competing for the same

and your business generation abilities. At

positions, grades can certainly become some-

this level, these other concerns far outweigh

thing of importance in distinguishing between

grades at 99% of firms.

candidates.

The Partner Mid Level to Senior Associates At the partner level, grades have almost no In the mid-level to senior associate realm, the

importance. Concerns about your business-

same prejudices that the largest firms have

generation ability and other factors assume

about grades are still present. The largest and

an importance far beyond your grades. In fact,

very most prestigious firms still are generally

we would estimate that in 7 out of 10 partner

quite interested in your grades. Neverthe-

placements we make the firms hire our can-

less, as recruiters we have noticed a greater

didates without ever requesting to see their

willingness of firms to “look the other way” or

grades. There are, of course, exceptions to the

not take grades as seriously as they definitely

rule. In fact, there are some super prestigious

would for law students and to a lesser extent

national firms that will continue considering

would for junior associates.

your grades to be of paramount importance throughout your career. On some occasions,

The Midlevel Associate

we have seen partners who were national figures in their practice area with multi-million

As a midlevel associate, firms are generally

dollar books of business not get interviews

most concerned about your legal skills and

because of their law school grades. Neverthe-

the potential you show. If you are coming from

less, this occurs quite infrequently.

a firm with some stature, then law firms will assume you have the training that they need.

Conclusions

Midlevel associates are typically quite profitable for firms because they can efficiently do

Grades are most important for law students.

the work at rates that clients will not balk at.

At the junior associate level they become

As a midlevel associate, most firms will look

less important and become even more so

at your grades. Nevertheless, firms’ largest

throughout your career. While law school is

concern will be with your ability to do the work

three short years, your legal career can span

and the potential you show for growth within

over 30 years. Accordingly, it goes without

the firm.

saying that your law school performance is by no means the most important indicator of the

The same illustrations outlined above regard-

success you will have in the practice of law.

ing (1) your specialization, (2) the number of

Nevertheless, there are some American law

attorneys still practicing, (3) your geographic

firms where your grades will prevent you from

commitment, and (4) the firms that have given

getting a position throughout your career.

you high-level training become even more

However, with all the opportunities available

important for midlevel associates than they

in the market, one’s law school grades 10, 5

are for junior associates.

or even 1 year after law school are not something that will hold you back with most firms

The Senior Associate

if you have managed other aspects of your career correctly.

After several years of practice, the same four factors identified above become increasingly important in firms’ evaluation of your relative

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