Who's Hiring on Campus?

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Who’s Hiring on Campus? [by Rebecca Luczycki] The poor economy means students will have to work harder for a chance at fewer jobs in this fall’s on-campus interviewing season.

The predictions are in on this fall’s on-campus

Boulder, said she saw fewer firms interview-

“We have not seen the dramatic drop in on-

interviewing (OCI) season, and it’s a mixed

ing and fewer offers being made to students

campus recruiting that we saw 10 years ago

bag. Some schools say that despite the still

last year, but she isn’t too worried about this

when we went through a similar economic

poor economy, they don’t expect much change

year.

situation,” he said. “I think employers are more savvy this time. Whereas 10 years ago

at all from the last few years. Other law schools say they are expecting to see a small-

“I think we’ll see the same thing this year, I

many firms simply discontinued interview-

er number of firms lining up at their doors to

don’t think it will be any worse,” Zubler said.

ing on campus and hiring at the entry level,

interview their students for summer jobs this

“We actually have one or two firms who did

this time many have reduced the number of

time and fewer offers of summer associate

not come last year who are deciding to come

schools they visit but did not eliminate their

positions from the firms that do show up.

this year.”

OCI program entirely. Many learned a valuable

Overall, even for schools not expecting to see

Gihan Fernando, assistant dean for career

up again they found themselves without key

much change from last year, there won’t be

services at Georgetown University Law Center

junior personnel to handle the influx of new

as many legal employers out on law school

in Washington, D.C., echoed that sentiment,

work.”

campuses as there were just a few years ago.

saying his employer registrations for OCI are

The National Association for Law Placement

virtually identical to last year.

lesson 10 years ago that when things picked

(NALP) is the official barometer for OCI activ-

But some employers have had no choice but to cancel OCI recently. Bill Piatt, dean of St.

ity. The group’s most recent statistics show

“My hunch is that we have hit the bottom, and

that in the face of a weak economy, many legal

I am hopeful that we are on the way back up,

tonio, Texas, said some of his school’s usual

employers have been cutting back on their law

but it’s very hard to know that,” he said.

recruiters are facing budget shortfalls or even

school recruiting efforts in recent years.

Mary’s University School of Law in San An-

hiring freezes.

Indeed, most career services experts agreed

The slump started with the 2001 season and

in mid to late summer that until the employers

“Some employers have pulled out of OCI

fall 2002 numbers reveal that more than half

actually showed up in person, they wouldn’t

state-wide because of money issues, including

of law schools saw at least a 5 percent drop

know exactly how the 2002 fall OCI season

the Texas Attorney General’s office,” Piatt

in the number of employers on campus last

would go.

said.

percent of law firms reported they had visited

“We don’t anticipate that it’s going to be

Melissa Balaban, director of career services

fewer schools in 2002.

dramatically different than the past fall one

at the University of Southern California Law

way or the other, but it’s very difficult to say

School in Los Angeles, agrees that more em-

Given that trend, it wouldn’t surprise most

exactly what this fall will be like,” said Jerry

ployers are taking the economic slump more

law school career services offices if their

Nash, deputy director of NALP. “We have

in stride this time, but she said given the way

numbers dropped even further this year. But

learned from our annual and even more

the OCI system works, it wouldn’t surprise her

by mid-summer, most were confident they

frequent looks into this market that it is a very

to see a little panic anyway.

were on track to book about the same number

difficult animal to predict.”

season. What’s even more revealing is that 36

of employers and schedule the same number of interviews as they did in 2002.

Connie Zubler, director of career services at the University of Colorado School of Law in

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“The way the system works, firms are inNash said indications so far are that legal

terviewing students in the early fall of their

employers are being smart about the economy

second year for summer jobs which are a

and not panicking, which is good for OCI.

lead-up to jobs they are supposedly going to take two years later,” she said. “I don’t think

continued on back

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there is any other business on the planet that

get even worse before they get better, there

them,” said Lois Casaleggi, assistant dean for

asks people to plan their employee needs two

is some good news on the horizon. Nash says

career services at Illinois.

or three years ahead.”

he doesn’t expect to see any further serious decreases in on-campus recruiting. OCI may

Size and financial resources of the firms

Zubler agreed that employers are being

remain at its current reduced size for a while

themselves play a role in the characteristics

smarter this time. Her school sees mainly

longer but he predicts it won’t likely shrink

of the employers participating in many pro-

local and mid-sized firms recruiting, and she

any further.

fewer offers.

“I would even predict a further stabilization next year,” Nash said.

across the country. They have to pay airfares, hotels and meals for the recruiters, and obviously the recruiting attorneys are not getting

“It’s the out-of-state firms that are making the choice whether to come here or not, and

grams as well. OCI is an expensive undertaking, especially if firms send representatives

says they are still recruiting, but are making

My program is bigger than yours…

any case work completed during the weeks - or even months - they are on the road. “The

the local ones are being choosier so instead of six or seven clerks for a summer, many firms

When it comes to OCI, not all schools are

larger firms can more afford to recruit in this

will have four or five,” she said.

equal. Georgetown University Law Center, for

way,” Fernando said.

example, usually expects to see 300 to 400 Lois Casaleggi, assistant dean for career

firms recruiting at its late August program,

Southern California’s Balaban said the nature

services at the University of Illinois College

sometimes with as many as 10 interview-

of OCI, and the fact that firms are recruiting

of Law in Champaign, said she has warned

ers from different offices of the same firm

for summer associates they hope to be able to

her students they can expect fewer offers this

all looking for summer associates. Another

hire permanently in two years, also makes it

year than in past years.

100 to 200 employers will recruit on campus

easier for large firms to participate.

during the early school year and about 30 “The place where we have seen the changes

government employers will come to campus

“Very large employers have a larger cushion

impact the most is in the number of offers any

to interview throughout the fall and into next

because they can as easily take 30 employees

particular student gets,” she said. “I wasn’t

spring. When it’s all over, 60 to 70 percent of

as they can take 20,” Balaban said. “But a

here at the time, but I understand that in the

Georgetown’s law students will have found

smaller business that needs only two em-

late 1990s, students were getting five to 10 or

jobs through OCI.

ployees can’t anticipate and plan that far in advance.”

more offers each out of OCI. Now probably on average they will get from two to six. They are

The University of Illinois College of Law in

just being more conservative with that.”

Champaign, meanwhile, consistently hosts

Fernando said while the larger firms tend

about 100 employers each season, and 33

to gravitate to the larger or more nationally

David Booher, a third-year law student at USC,

to 35 percent of the class secures summer

known schools, some do visit other OCI pro-

said he’s seen the impact of the poor economy

employment through on campus recruiting

grams as well.

on recruiting first-hand.

efforts.

“The type of people [employers] are look-

And the University of Colorado School of

smaller schools as well, but they are going

ing for and making offers to either after

Law in Boulder usually sees between 60 and

to be looking at a much smaller group of

interviews or after their summer associate

70 employers for its OCI program in a year.

students while they are there, only the top few

positions are more serious about working,” he

All told, about 75 percent of students get at

percent of the class,” he said.

said. “The jobs are less about socializing now

least one interview. Less than half of class

and the interviews are less of a personality fit.

members nail down their summer clerkship

Geographic location can make a difference in

The firms are more focused on getting people

through the OCI program.

which schools an employer chooses to visit

“Those large firms may go to some of the

for OCI.

that are going to be doing the work and who present themselves in the interviews as suc-

There are a number of factors that affect the

cessful attorneys.”

size and scope of a law school’s OCI program.

“In the smaller metropolitan areas with fewer

School reputation and national reach is one.

schools, it’s more expensive to do outreach

While it’s generally accepted that the legal

because there are fewer students to see,” said

marketplace lags behind the main economy by

“Obviously when you are looking at a top-10

9 to 18 months, so things theoretically could

ranked school, employers are just flocking to

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St. Mary’s University’s Piatt.

continued

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And, as is the case with many aspects of law school, tradition is important.

Despite cutbacks by some firms in recruiting efforts and job offers being made, he thinks

“For some employers it’s tradition - we have

many employers will avoid cutting schools

always gone to that school to interview - type

off their OCI schedules altogether if they can

of thing,” said NALP’s Nash. “And if they have

help it. They did that 10 years ago, during the

a large contingent of alumni from that school

last recession and suffered greatly for it when

or have had good success recruiting from

the job market picked up again.

there, it’s always on their list.” Casaleggi said she has a lot of those employers who would

“I think also many employers learned that

never consider taking her school off their list.

when things picked back up that trying to re-establish their presence on campuses

“They have just been coming here forever,”

was harder than anyone expected, and that’s

she said.

natural with any market,” he said. “So this time employers are taking the chance to keep

A school’s focus may also dictate its fall

going to campuses and even add some new

OCI schedule. For example, a school with a

ones to their rosters, so when things turn

significant public interest focus is not going

around they have their established presence

to see as many fall recruiters, Casaleggi said,

at schools that will pay dividends in the long

because public interest jobs tend to come

run. This time they have adjusted better to the

open in the spring when their budgets are

new market reality and are recruiting more

finalized, and their recruiters don’t tend to

effectively and efficiently.”

travel to campuses as often.

More efficient recruiting means some schools Schools like that, such as Loyola University

are forgoing marketing their OCI programs

School of Law in New Orleans, may spend

in favor of other methods of finding their stu-

more time helping their students find employ-

dents jobs, such as electronic job and resume

ment through job postings, alumni network-

banks and resume bundling - sending student

ing or legal career fairs, rather than OCI,

resumes directly to law firms en masse.

Casaleggi said.

Casagleggi said her school is one that has been focusing on that idea, and she saw a 340

However, she said the extent to which a

percent increase in the number of employers

school markets and promotes itself to law

asking for bundled resumes between the fall

firms can overcome many of the other factors

of 2001 and the fall of 2002.

that tend to influence OCI programs.

“Part of it is that we have made a lot of effort, “It really varies depending on how the school

but part is also a response to the economy

markets themselves,” she said. “You have to

because employers are saying they can’t af-

tell the firms ‘Yes, it’s worth your time and

ford the attorney time or the money to send

money to come here.’”

someone to your campus,” she said. “But at the same time they are still interested in

And today, that marketing is more important

your students, so they are treating the paper

than ever before.

resume as an initial screening interview like they might do on campus.”

“The firms are getting choosier and the schools that are not perceived as top tier may

This story appeared in the September, 2003

get fewer employers or may have to work

edition of The National Jurist, www.nation-

harder to get employers to come to their

aljurist.com

campuses,” Nash said.

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