Summary:
A significant shift is reshaping law firm recruitment as nearly all top U.S. law schools move their On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) programs to May and June, months ahead of the traditional July and August timeline. With BigLaw firms increasingly hiring early, law students are now navigating tighter decision timelines, fewer grade-based evaluations, and an escalating precruiting landscape. Here’s what these changes mean for the future of summer associate recruiting—and for the next generation of attorneys.
OCI Moves Up: The New Timeline
In 2025, the OCI landscape at top law schools is undergoing a dramatic shift. Law schools traditionally conducted interviews in late summer—July and August, giving firms time to assess second-year law students with nearly a full academic year of grades. However, a new reality is setting in: OCI is now taking place in May and June across nearly all of the T-14 law schools.
This shift marks a significant departure from tradition and raises questions about fairness, access, and strategic advantage in legal hiring.
Why Are Law Firms Recruiting So Early?
BigLaw firms are not just adapting to this new schedule—they’re driving it. Facing fierce competition for top-tier talent, many firms are offering interviews and summer associate positions before official OCI begins. This early hiring trend, known as “precruiting,” allows firms to secure top candidates before their rivals.
According to Erika Gardiner, Director of Talent Acquisition at McDermott Will & Emery, “Recruiting ahead of OCI has proven necessary in order to continue to secure top talent.”
What This Means for Law Students
The accelerated schedule creates both opportunities and risks for law students:
- Limited Grade Visibility: Interviews are now happening before most students receive second-semester grades, reducing a key evaluation metric.
- Compressed Decision-Making: Students must make high-stakes career decisions earlier, often while juggling first-year summer internships.
- Increased Pressure: The earlier process may push students to prioritize firm interviews over other vital opportunities, such as law journal write-ons, clinics, or public interest work.
Which Law Schools Are Leading the Shift?
Here’s a snapshot of the T-14 law schools and their current OCI plans for 2025:
- Stanford Law School: May 5 start date (among the earliest).
- Duke, Penn Carey, Georgetown: OCI later in May.
- Yale, Harvard, Columbia, University of Chicago: Holding OCI in June.
- Most others: Still officially holding OCI in July—but many now offer “preview” programs in May or June.
This trend follows an earlier shift in 2024, when Stanford and Yale moved OCI up to June, breaking from the longstanding July/August norm.
How Law Firms Are Responding
With the new schedule, law firms are adjusting their internal recruiting timelines. Many are now building early-access programs, targeted “preview” events, and pre-OCI networking strategies.
Some firms view the early schedule as a way to re-engage with the law school pipeline, which saw disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of remote work. Others are cautiously optimistic that a more competitive, structured process will attract stronger long-term talent.
The Rise of “Precruiting”
The trend toward early hiring isn’t new—but it’s now the dominant approach. According to the National Association for Law Placement (NALP):
- In 2022, 23% of law firm summer associate offers were made outside of formal OCI.
- By 2024, that figure had jumped to 56%.
This means that more than half of all offers now occur through direct outreach, early access interviews, and informal channels—well before a student sets foot in a traditional OCI room.
Implications for Legal Career Development
For aspiring attorneys, this evolving timeline has long-term implications:
- Career Coaching: Law schools are revamping advising strategies to help 1Ls prepare for interviews as early as the spring semester.
- Hiring Equity: Concerns are mounting that early recruitment could disadvantage students from underrepresented or non-traditional backgrounds who may take longer to find their footing.
- Firm Loyalty vs. Exploration: Early commitments might limit a student’s opportunity to explore different practice areas, geographic markets, or firm cultures.
Georgetown Law, in a letter to employers, noted it “reluctantly” moved OCI to May to “restore balance and structure to the recruiting process.” But it also warned that early recruiting has placed undue pressure on first-year law students and may dissuade them from participating in valuable extracurriculars.
FAQs
Why are law schools moving OCI to May and June?
To adapt to firms’ increasing preference for early recruiting. Many law schools made this shift in response to growing precruiting pressure and student confusion over unstructured hiring timelines.
Are students being interviewed before their second-year grades are released?
Yes. Most May OCI programs occur before second-semester grades are finalized, reducing the weight of GPA in the early recruitment process.
What is “precruiting”?
Precruiting refers to law firms making summer associate offers outside of OCI, often months in advance. These offers are typically based on networking, first-year grades, and early outreach.
How should students prepare for earlier interviews?
- Polish resumes and writing samples by spring break.
- Attend preview events and firm receptions in April.
- Seek mock interviews and coaching from career services early in the semester.
