Question about Biglaw Recruiting Forum

[Anonymous User]

I know that legal recruiting staffs are heavily involved in coordinating logistics during OCI (i.e., communicating with the law schools, setting up the interviews, etc.), but to what extent are they involved in the actual decision-making w/r/t hiring prospective summer associates? Just curious and wondering if someone who's been involved in biglaw hiring could speak to this.

[zot1]

I think it varies by office. I have met someone that were not involved, and at least two who made it very clear that they had the final say. As to whether this is true or not, I can't guarantee it.

[thesealocust]

The senior equity partners at a firm, collectively, are God. The morning and the evening sun. Alpha to Omega. They can do whatever they want, for any reason. Or no reason.

They will delegate hiring power to a smaller group, or maybe even one person, amongst themselves. That hiring committee and/or partner is basically God in human form.

The recruiting staff at a firm is hand-selected by the hiring committee/partner and in constant contact with them during the recruiting process. They aren't God, but they've got God's ear, and God hired them for their counsel.

[Anonymous User]

curious about this since i've been communicating so much with people from various firms' legal recruiting departments. i always just assumed they were there to take care of logistics but didn't have an actual hand in the decision-making process. so, just to clarify, people with titles like, "associate director of legal recruiting" might be just as involved in choosing candidates as the attorneys who are interviewing us?

[dixiecupdrinking]

They have opinions, which may be solicited. Act accordingly. That's really all there is to say.

[First Offense]

They have opinions, which may be solicited. Act accordingly. That's really all there is to say.

Probably this. I would also err on the side of "their opinion probably matters a lot" for the reasons Sea outlined.