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Hello, I am a third-year law student and I have a professor who is willing to call a firm on my behalf. He knows a partner there. I interviewed already and it went well, but it's been radio silence. Would this break an unspoken rule or would it be helpful?

I think the professor maybe following up with the partner they know would be cool but anything more than that sounds kinda awkward.

I'm more on the "it sounds kinda awkward" side of this. I guess I can't really envision what the conversation would sound like, which also really depends on how well the professor knows the partner. If it's more of an acquaintance relationship, I think the conversation will be awkward and weird, and if I were the partner, I would envision the student nervously wringing his/her hands next to the professor while the professor makes the call. If they are close and it's like a "Hey man! How's the family? Let's totally take the boat out next week together and grab some beers!" kind of relationship, then maybe it makes sense for the partner to make the social call and drop in a "Oh, by the way, I have this awesome student and we were chatting and they mentioned that they interviewed at your firm! This student is awesome! I hope you guys hire them." But even in the latter scenario, you'd be banking on the professor tactfully and slyly dropping mention of you rather than making it super obvious they are only calling to say they recommend you. Weeks (presumably) after you've already interviewed.

I'm on the other side of the fence on this one. I'm not a partner, but if I were interviewing a candidate, and my friend/acquaintance in the profession called on this person's behalf, that would carry some weight. The firm knows nothing about this potential candidate other than the fact that the candidate likely has the requisite credentials and can interview. A professor adding some color to the candidacy can't do any harm, in my opinion, and only help.

To me, it would show that this professor would think highly enough of a student to make a call and lend some of his/her credibility/reputation.

Agreed with the above. If the partner is close to the prof (former close student, colleague, close friends), then sure, it could definitely help.

My gut with stuff like this is to defer to the judgment of the individual who is offering assistance. If the professor is only an acquaintance then he likely wouldn't offer to help. An outside recommendation from a trusted friend could definitely carry weight.

My thought is that if you were already going to get the job, a call from a professor recommending you is not going to cost you it. If they were on the fence, it could potentially help.