Top Law Schools

I'm a current federal clerk with an offer to return to a vault ranked firm and considering applying to other big law firms basically to weigh all options. Since I'm still leaning towards returning to my SA firm after my clerkship, I'm trying to limit my applications. My biggest concern is that another firm I apply to will contact my SA firm and they'll pull my offer. Does anyone know at what point in the process firms would contact my SA firm and whether it's acceptable to ask other firms to hold off on contacting them until I actually have an offer in hand?

They would be unlikely to contact anyone at your summer firm unless you list one as a reference (and when I did this very few firms even asked for references). Firms generally like to receive applications from law clerks; they understand that you likely have offers to return from any firm listed on your resume and aren't gonna go out of their way to screw up your career.

It's also probably unlikely that your prior firm would yank your offer just because they heard you sent out a few resumes during your clerkship. Again, firms *like* hiring clerks and *like* when their new associate hires land clerkships, and dumping someone for exploring his options costs them a former clerk and does not help them hire more. Impossible to rule out because there are petty assholes in this profession, but unlikely.