For
the
first
time
in
years,
a
Biglaw
firm
is
making
a
recruiting
change
that
could
positively
impact
law
students
—
and
we’re
totally
here
for
it.
Cooley
just
did
something
that
should
be
obvious,
but
somehow
feels
radical
in
the
modern
recruitment
era:
the
firm
has
stopped
pretending
that
first-semester
first-year
law
students
should
be
making
life-defining
career
decisions
before
they
even
understand
what
lawyers
do.
Instead
of
locking
in
its
entire
2028
associate
class
during
the
1L
panic
cycle,
Cooley
is
only
hiring
about
half
of
the
class
now
—
and
intentionally
leaving
the
rest
of
the
seats
open
to
fill
later,
after
students
actually
have
more
law
school
experience,
exposure,
and
clarity.
In
a
system
that’s
been
built
on
speed,
pressure,
and
early
commitment,
slowing
down
is
the
reform
students
actually
need.
Bloomberg
Law
has
the
details:
The
firm
is
extending
some
offers
this
winter
to
first-year
law
students
(1Ls)
for
the
summer
of
2027.
It
will
then
supplement
by
recruiting
after
students’
first
year
of
law
school,
aiming
to
fill
30-40%
of
its
class
of
2028
after
the
initial
1L
hiring
spree,
and
use
the
overlooked
3L
market
to
help
complete
its
ranks.
“It’s
going
to
broaden
the
students
that
we’re
able
to
see
over
time,
rather
than
rushing
to
hire
our
entire
entry
level
2028
class
now
with
1Ls
who
don’t
necessarily
know
what
they
want
to
do,”
Carrie
Wagner,
Cooley’s
chief
talent
officer,
told
Bloomberg.
That’s
not
just
corporate
HR
speak
—
it’s
a
quiet
admission
of
what
everyone
already
knows:
the
Biglaw
recruiting
system
is
broken.
Law
schools
lost
control
of
the
recruiting
process
during
COVID.
On-campus
interviews
collapsed,
firms
took
over
timelines,
and
because
the
entire
process
got
sped
up,
students
were
crushed
by
it.
Students
are
being
pushed
to
apply
for
elite
jobs,
often
before
finals,
before
grades,
before
practice-area
exposure,
and
before
they
even
know
whether
they
like
litigation,
corporate
work,
or
the
law
in
general.
Offers
come
fast,
deadlines
are
short,
decisions
are
rushed,
and
the
pressure
is
intense.
Cooley
is
hoping
to
cool
down
the
process
and
allow
students
—
and
the
firm
—
to
have
some
much-needed
breathing
room.
Cooley’s
new
approach
is
an
attempt
to
slow
down
the
system
that’s
putting
too
forcing
students
to
make
decisions
they’re
simply
not
ready
for
yet.
This
is
what
student-centered
recruiting
should
look
like.
Biglaw
recruiting
has
been
a
pot
ready
to
boil
over
for
years.
Faster
timelines.
Younger
students.
Earlier
and
earlier
decisions.
More
stress.
More
mismatches.
More
burnout,
far
too
soon.
Cooley’s
move
is
a
serious
one
—
one
that
eases
the
pressure
and
provides
much-needed
relief
for
students.
Cooley
is
offering
something
to
students
that
Biglaw
usually
doesnt:
the
gift
of
time.
We
can
only
hope
that
more
firms
follow
in
Cooley’s
footsteps.
Cooley
Dials
Down
Recruiting
Pressure
Cooker
for
Summer
Program
[Bloomberg
Law]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
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