Biglaw
recruiting
has
been
on
an
unsustainable
trajectory
for
years.
Timelines
have
crept
earlier
and
earlier,
exploding
offers
have
become
routine,
and
law
students
are
increasingly
asked
to
make
career-defining
decisions
before
they’ve
had
a
meaningful
chance
to
understand
the
profession.
Susman
Godfrey
has
decided
to
take
a
different
approach.
For
its
2027
2L
summer
class,
the
elite
trial
firm
is
abandoning
the
accelerated
playbook.
Applications
will
remain
open
through
June
30,
2026,
and
the
firm
will
not
review
any
submissions
until
after
that
deadline.
No
early
reads,
no
informal
pre-screening,
and
no
pressure
to
apply
before
students
are
ready.
And
notably,
no
exploding
offers.
In
an
era
defined
by
precruiting
panic,
that’s
not
just
different
—
that’s
borderline
radical.
The
move
is
a
direct
response
to
what
Susman
sees
as
a
misalignment
between
current
Biglaw
hiring
trends
and
how
law
students
develop.
“We’ve
watched
the
recruiting
timeline
compress
year
after
year,
and
at
a
certain
point
we
had
to
ask
ourselves:
who
does
this
really
serve?”
said
partner
Nick
Spear,
co-chair
of
the
firm’s
employment
committee.
“Law
students
are
being
asked
to
make
career-defining
decisions
with
only
one
semester
of
grades
and
almost
no
exposure
to
practice.”
That
model,
he
noted,
may
be
workable
for
firms
hiring
at
scale.
It
doesn’t
work
here.
“Susman
Godfrey
is
a
trial
firm,”
Spear
said.
“We
need
people
who
have
demonstrated
sustained
academic
excellence
and
who
have
a
genuine
interest
in
courtroom
work.
You
simply
can’t
evaluate
that
based
on
a
partial
record.”
Instead,
the
firm
has
designed
a
process
that
allows
students
to
complete
their
first
year,
assess
their
interests,
and
apply
with
a
full
academic
record.
Under
this
model,
all
candidates
are
evaluated
on
the
same
timeline,
with
complete
1L
grades,
and,
critically,
without
the
pressure
that
has
come
to
define
the
current
recruiting
cycle.
“It’s
about
both
fairness
to
students
and
better
hiring
outcomes
for
our
firm,
and
they
are
inseparable,”
said
Hunter
Vance,
partner
and
co-chair
of
the
firm’s
employment
committee.
“Asking
1Ls
to
make
career-altering
decisions
while
juggling
exams
and
adapting
to
the
pressure
of
law
school
is
just
asking
for
poor
matches.
That
doesn’t
help
law
students.
And
it
doesn’t
work
for
Susman
Godfrey.”
As
Vance
explained,
the
firm
is
focused
on
“finding
the
superstars
who
want
to
be
real
trial
lawyers—not
just
litigators.”
He
went
on,
noting,
“We
need
the
time
and
information
to
properly
evaluate
students,
just
like
the
students
need
the
time
and
information
to
properly
evaluate
firms.”
If
eliminating
exploding
offers
wasn’t
bold
enough,
Susman
is
also
embracing
something
that
borders
on
heresy
in
Biglaw:
encouraging
students
to
split
their
summers.
“I
speak
from
experience,”
Vance
said.
“I
split-summered
at
Susman
Godfrey
and
the
quality
of
the
work
and
close
relationships
with
my
future
colleagues
sealed
the
deal.”
Susman
is
approaching
its
new
hiring
model
with
confidence
—
the
firm
“loves”
betting
on
itself.
“Our
summer
associate
experience
has
always
been
unique
because
we
treat
our
summer
associates
just
like
our
associates.
We
integrate
them
into
our
trial
teams
and
give
them
real
substantive
work
that
we
actually
intend
to
use,”
Vance
said.
“We
are
confident
that
we
offer
a
summer
program
unlike
any
other.”
There
is,
of
course,
risk
in
stepping
outside
the
prevailing
Biglaw
recruiting
cycle.
While
Susman
waits
until
July,
competitors
may
secure
commitments
from
top
candidates
months
in
advance.
The
firm,
however,
is
comfortable
with
that
tradeoff.
“Susman
Godfrey
is
not
afraid
of
the
competition
because
we
offer
an
unmatched
opportunity,”
Vance
said,
citing
top-of-market
compensation,
a
defined
path
to
equity
partnership,
and
early
stand-up
experience
in
litigation.
“We
want
students
to
comparison
shop,
and
we’re
willing
to
bet
that
we’ll
come
out
on
top.”
Whether
this
approach
signals
a
broader
shift
in
Biglaw
recruiting
remains
to
be
seen.
“Honestly,
we
don’t
know,”
Spear
said.
“What
we
do
know
is
that
the
current
system
does
not
work.”
Susman
has
built
an
alternative
—
at
least
for
itself.
For
now,
the
firm
is
focused
on
aligning
its
hiring
process
with
both
its
institutional
needs
and
the
realities
facing
law
students.
“If
other
firms
see
our
model
and
adopt
something
similar,
that
would
be
a
great
outcome
for
law
students,”
Spear
said.
“But
Susman
Godfrey
never
minds
doing
things
its
own
way.”
If
Susman’s
new
model
proves
successful,
it
may
do
more
than
reshape
one
firm’s
recruiting
strategy.
It
could
challenge
the
assumption
that
Biglaw’s
accelerated
recruiting
cycle
was
the
correct
course,
rather
than
a
dynamic
in
need
of
correction.
It’s
a
bold
bet
—
and
one
that
could
leave
the
rest
of
Biglaw
with
some
explaining
to
do.
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to email her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
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with
her
on LinkedIn.