Recruiting at Stanford Law School

Overview

Fall On-Campus Interviewing Program (OCI)

If you are interested in hiring second year students for summer internships or third years for post-graduation jobs, we encourage you to register for our Fall OCI, which takes place from late-August to mid-September each year. The majorities of our 2L and 3L classes participate in the program and are employed as a result of these interviews. Registration begins in early March.

Spring On-Campus Interview Program (OCI)

Our spring program in early February focuses mainly on first year students (though a number of 2Ls interview), and due to its timing, is ideal for both private and public sector employers. Interviews are held at the law school and there is no charge to participate. Registration begins in Mid-December.

Fall 2009 Resume Collection Program

The Office of Career Services is pleased to offer a resume collection service to legal employers who wish to solicit resumes for our second and/or third-year students. We understand that it may not be feasible for some employers to come on campus to interview this Fall, so we've added this option to help employers get connected with our students. Resume collection service is free of charge and simple. We are currently accepting requests through Symplicity (please see below).

OCI & Resume Collection Registration

To register for the Fall or Spring on-campus interview program please log on to the Symplicity website.

Already registered?

The documents and links below are designed to guide you through our policies and help you with the logistics of recruiting at Stanford Law School.

Policies

Non-Discrimination Policy

The recruiting policies and guidelines of Stanford Law School have been developed to contribute to a positive and successful experience for students and recruiters. These guidelines are designed to support the academic mission of the School. Stanford Law School's Policy on non-discrimination in employment has been in effect since 1985 and parallels the policy required of member schools by the Association of American Law Schools: Stanford Law School makes its facilities and services open only to employers who do not discriminate on the basis of age, religion, disability, ethnic background, national origin, gender, race, sexual orientation, or veteran status. However, the School's non-discrimination policy permits, and Stanford Law School encourages, lawful affirmative action in hiring women and the members of minority groups that are under-represented in the legal profession. Download our tips on conducting a successful non-discriminatory interview.

Statement Regarding Recent Third Circuit Decision

Since at least 1988, and along with virtually every other law school in the country today, Stanford Law School has maintained and enforced a general policy banning discrimination in its educational functions on grounds of race, ethnic background, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. In adherence to this policy, the Law School provides the facilities and services of its Office of Career Services only to those legal employers—public or private—that do not discriminate.

Because our commitment to this policy threatened to bring us into conflict with the Solomon Amendment, the faculty of the Law School voted late last year to join a pending law suit seeking a ruling on the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment. The suit alleged, among other things, that the law operated to deny us and other law schools free expression of our commitment to the ideal of nondiscrimination and that it compelled us to play host to a discriminatory message. In its recent ruling, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit agreed. It therefore ordered the lower court to enjoin enforcement of the law.

As the lower court has not yet acted, we cannot yet assess the breadth of the injunction. We emphasize, however, that no step we take will forbid military recruitment of our students. Stanford Law School students have been and remain free to interview with the JAG Corps both on and off the Stanford campus. Likewise, any student group would be free to invite representatives of the Armed Forces to speak at a student forum, which we would accommodate according to our usual procedures. Our nondiscrimination policy applies in this regard to the services extended by our Office of Career Services.

We are gratified by the ruling of the Third Circuit. We regard nondiscrimination to be a bedrock educational policy. And we hope to maintain in the future the commitment that we have long made to every student who enters our halls: We will not allot grades, services, or privileges according to any other criterion than each student's performance on the merits.

Grading Policy

Grading System

In Autumn, 2008, the Law School adopted a new grading system. Prior to that fall, the Law School had a numerical grading system with grades ranging from a 2.1 to a 4.3.

For more detailed information about the grading system and how to interpret students' grades, please click here.

Callback Policy

Employers and students who make use of the facilities and services of the Office of Career Services must limit interviews (including transportation to and from interviews) to callback week, vacation periods, weekends, or other times that do not conflict with scheduled classes. Callback week, when classes for second- and third-year students are suspended, is typically scheduled in October, one week after the annual fall Campus Interviewing Program. This policy was instituted to address students' and faculty's concern about the number of classes students were missing because of callback or in-office interviews. The American Bar Association, in following up its Accreditation Committee's inspection of the Law School in 1987, also expressed its concern about the lack of regular class attendance and required the President of the University and the Dean of the Law School to report on steps taken to address this problem.

Offers

We expect all employers who recruit at Stanford Law School to comply with NALP Guidelines with respect to callbacks and offers. Specifically, we do not condone exploding offers or signing bonuses. An employer may not extend an offer that only remains open until the target number of acceptances is received at which point the offer is withdrawn. Nor can an employer offer a signing bonus that is contingent upon the student accepting before a specified date.We also expect employers to comply with the deadlines established by the National Association of Law Placement (NALP).

For 2Ls/3Ls for summer positions:

  • Employers offering positions for the following summer to candidates not previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 45 days following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first.
  • Offers made after December 15 for the following summer should remain open for at least two weeks after the date of the offer letter.

For post-graduate positions:

  • Employers offering full-time post-graduate positions to candidates not previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 45 days following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first.
  • Offers made after December 15 for full-time positions to commence following graduation should remain open for at least two weeks after the date of the offer letter.

For Public Interest/Public Sector positions:

  • Students may request that an employer extend the deadline to accept the employer's offer until as late as April 1 if the student is actively pursuing positions with public interest or government organizations. Students may hold open only one offer in such circumstances. Employers are encouraged to grant such requests.

Employers having 40 or fewer attorneys firmwide are not subject to these NALP guidelines. Instead, we ask that you leave offers made after December 15 open for at least two weeks.

Offers to First-Year Students

Under NALP and Stanford guidelines, employers using the School's placement services must keep offers made to first-year students open for a minimum of two weeks.

Release of Student Information

The Law School will not release to any third party, except with the consent of the student, data pertaining to the student's educational record. Employers wishing grade information may ask the student to submit a Law School grade sheet.

Confirmation of Diploma

Stanford degrees and periods of attendance are matters of public information and may be released to employers. You may refer such questions directly to the Information Secretary, Office of the Registrar, Old Union Bldg., Rm. 141, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.

Dates and Deadlines

2009 Fall OCI Calendar of Employer Deadlines

Spring- Fall 2009
Apr. 3 Fri. OCI Registrations Due (to coordinate)
May 1 Fri. Interview Dates Available to Employers
May 29 Fri. All materials due (except for fees and policies due upon receipt of the confirmation)
Aug. 3 Mon. Last day for employers to cancel schedule(s) with a refund
Aug. 14 Fri. Interview Schedules/Resumes Available to Employers
Aug. 24 - Sept. 9 Mon.- Wed. Fall OCI (no interviews on Sept 7)
Sept. 14 - Sept. 18 Mon. - Fri. Flyback/callback week
Oct. 5-7 Mon. - Wed. Flyback/callback week

Advanced Degree Programs

Masters Programs for Foreign Trained Attorneys

Each year, Stanford Law School admits approximately thirty foreign trained attorneys to its highly selective Masters in Law (LL.M.) program. Candidates in Stanford’s LL.M. program are established legal practitioners with experience and contacts at top international law firms, multinational corporations, and international bodies. While at Stanford, LL.M. students concentrate on one of the following practical business specializations:

  • The LL.M. in Corporate Governance and Practice offers rigorous training in corporate governance and transactional legal practice, preparing foreign business and transactional lawyers with a broad base of expertise in areas such as bankruptcy, finance, corporations, mergers and acquisitions, securities, tax, and venture capital.
  • The LL.M. in Law, Science, and Technology provides in-depth academic and professional training in legal practice and interdisciplinary analysis related to current developments in law, including areas such as e-commerce, jurisdiction and dispute resolution in cyberspace, biotechnology and health science issues, intellectual property regimes and contractual developments related to the global information economy, venture capital, and high technology start-up companies.

In addition to the LL.M. program, Stanford Law School offers a Master of the Science of Law (JSM) degree to a select number of foreign trained attorneys through the Stanford Program in International Legal Studies (SPILS). SPILS students focus on interdisciplinary research on a wide variety of issues, including international trade and finance, law and economic development, comparative corporate governance, privatization, deregulation, and international dispute resolution.

Hiring Stanford Advanced Degree Candidates

There are several ways that your organization can tap into the legal and regional expertise of Stanford Law School advanced degree candidates, including:

  • Conducting On-campus Interviews with Advanced Degree Candidates During Fall OCI at Stanford
    This is a great way to familiarize yourself with the quality of our candidates (call our Director of International and Advanced Degree Programs if you would like to include advanced degree students in your fall interview schedule).
  • Requesting an Advanced Degree Resume Book
    Each year, we prepare a resume book containing the profiles of our current advanced degree students who are interested in U.S. employers (call our Director of International and Advanced Degree Programs to request a copy).
  • Inviting Advanced Degree Students for Internships Following Graduation
    Typically these internships begin in late summer or early fall and continue for three to nine months, allowing an employer to build a relationship with a foreign attorney/firm or to preview the candidate in consideration for longer term employment.
  • Hiring Advanced Degree Graduates for One-Year Positions
    The F-1 student visa provides non-citizen candidates with an optional year of practical training (“OPT”) with no filing obligations for the employer.
  • Considering Advanced Degree Candidates for Permanent Positions
    Many firms hire Stanford LL.M.s for permanent positions in the U.S. due to the candidates’ unparalleled expertise.
  • Contacting the Office of Career Services Regarding Your Specific Needs
    If you are searching for candidates with specific qualifications, we would be happy to match our students with your request.

For more information regarding any of the advanced degree recruiting options listed above, please contact our Director of International and Advanced Degree Programs.

Contact Info

Office of Career Services
Stanford Law School Crown Quadrangle
559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610
650 723.3924