04-16-2025
As IL law students at top schools consider their pursuit of large law firms, they are looking at the executive orders and where firms stand with the administration. Some students are concerned about which of these firms will survive. Other students wonder if they can do the pro bono work that interests them at firms that have reached an agreement with the administration.
Georgetown Law School’s Energy Law Group canceled a recruiting event with Skadden because of its agreement with the administration. The firm has hired someone from the Georgetown group each of the last three years. One “grassroots” group within the school has created a Google spreadsheet for 375 law firms, tracking how the firms are navigating executive orders and EEOC investigations. It also identifies whether the firms have removed DEI information. The spreadsheet creators told Forbes they want only to “provide access to information, both to students and other law firms, to show there’s a diversity of approaches you can take.” Many graduating students carry heavy debt from loans, and they need to make choices that support their ability to pay it down. BigLaw generally offers the highest pay, which is enticing and essential for these students.
The National Association for Law Placement’s executive director does not believe student objections will influence BigLaw one way or the other. Usually, about 20% of all graduating law students work at large law firms. Where the firms meet any resistance from students, they can simply look at students who rank in the top 20% instead of the top 10. Per the ABA Journal, BigLaw firms plan to roll back hiring and recruiting efforts because of economic uncertainty.