Non-Discrimination Policy

Employers participating in the On-Campus Interview Program (OCI) agree that they will not interview Stanford Law School students for 2L summer positions prior to OCI, except for:
1. interviews with students who, due to personal circumstances, will not be participating in the OCI program. Those students will clearly indicate that fact in their application.
2. organized job fair interviews.
3. interviews for employer fellowship programs that provide a benefit or compensation separate from, or in addition to, an offer of 2L summer employment.

We strongly believe that pre-OCI interviews are not in the best interest of our students, employers, and the recruiting process overall. In June & July, students should be able to focus on their 1L summer jobs. For the vast majority of students, the 1L summer is their first legal experience, and they face a steep learning curve. It’s important that students completely immerse themselves in their work, without the added stress of a full-fledged job search. Our students take the 1L summer experience very seriously. We want to ensure that those employers who hire our first-years do not have to compete for their time or attention.

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extend an offer that only remains open until the target number of acceptances is received at which point the offer is withdrawn.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 28 days following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first. Candidates should reaffirm these offers within 14 days from the date of the offer letter. Employers may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed within the 14 day period. Offers made after December 15 for the following summer should remain open for at least two weeks after the date of the offer letter.
• Candidates may request that an employer extend the deadline to accept the employer’s offer until as late as April 1 if the candidate is actively pursuing positions with public interest or government organizations. Candidates may hold open only one offer in such circumstances. Employers are encouraged to grant such requests.
• Employers offering positions for the following summer to candidates previously employed by them should leave those offers open until at least October 1, provided that such offers are made prior to or on September 2. Candidates should reaffirm these offers within thirty days from the date of the offer letter. Employers may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed within the 30 day period.  After September 2, employers offering positions for the following summer to candidates previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 28 days following the date of the offer letter.
• Employers offering candidates positions for the following summer and having a total of 40 attorneys or fewer in all offices are exempted from Paragraphs 1-3 of this Section. Instead, offers made on or before December 15 should remain open for at least three weeks following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first, and offers made after December 15 should remain open for at least two weeks.

For post-graduate positions:

• Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates not previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 28 days following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first. Candidates should reaffirm these offers within 14 days from the date of the offer letter.  Employers may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed within the 14 day period.  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.
• Candidates may request that an employer extend the deadline to accept the employer’s offer until as late as April 1 if the candidate is actively pursuing positions with public interest or government organizations. Candidates may hold open only one offer in such circumstances. Employers are encouraged to grant such requests.
• Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates previously employed by them should leave those offers open until at least October 1 of the candidate’s final year of law school, provided that such offers are made prior to or on September 2. Candidates should reaffirm these offers within thirty days from the date of the offer letter. Employers may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed within the 30 day period.  After September 2 of a candidate’s final year of law school, employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 28 days following the date of the offer letter.
• Employers offering candidates full-time positions to commence following graduation and having a total of 40 attorneys or fewer in all offices are exempted from Paragraphs 1-3 of this Section. Instead, offers made on or before December 15 should remain open for at least three weeks following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first, and offers made after December 15 should remain open for at least two weeks.

Offers to First-Year Students

• To position law students to be as successful as possible, their efforts during the first semester of law school should focus on their studies rather than on job search activities.  Nonetheless, opportunities to learn about professionalism, professional development and the legal profession are appropriate early in law school.  Recognizing that law schools will differ in philosophy as to first-year career development activities, law schools nevertheless should not begin offering one-on-one career counseling or application document reviews to first-year students before October 15 (except in the case of part-time students who may be given assistance in seeking positions during the school term).  Individual law schools may set later dates as appropriate.
• Prospective employers and first year law students should not initiate contact with one another and employers should not interview or make offers to first year students before December 1.
• All offers to first year students for summer employment should remain open for at least two weeks after the date made.