Recruiting 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.
Grading
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
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 the designated callback period, vacation breaks, weekends, or other times that do not conflict with scheduled classes. Due to the late September start date for second- and third-year students, we ask that all callback interviews be conducted in the 3 weeks following the On-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
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 28 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 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.
- 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:
- 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.
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.