Elite U.S. law schools are accelerating their summer associate recruitment timelines, shifting formal on-campus interviews (OCI) to May and June in 2025—a significant change from the traditional July and August schedule. The move is driven by increasing pressure from law firms that are hiring summer associates earlier, often before the release of first-year grades or the start of students’ 1L summer internships, according to Reuters.

This year, Stanford Law School will launch OCI on May 5, with Duke, Penn Carey, and Georgetown following later in the month. Yale, Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Columbia will conduct their interview programs in June. While a few top law schools are holding OCI in July, many are also offering “preview” interviews in May and June to accommodate firms recruiting earlier than ever.

The change reflects a larger trend: law firms are engaging in “precruiting,” making summer associate offers outside of the structured OCI process. According to the National Association for Law Placement, 56% of summer associate offers in 2024 were made outside of formal OCI—more than double the 23% reported in 2022.

“Recruiting ahead of OCI has proven necessary in order to continue to secure top talent,” said Erika Gardiner, director of talent acquisition for law students at McDermott Will & Emery. She expects the earlier schedule will boost firm participation in OCI this year.

In a March email to employers, Stanford Law’s career services office said a “critical mass” of firms had indicated plans to begin recruiting in April and May. The school opted to move OCI earlier to give students structured access to employers amid growing competition. “Rather than leave our students to navigate this shifting landscape on their own through direct applications, we've made the strategic decision to move our OCI program earlier,” the office wrote.

Georgetown Law, in an October letter, said it “reluctantly” moved OCI to May due to recent market changes. The school noted that the early recruiting timeline has caused added stress for students and discouraged participation in other critical academic opportunities, such as law journal tryouts.

Summer associate programs are crucial career stepping stones, as many of those hired convert into full-time associates upon graduation. The acceleration of OCI compresses the time students have to reflect on long-term career choices, raising concerns among law school administrators about student well-being and preparedness.