Reciprocity Policy

Office of Career Services
4020 Wasserstein Hall (WCC)
1585 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138

617-495-3119 

Reciprocity Policy for HLS Alumni

One avenue to consider in conducting a job search is to take advantage of the career services resources of law schools in the geographic regions in which you are interested in working. The career services offices at many law schools, including Harvard, allow students and alumni from other schools to have limited access to career resources

Process for HLS Students and Alumni Requesting Reciprocity from Other Law Schools 

  • Review the school’s reciprocity policy on the NALP website. 
  • Email your request to ocs@law.harvard.edu. Please include the name of the school from which you are seeking reciprocity, your graduation year, phone number and preferred email address. 
  • If available, provide the contact information for the reciprocity coordinator at the other school. This contact information may be available on NALP’s Reciprocity Policies page. 
  • OCS will then submit the reciprocity request on your behalf. 
  • We will only submit one reciprocity request per student or alum at a time. 
  • Reciprocity is not available from another Boston-area law schools. 

Please note that different law schools have different policies on reciprocity. Schools may limit reciprocity in circumstances such as these: 

  • During certain times of year, such as recruiting season.
  • Where an individual already has reciprocity with another local-area law school.
  • Where there has not been an equal exchange of reciprocity between HLS and the other school.

In addition, the school’s resources may be limited or unavailable if the school is operating in a remote learning environment.

Reciprocity Policy for Students and Alumni of Other Law Schools 

The Office of Career Services (“OCS”) allows limited access to its career resources to students and alumni of ABA-accredited law schools that grant reciprocal services to students and alumni of HLS, subject to the limitations set forth below. OCS will only accept reciprocity requests from a law school’s Office of Career Services representative on behalf of a student or alumni. Those interested in reciprocity should contact their law schools’ Career Services to initiate the request. 

The Career Services’ representative requesting reciprocity should contact OCS by email at ocs@law.harvard.edu and provide the following information: 

  • Name of the law school 
  • Name of the student or alumni 
  • Graduation year of the student or alumni 
  • Email and address of the student or alumni 

OCS will notify the law school by email as to whether the request has been granted. OCS will email a copy to the individual seeking reciprocity. 

Terms of Reciprocity at OCS 

  • Reciprocity is not available from May 15 to September 15 during which time OCS is conducting recruitment programs. 
  • Reciprocity allows an individual access to the OCS online job bank in “view only” mode for 14 days from the date reciprocity is granted. Individuals may request a one-time extension for an additional 14 days. 
  • The online job bank is accessed through CSM/Symplicity. Access will be granted only for the email specified in the reciprocity request and should not be shared.
  • Reciprocity does not extend to counseling services. 
  • Requests for access to Harvard libraries should be made directly to those respective libraries. 
  • Reciprocity does not permit participation in any HLS-sponsored interview or career program. 
  • Reciprocity is not available to students or alumni of Boston-area law schools or to individuals who have already been granted reciprocity from another Boston-area law school. 
  • Reciprocity is granted on a case-by-case basis and may be revoked at the discretion of the Office of Career Services. 

Please contact OCS by phone at 617-495-3119 or email at ocs@law.harvard.edu if you have any questions about the above-stated policy. 

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