Career Research and Resources

Thank you to those who have already registered for EIP. As a result of EIP registration responses and Preview bidding, we have some information to share regarding which markets students are applying to this season.

Our website contains a thorough discussion about when splitting a summer is appropriate and highlights some risks associated with splitting. We recommend reviewing that page if you are considering trying to split your 2L summer.

Whether an employer requires summer associates or incoming associates to submit to mandatory arbitration for employment-related disputes, including disputes regarding sexual harassment and/or discrimination, may be an important factor for you when evaluating firms.

As you choose firms for Preview and EIP, it’s important to have an understanding of the legal market(s) where you are considering bidding.

In deciding which firms to put on your bid lists, you may be interested in more than market and practice area in narrowing down your list. You may want to consider a firm’s commitment to diversity in hiring and retention, part- and flex-time policies, parental leave policies, visa policies, climate accountability, or the firm’s commitment to pro bono.

While conducting your firm research, don’t miss Firm Prospects (bit.ly/firmprospects), through which you can research EIP firms by individual office and also see a global overview.

With the Preview bid deadline less than a month away on June 16, now is the time to decide if you will participate in the new EIP Preview, and if so, which firms you will include. Start with our podcast on Logistics and Choosing Firms for EIP Preview in Leg 5 of the EIP Roadmap. Then, identify your Preview strategy, making sure you understand how to assess firm selectivity. If you have not already had an EIP Planning Appointment, now is a good time to meet with an adviser to discuss your individual strategy.

While it is great to have so many employers available to meet through EIP, it can also be overwhelming as you determine which firms to add to your bid lists. Check out our Researching Firms for EIP video, created by a former OCS peer adviser. In the video, Haley walks you through our most popular employer research resources and discusses how best to utilize them.

A few plaintiffs’ firms and several litigation boutiques that represent a mix of plaintiffs and defendants participate in EIP. Most plaintiffs’ firms, however, do not participate in EIP or other recruiting programs. To learn more about these firms and their hiring processes, visit OPIA’s Plaintiffs’ Firms and Private Public Interest Law Firms (PPILFs).

With summer approaching, you may be starting to think about what practice area may be right for you. The OCS Practice Area Podcast Series provides insight into specific practice areas from leading practitioners in their field. Each podcast is a short one-on-one interview between an attorney and an OCS adviser about that attorney’s practice, including an overview of their work, and typical work responsibilities for associates.

In researching firms for EIP, you may be wondering how you can tell which firms are more highly selective than others. Firm selectivity is rarely clear cut and most firms do not have firm grade cutoffs for HLS students. Our Assessing Firm Selectivity page and Assessing Firm Selectivity podcast provide guidance on how to think about selectivity as you begin to consider which firms you will include on your Preview and EIP bid lists.

For many of the primary EIP markets, seasoned local legal recruiters have put together a “Market Intelligence Report” giving an overview of the market, highlighting which practice areas are in-demand in the market, and highlighting firms to consider for various practice areas.

As part of your EIP bidding strategy analysis, you may be interested in more than market and practice area in narrowing down your list. You may want to consider a firm’s commitment to diversity in hiring and retention, part- and flex-time policies, parental leave policies, or the firm’s commitment to pro bono.

Wondering what you can do in the private sector beyond Big Law? The Beyond Big Law Podcast Series provides students an opportunity to explore careers in the private sector that are outside of typical big law firm practice. Many HLS Alumni have pursued such careers, either immediately or after practicing at a large law firm or in another traditional legal setting for some period of time.

The EIP Roadmap is your one-stop page for all things EIP. If you haven’t already, review Leg 1 on logistics and planning, and be sure to register for EIP. You can also wrap up Leg 2 by getting your application materials in order before exam preparation gets into full swing.

Are you participating in EIP, and are you also overwhelmed by the hundreds of firms, multiple geographic markets, and various practice areas? Are you unsure how you should be researching firms for your bid list?

Last week we released the 2022 EIP Employer List in Leg 3 of the EIP Roadmap. The spreadsheet not only lists which firms have registered for EIP so far, but which offices are participating, whether or not they are participating in Preview, information on summer class sizes and information on your likelihood of getting assigned an EIP interview with an employer through the EIP lottery if you bid on that employer.

One of the things students find the most challenging is determining which practice areas they would like to explore. While employers won’t expect you to have your mind made up about which practice area you want to pursue by this summer, they will expect you to be able to discuss your interests and demonstrate you’ve been thinking about what you’d like to do at a firm.

Speaking with someone who has a career you might want to emulate is a great way to think about the big picture while also getting advice. Amicus Student-Alumni Connect provides an easy way for you to connect with HLS alumni.

Wondering how to learn what Big Law practice is all about as you consider participation in EIP? We’ve partnered with Hotshot (a digital learning provider for the legal industry) to create 3 self-directed learning tracks to give you a taste of Big Law practice: Intro to Big Law, Intro to Legal Practice: Litigation, and Intro to Legal Practice: Corporate.

Want to know more about what Big Law practice is all about as you head into the summer? We’ve partnered with Hotshot (a digital learning provider for the legal industry) to create 3 self-directed learning tracks to give you a taste of Big Law practice: Intro to Big Law, Intro to Legal Practice: Litigation, and Intro to Legal Practice: Corporate.