Recruiting Guidelines & Policies

1L Applications & Interviews

• Hiring Timeline

We ask that employers not request applications from first year law students or engage in official recruitment events for 1Ls before November 1. This allows students adequate time to adjust to law school, focus on coursework, and prepare application materials. Virtual or in-person events for 1Ls to learn about the legal profession, practice areas, or professional development generally are appropriate earlier in the semester, but not before September 21. Please note that the Career Development Office now holds an Annual Private Sector Networking Event in early November which replaces firm-sponsored receptions and informal recruitment programs that have traditionally taken place during the spring semester for 1Ls at the law school. The Career Development Office will not be coordinating on-campus recruiting events or receptions. Should an employer wish to host an off-campus event in Ithaca or collaborate with a student organization for an on-campus event, we would be happy to help disseminate that information to students.

• Exceptions
  1. Federal agencies due to extensive processes including background checks may receive and review applications before November 1.
  2. Foreign entities which may have different timelines may receive and review applications before November 1.
• We also expect that employers will not conduct interviews for any first-year students between Thanksgiving and the end of first semester examinations. CLS calendar can be found here.
• We request that private sector employers provide a period of at least 14 days for employment offers made to 1L students for summer employment.
• Students are not allowed to miss class for job interviews. Interviews should be scheduled for a mutually agreed upon date and time.
• We strongly encourage employers to recruit students through Cornell-initiated recruitment events, such as our Private Sector Networking Event on November 5^th 2026, Winter Resume Collects or Virtual Interview Programs. Additional dates for Cornell-hosted recruitment programs for the 2026-2027 academic year are to be determined and will be posted here as soon as they are solidified. Prioritizing Cornell-hosted program reduces the pressure on students to focus on pre-recruitment while also studying for final exams.
• Diversity Scholarships

Employers should not make diversity scholarship or fellowship offers with a deadline shorter than 14 days. Furthermore, when making a diversity scholarship offer, employers should abide by Cornell guidelines for offer extensions below.

Employers should make clear whether the summer employment offers to first-year students require students to work for the same employer during their second summer or whether it is offered as an option.

2L Applications & Interviews

• Employers should not conduct interviews for any rising 2L students during the reading or exam period of the Spring Semester. CLS calendar can be found here.
• We request that private sector employers provide a period of at least 14 days for employment offers made to 2L students for summer employment.
• Employers should afford students the opportunity to conduct interviews outside of the student’s summer employment workday and coordinate with students for a mutually convenient date and time.
• We strongly encourage employers to recruit students through Cornell-initiated recruitment events, such as our Private Sector Networking Event on November 5, 2026, Winter Resume Collects, or Virtual Interview Programs. Additional dates for Cornell-hosted recruitment programs for the 2026-2027 academic year are to be determined and will be posted here as soon as they are solidified. Prioritizing Cornell-hosted program reduces the pressure on students to focus on pre-recruitment while also studying for final exams.

3L Applications & Interviews

• We request that private sector employers provide a period of at least 14 days for employment offers made to 3L students for permanent employment.
• We encourage employers to grant offer extension requests for candidates who are seriously considering their offer. This affords students the opportunity to reach an informed and deliberate decision and to be truly committed to their decided employer. We believe it is in the best interest of both students and employers for students to be able to explore their employment options fully and fairly.

Public Service Extensions:

A student may request that a law firm extend the deadline to accept a summer or post-graduate offer until as late as April 1, if the student is actively pursuing positions in public interest or government. Students may only hold one private sector offer under this provision. Employers are encourated to grant such requests.

Law School Code of Academic Integrity

All Cornell students are held to the Standards of Academic Integrity, also known as the Honor Code. https://community.lawschool.cornell.edu/student-life/student-handbook/

Employment Offers:

Students are expected to respond to all employer outreach in a timely manner and should strive to make offer decisions as promptly as possible.

Students are expected to accept/decline or request an extension by the applicable deadline on an offer received. Offers that are not accepted or extended by the offer deadline will expire.

Students should not hold more than five offers open at any one time. This will ensure that students are staying in communication with potential employers and releasing offers they are not intending to accept.

Not responding to employers or reneging on an accepted offer of employment (written or verbal) is unacceptable. This conduct reflects poorly on the student, their classmates, and Cornell Law School at large.

Reporting Employment Acceptances:

Once you have accepted a job offer, you should report your acceptance to the Career Development Office via email or through their recruitment survey. Additionally, you should stop interviewing and contact other employers with whom you have already met to withdraw from consideration.

Extensions:

Students may request an extension before an offer’s expiration to decide on the offer. You should submit your request in writing to the recruitment contact. If a student encounters an employer unreasonably denying a request for extension, they should contact the Career Development Office for counsel and assistance.