Policies

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL POLICIES RELATING TO RECRUITMENT AND CAREER SERVICES

STANDARDS AND INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS

The University of Chicago Law School values its relationships with employers and welcomes an exchange of information with employers at all stages of the job search process. This section and the next section on Standards for the Timing of Offers and Decisions are intended to provide clarity on our recruitment policies. If you have questions about these or other matters at any time, please contact the Associate Dean for Career Services.

A. General Provisions

  1. In addition to the policies in this section and the following section on the timing of offers and decisions, the University of Chicago Law School subscribes to the NALP Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process, and expects the employers with whom we work to be guided by those Principles as well.
     
  2. Missing class (or exams) for job search-related activities (events, interviews, orientations, etc.) is prohibited at the University of Chicago Law School. Interviews should be scheduled for a mutually convenient time outside of class and exam hours and so as not to disrupt students’ studies.

B. Equal Opportunity, Non-Discrimination, and Anti-Harassment Policies

  1. In keeping with its long-standing traditions and policies, the University of Chicago considers students, employees, applicants for admission or employment, and those seeking access to University programs on the basis of individual merit. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law (including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972). For additional information regarding the University of Chicago’s Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct, please see: http://harassmentpolicy.uchicago.edu/page/policy.
     
  2. The University of Chicago Law School is committed to an environment free from discrimination, sexual harassment, and other unlawful forms of harassment. The University of Chicago Law School requires all employers using the services and facilities of the Office of Career Services to comply with this policy; with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations; and with pertinent standards of the American Bar Association and the Association of American Law Schools.

C. Free Expression

  1. ​​​Free Expression is a University of Chicago core value (https://freeexpression.uchicago.edu/). This commitment to the principles of free speech and academic freedom have been a cornerstone for the institution since the earliest days of the University’s founding. This history and commitment are outlined in the Chicago Principles, which were set forth in 2014 by a committee chaired by Law School professor and alumnus, Geoffrey Stone, and have been adopted by numerous schools throughout the country.
     
  2. The Chicago Principles affirm the University’s commitment to “free and open inquiry in all matters,” and “it guarantees all members of the University community the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn.”
     
  3. The Law School believes that the “vibrant commitment to free and open inquiry” embraced by the Chicago Principles not only creates a robust and exemplary educational environment but helps our students develop into thoughtful and excellent lawyers who can tackle any issue in a meaningful and civil manner.

D. The University of Chicago Law School Academic Calendar

  1. The University of Chicago Law School’s academic calendar operates on a quarter system, which can affect students’ availability for interviewing and employment.
     
  2. University of Chicago Law School students do not complete the academic year until late May or early June and may not be available for summer employment on the same schedule as students from other law schools.
     
  3. The University of Chicago Law School’s academic calendar typically begins in late September.
     
  4. Employers are encouraged to provide flexibility in the timing of summer employment to accommodate the University of Chicago Law School’s academic calendar.

E. The University of Chicago Law School Grading System

  1. The University of Chicago Law School has maintained a rigorous grading scale and has resisted grade inflation.
     
  2. The grading scale is a numeric scale that can be compared to letter grades as follows:

    180 +

    A

    174 - 179

    B

    168 - 173

    C

    160 - 167

    D

    155 - 159

    F


    EP or EF (Emergency Pass/Emergency Fail) grades were awarded for courses completed during the 2020 Spring Quarter, in response to a global health emergency beginning in March 2020 that resulted in school-wide changes to instruction and academic policies. Unusual enrollment patterns and grades reflect the tumult of the time, not necessarily the work of the individual.
     
  3. The median grade for all courses and all seminars in which students are graded primarily on the basis of an examination must be 177. The median grade in all paper seminars, clinics, and simulation classes must be no lower than 177 and no higher than 179. Courses in which all students write papers, as well as courses and seminars in which students have the option to write a paper or sit for an examination, must have a median of 177 or 178. All classes designated as first year electives must have a 177 median, regardless of the basis for grading in those classes. The median grade in first year Legal Research and Writing and Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy classes must be 178.
     
  4.  JD students must attain a minimum cumulative GPA of 173.5 at the conclusion of each academic year to maintain satisfactory academic standing.
     
  5. The Law School does not provide a GPA on transcripts until a student graduates and it does not rank students.
     
  6. Information about the frequency of Honors in a typical graduating class can be found on official Law School transcripts or via the Law School Key provided by the Registrar’s Office.

F. Student Privacy

  1. The Law School cannot provide employers with demographic information about any of its students.
     
  2. The Law School cannot provide employers with contact information for any of its students except for contact information included with materials noted in section F.3. below.
     
  3. The Office of Career Services (“OCS”) can release resumes, transcripts, writing samples, or other materials to employers when individual students provide the information (via Symplicity, through the Flo Recruit interviewing and networking platform, or directly to OCS) specifically for that purpose.

G. Interview Selection for Law School Interview Programs

  1. Employers are not permitted to prescreen students for the Law School’s Interview Programs: 2L and 3L Chicago Law Interview Program (CLIP), Ad Hoc Interviews, and the Public Service Interview Program (PSIP).

    a. This includes requesting transcripts, other information about grades, or application materials other than a resume in advance of the interview. Student resumes will be provided in advance of the Interview Programs. Employers who want additional materials may request that students deliver them in electronic form at the time of the interview or provide them afterwards.
     
  2. Additional information about the Law School’s Interview Programs may be found here and will be provided to employers who register to participate.

H. Candidate Interviews Outside of Law School Interview Programs

  1. Employers (at their discretion) may interview students outside of the Law School’s Interview Programs.
     
  2. Exceptions to this policy include the specific guidance on 1L interviewing found in the Summer Employment Provisions for First Year Students section below and the prohibition of student interviewing during class or exam time.

STANDARDS FOR THE TIMING OF OFFERS AND DECISIONS

To promote fair and ethical practices for the interviewing and decision-making process, the University of Chicago Law School has adopted the following standards for the timing of offers and decisions:

A. General Provisions

  1. Offers to University of Chicago Law School students should remain open for at least 14 days after the date of the offer letter unless the offers are made pursuant to Sections B or D below, in which case the later response date should apply.
     
  2. Students are expected to accept or release offers or request an extension by the applicable deadline. Offers that are not accepted or extended by the offer deadline expire.
     
  3. A student should not hold open more than three offers of employment at any one time. For each offer received that places a student over the offer limit, the student should release an offer no later than three business days after the receipt of the excess offer.
     
  4. University of Chicago Law School students are not permitted to miss class (or exams) for job search-related activities (events, interviews, orientations, etc.). Interviews and other job-related events should be scheduled for a mutually convenient time outside of class hours and so as not to disrupt students’ studies.
     
  5. Practices inconsistent with these standards should be reported to the Associate Dean for Career Services.
     
  6. Employers offering part-time or temporary positions for the school term are not subject to the requirements of Paragraphs B and D below.

B. Summer Employment Provisions for Second and Third Year Students

  1. Employers offering positions to students for the following summer should leave those offers open according to the following terms:

    a. Offers extended before July 1, 2024 should be held open at least until July 15, 2024.

    b. Offers extended on July 1, 2024 or later should be held open for at least 14 days following the date of the
    offer letter.


    c. It is in the best interest of both students and employers for students to be able to fully and fairly explore their employment options. To that end, employers should grant extensions of time to students upon request, including to allow participation in the Law School’s 2L and 3L Chicago Law Interview Program (CLIP).
     
  2. Students can accept an offer at any time prior to the offer deadline and should strive to make all offer decisions in a timely manner.

C. Summer Employment Provisions for First Year Students

  1. To position law students to be as successful as possible, their efforts during the first quarter of law school should focus on their studies rather than on job search activities. Nonetheless, opportunities to learn about professionalism, professional development, and the legal profession are appropriate early in law school, and the University of Chicago Law School welcomes employer participation in student programs focused on professional development and not recruiting.
     
  2. Prospective employers and first year law students should not initiate contact with one another and employers should not initiate formal one-on-one recruiting contact with students, including applications, interviews, or offers to first year students, before December 1. An exception for earlier recruitment is granted to government employers with extensive security clearance processes.
     
  3. Interviews should be scheduled for a mutually convenient time outside of class and exam hours and so as not to disrupt students’ studies.
     
  4. All offers to first year students for summer employment should remain open for at least 14 days after the date made. Some employers, including some judges and other public sector employers, may operate under shorter timelines.
     
  5. Students may accept an offer at any time prior to the offer deadline and should strive to make offer decisions in a timely manner.

D. Full-Time Employment Provisions

  1. Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to any student previously employed by them should leave those offers open until at least October 2 of the student’s final year of law school, provided that such offers are made prior to or on September 1. Students should reaffirm these offers if reaffirmation is requested in writing by the employer. Employers that have requested this reaffirmation may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed by the requested deadline. After September 1 of a student's final year of law school, employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to students previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 28 days following the date of the offer letter.
     
  2. Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to any student not previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 21 days following the date of the offer letter or until August 30, 2024, whichever comes later. Students should reaffirm these offers, if reaffirmation is requested in writing by the employer. Employers that have requested this reaffirmation may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed by the requested deadline.
     
  3. Students may accept an offer at any time prior to the offer deadline and should strive to make offer decisions in a timely manner.
     
  4. Employers offering students full-time positions to commence following graduation and having a total of 40 attorneys or fewer in all offices are exempted from Paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Section. Instead, offers should remain open for at least 21 days following the date of the offer letter.

E. Public Service Extensions for Second and Third Year Students

  1. Students may request that a private sector employer extend the deadline to accept the employer’s offer for a summer or post-graduation position until as late as April 1 if the student is actively pursuing positions with public interest or government organizations. Students may hold open only one private sector offer in such circumstances. Employers are encouraged to grant such requests.