Law Schools Shift Programs as BigLaw Hiring Timelines Compress
BYU Law is moving its Academies Program to the fall semester starting in 2026 to align with earlier BigLaw recruiting.
Why it matters: Accelerated BigLaw hiring is reshaping how law schools prepare students and how firms identify talent. Legal educators and firm leaders must adapt to keep graduates competitive and preserve effective talent pipelines.
- BYU Law will launch 10 immersive Academies in Spring 2026 and shift them to the fall thereafter.
- BigLaw firms are shifting recruitment, with some hiring as early as the fall of 1L year.
- Susman Godfrey and Cooley are experimenting with later, more flexible recruiting models.
- Median 2L summer program offers and class sizes are at their lowest since 2020.
Law school curricula and hiring windows are shifting rapidly as BigLaw recruitment accelerates. BYU Law has unveiled its Spring 2026 Academies Program—10 immersive, practice-area tracks based in major U.S. and global legal markets, running from April 24 to May 2. But the school will move this office experience program to the fall semester in 2026, citing the need to keep pace with legal employers now recruiting as early as the fall of students' first year.
- "BYU Law's Academies Program gives students an opportunity to gain immersive, hands-on experience... and to make invaluable connections that simply can't be replicated in a traditional classroom or in an on-campus interview," said Dean David Moore.
- Law firms are split on what accelerated recruitment means for talent. Susman Godfrey is resisting the trend, pushing its application process for the 2027 2L class to a June 2026 deadline with no early reads or exploding offers. "We've watched the recruiting timeline compress year after year, and at a certain point we had to ask ourselves: who does this really serve?" said partner Nick Spear.
- Cooley is also adjusting, extending first-year offers for summer 2027 but planning to fill 30-40% of its 2028 class after students' first year. According to Chief Talent Officer Carrie Wagner, this "broadens the students we're able to see over time, rather than rushing to hire our entire entry level class now."
- The National Association for Law Placement notes the median number of offers and average 2L summer program sizes are at their lowest in years—down to levels not seen since 2020.
- Students and educators are wary: Law students from 18 schools have urged the ABA to address the early hiring trend, arguing it undermines education and well-being (read more).
Whether accelerated recruiting or delayed models gain ground, law schools and firms alike are rethinking how to balance early access with meaningful preparation.
By the numbers:
- April 24–May 2 — BYU Law's Spring 2026 Academies dates
- June 30, 2026 — Susman Godfrey's application deadline for 2027 2L summer class
- 30–40% — Portion of Cooley's 2028 class to be filled post-1L year
- Lowest on record — Median 2L summer program offers, per NALP
Yes, but: Data on long-term career satisfaction and retention impacts remain limited, and other schools' responses aren't widely reported.
What's next: BYU Law's fall Academies debut in 2026; firms may further revise recruiting strategies as NALP collects more data.