Some BigLaw firms are offering jobs to experienced associates without conducting interviews

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Law Firms Some BigLaw firms are offering jobs to experienced associates without conducting interviews

By Debra Cassens Weiss

December 7, 2021, 11:20 am CST

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Several major law firms in the United States and Europe are offering jobs to associates without interviewing them, according to a story by Law.com.

The law firms are truncating the hiring process amid a surge in deal work, according two recruiters and four partners who spoke with Law.com.

Law firms are “locking people in before the interviews even take place,” one recruiter told Law.com. “Or, alternatively, interviews are changing shape altogether. They’re informal. It’s now more about, ‘Let’s make sure they’re not crazy,’ rather than, ‘Are they a good fit for us?’”

Law firms are hiring because they don’t want to turn away work involving private equity and mergers and acquisitions, the experts said. Associates most in demand are generally those with one to five years of experience.

“Firms need people to get deals that are happening now over the line,” one partner told Law.com. “So if you’ve got the firm history, training at a top firm, then firms are telling you, yes.”

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