William & Mary Law School Recruiting Policy

William & Mary Law School Recruiting Policy


William & Mary Law School establishes this Recruiting Policy in the spirit of professionalism, fairness, and reasonableness to:

  • protect the interests of students and employers;
  • provide a positive and successful recruiting environment; and
  • position law students to be as successful as possible in their job search activities while allowing students to meaningfully pursue their studies.

This Recruiting Policy will be guided by the Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process published by NALP in December 2018 and as amended from time to time (https://www.nalp.org/fair_ethical_recruitment).

   I.   Prohibition of Discriminatory Practices and Harassment, Including Sexual Harassment

This Recruiting Policy incorporates the William & Mary Law School Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, which provides:

Unless otherwise constrained by law, William & Mary Law School is committed to providing an environment for its students and employees that is free from (1) discrimination based on any personal factor unrelated to qualifications or performance such as, without limitation, race or color, citizenship, national origin or ethnicity, ancestry, religion or creed, political affiliation or belief, age, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, parental status, height, weight, military service, veteran status, caretaker status, or family medical or genetic information and (2) harassment, including sexual harassment.  William & Mary also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by law.

In fulfillment of this policy and prior to using the services or facilities of William & Mary Law School's Office of Career Services (including, but not limited to the posting of jobs and participating in the Law School’s on- and off-campus interview programs), prospective employers, except those employers exempt by federal regulations and/or Virginia law, (1) acknowledge that they have read and understand this policy, (2) agree that their recruiting and employment practices are consistent with this policy, and (3) agree that they will not engage in any discriminatory or harassing behavior that violates this policy.  William & Mary Law School reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or terminate an employer’s use of its services or facilities if the employer engages in conduct or behavior that is inconsistent with this policy.

As required in the Code of Virginia for public institutions of higher education, and under threat of loss of federal funding, the Law School permits military recruiters to engage in recruiting activities at the Law School, despite certain military recruiting and hiring policies that may be inconsistent with this non-discrimination policy.

Moreover, both the William & Mary Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment,  Retaliation and Sexual Misconduct and the William & Mary Policy Prohibiting Title IX Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Harassment may apply to conduct by employers while on the William & Mary campus or attending William & Mary activities, events, or programs; those policies may be found at https://www.wm.edu/offices/compliance/policies/discrimination_harassment_retaliation/policy/index.php and https://www.wm.edu/offices/compliance/policies/sexual_misconduct/policy/index.php.

   II.   Student Conduct During Recruitment

A.  General Policies

Student conduct under this Recruiting Policy is governed by, and subject to enforcement under, the following documents, as amended from time to time:

  • The College of William & Mary Student Handbook and Honor Code
  • The William & Mary Law School Standards of Conduct in the Job Search
  • The William & Mary Law School Interview Program Attendance Policies

    B. Scheduling of Recruiting Activities During the School Year 

Students should strive to the greatest extent possible to avoid scheduling recruiting activities, including interviews, during scheduled class times.  Conflicts between classes and scheduled interviews may be unavoidable.  Students should consult with faculty regarding potential missed classes before scheduling interviews in order to comply with class attendance requirements. 

 C. Guidelines for Student Conduct with Respect to Number, Acceptance, and Reaffirmation of Offers of Employment

A student should not hold more than five offers of employment open at any one time.  For each offer received that places a student over the offer limit, the student should, within one week of the excess offer, release an offer.  

By the applicable deadline, students should accept or release offers or request an extension of the period of time in which to consider the offer.  Students should understand that offers that are not accepted by the offer deadline may be revoked and that requests for extensions of deadlines may not be granted by employers.

If an employer’s offer includes a provision requiring the student to reaffirm interest at some point while that offer is pending, the student should abide by that provision and should understand that the employer may revoke the offer for failure to abide by that provision.

   III.   Timing of Recruiting Activity


OCS will, on an annual basis, establish the date on which it will begin providing individual career advising services to 1L students, which generally shall not be earlier than the start of the 6th week of classes during 1L year.  Exceptions may be made in unusual or exigent circumstances if the student receives approval from the student’s designated OCS Advisor.  1L students will be given access to job postings through the Law School’s Symplicity system not earlier than October 1st of each year. 

Students and employers should strive to the greatest extent possible to avoid scheduling recruiting activities, including interviews, during scheduled class times.  As stated in Section II.B above, conflicts between classes and scheduled interviews may be unavoidable, and students should consult with faculty regarding potential missed classes before scheduling interviews in order to comply with class attendance requirements.  Employers are encouraged to exercise flexibility in scheduling interviews to assist students with limiting missed classes. 

   IV.    Policy on the Timing, Nature, and Duration of Offers of Employment for Law Firm Employers with More Than 50 Attorneys in All Offices

A.  General Policy for Law Firm Employers with More Than 50 Attorneys in All Offices

With respect to the timing and nature of offers of employment and the amount of time students are given to respond to an offer of summer or post-graduate employment, we request that employers treat William & Mary Law School students no less favorably than students from any other law school.  For example:

Firm A extends summer associate offers to students from School X and students from William & Mary.   If Firm A gives the students from School X 28 days to respond to those offers, Firm A should give the William & Mary students no fewer than 28 days to respond.   

B. Specific Minimum Offer Response Periods for Law Firm Employers with More Than 50 Attorneys in All Offices

Subject to the general principle articulated in Section IV.A above, the following minimum standards apply to law firm employers with more than 50 attorneys in all offices:

  • All offers of summer and post-graduate employment are requested to be made in writing and to remain open for at least 14 days.
  • For offers of summer employment to 2L students made before the first day of the Law School’s summer virtual interview program, those offers are requested to remain open until at least 14 days after the first day of the Law School’s summer virtual interview program as published in the NALP Directory of Law Schools (https://www.nalplawschools.org).

Employers seeking an exception to the policies set forth in Sections IV.A and IV.B based on their particular circumstances should contact the Associate Dean for Career Services. 

Consistent with this Section IV, we also request that employers grant reasonable requests for extensions of time for students to consider offers.  

   V.   Policy on the Timing, Nature, and Duration of Offers of Employment for All Other Employers


With respect to the timing and nature of offers of employment and the amount of time students are given to respond to an offer of summer or post-graduate employment, we request that employers treat William & Mary Law School students no less favorably than students from any other law school. 

Employers seeking an exception to this policy based on their particular circumstances should contact the Associate Dean for Career Services.

Consistent with this Section V, we also request that employers grant reasonable requests for extensions of time for students to consider offers. 

   VI.   Reporting and Investigation of Conduct Inconsistent with This Policy


Employers are requested to report any conduct inconsistent with this Policy to the Associate Dean of Career Services, the Assistant Dean of Employer Relations, or the Recruiting Program Administrator. 

Students are requested to report any conduct inconsistent with this Policy to the Associate Dean of Career Services or any Assistant Dean within OCS.

Following a report of conduct inconsistent with this policy, the Associate Dean will communicate with the affected student; subsequent actions will depend on the specific circumstances and are subject to the discretion of the Associate Dean and the relevant regulations, laws, and William & Mary policies.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us:

Michael J. Ende
Associate Dean for Career Services
mjende@wm.edu | (757) 221-3811

Ramona J. Sein
Assistant Dean for Employer Relations
rjsein@wm.edu | (757) 221-7686

Melissa Orendorff
Recruiting Program Administrator
mmorendorff@wm.edu | (757) 221-4617