Law Firm Recruiting Statistics 2026
Original numbers from the BigLaw Bear Job Board and firm directory, each with the number of programs behind it and the day we checked it.
Counted on November 12, 2026.
When Do BigLaw Applications Open?
1L Summer 2027 Programs
The 2026 BigLaw Bear Recruiting Index found that 47% of 53 tracked 1L programs with a stated opening date open applications in November.
Month Applications Open
| Month | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 1 | 2% |
| October 2026 | 22 | 42% |
| November 2026 | 25 | 47% |
| December 2026 | 1 | 2% |
| January 2027 | 4 | 8% |
n = 53 1L programs with a stated opening date. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
Month of the Deadline
| Month | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| December 2026 | 5 | 19% |
| January 2027 | 8 | 30% |
| February 2027 | 6 | 22% |
| March 2027 | 6 | 22% |
| April 2027 | 1 | 4% |
| May 2027 | 1 | 4% |
n = 27 1L programs with a posted deadline. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
Rolling or Fixed Deadline
| Deadline Type | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Rolling, reviewed as they arrive | 9 | 8% |
| Fixed deadline | 24 | 23% |
| Deadline not announced | 73 | 69% |
n = 106 tracked 1L programs. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
2L Summer 2028 Programs
The 2026 BigLaw Bear Recruiting Index found that 53% of 83 tracked 2L programs with a stated opening date open applications in November.
Month Applications Open
| Month | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 1 | 1% |
| October 2026 | 13 | 16% |
| November 2026 | 44 | 53% |
| December 2026 | 11 | 13% |
| January 2027 | 11 | 13% |
| February 2027 | 2 | 2% |
| April 2027 | 1 | 1% |
n = 83 2L programs with a stated opening date. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
Month of the Deadline
| Month | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| December 2026 | 2 | 8% |
| January 2027 | 7 | 29% |
| February 2027 | 7 | 29% |
| March 2027 | 5 | 21% |
| June 2027 | 1 | 4% |
| October 2027 | 1 | 4% |
| May 2028 | 1 | 4% |
n = 24 2L programs with a posted deadline. Checked Nov 6, 2026.
Rolling or Fixed Deadline
| Deadline Type | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Rolling, reviewed as they arrive | 11 | 7% |
| Fixed deadline | 23 | 15% |
| Deadline not announced | 121 | 78% |
n = 155 tracked 2L programs. Checked Nov 11, 2026.
Firm by firm dates for summer 2027 programs are on the summer 2027 deadlines table.
How Many Summer Associate Programs Are Open Now?
| Program | Open Now | Tracked (n) |
|---|---|---|
| 1L Summer 2027 ProgramsChecked Nov 10, 2026 | 78 | 106 |
| 2L Summer 2028 ProgramsChecked Nov 11, 2026 | 84 | 155 |
A program counts as open when its firm’s own page confirms applications are open. See them on the Job Board.
Firms with a 1L Program
Most listed firms are not yet reviewed for a 1L program, so the first share below is a floor, not a market rate.
| Directory Status | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Has a 1L program or fellowship | 45 | 13% |
| 1L events only | 7 | 2% |
| Firm site does not mention a 1L program | 64 | 18% |
| Not yet reviewed | 244 | 68% |
n = 360 listed firms. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
What Do Firms Ask For in an Application?
Each firm is counted once, on its 2L summer 2028 program, and only for items its own page states. The firm count differs by item.
| Item | Required | Optional | Not Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover lettern = 64, Nov 11, 2026 | 92% | 8% | 0% |
| Writing samplen = 31, Nov 11, 2026 | 87% | 13% | 0% |
| Law school transcriptn = 84, Nov 11, 2026 | 98% | 2% | Not tracked |
| Undergraduate transcriptn = 49, Nov 11, 2026 | 94% | 6% | Not tracked |
| Referencesn = 3, Nov 4, 2026 | Not enough sourced data yet (n = 3). | ||
Shares are of the firms that state the item. A share is shown only when at least 20 firms state it.
What Do First-Year Associates Earn?
These are first-year base salaries we sourced to a firm page, job posting, firm memo or the Above the Law scorecard, one count per firm. Announced raises that have not taken effect are left out (4 firms).
The median published first-year base across 28 firms is $225,000.
| First-Year Base | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $260,000 | 1 | 4% |
| $240,000 | 2 | 7% |
| $235,000 | 6 | 21% |
| $225,000 | 17 | 61% |
| $215,000 | 2 | 7% |
n = 28 firms with a sourced base. Checked Oct 30, 2026.
Firm by firm sources are on the first-year pay tracker, and Pay compares what a salary is worth by city.
NALP Salary Survey
| Figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Median first-year base salaryAs of January 1, 2025 | $200,000 |
| Median first-year base at firms of more than 700 lawyersAs of January 1, 2025 | $215,000 |
| Respondents to the salary surveyAs of January 1, 2025 | 437 |
Source: NALP, 2025 U.S. Associate Salary Survey, May 28, 2025.
What Does NALP Say About Recruiting?
Offers and Recruiting for 2025
| Figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Offers from employer-sponsored recruiting | 80% |
| Offers from school-sponsored recruiting | 20% |
| Offers made before July34% in 2024 | 85% |
| Offer acceptance rate | 52% |
| Callbacks that led to offers | 47% |
| 1L return-offer rate | 94.2% |
| Offices that used direct application | 93% |
| Offices that used law school recruitment programs such as OCI | 71% |
Source: NALP, Perspectives on 2025 Law Student Recruiting, Jan 26, 2026.
Employment for the Class of 2025
| Figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Class of 2025 graduates employed93.4% the year before | 92.8% |
| Graduates in jobs requiring or anticipating bar admission | 84.6% |
| Employed graduates in private practice | 60.9% |
| National median salaryUp from $95,000 | $100,000 |
| Private practice median salary | $155,000 |
| Median salary at firms of more than 500 lawyers | $225,000 |
Source: NALP, Employment for the Class of 2025: Selected Findings, Aug 5, 2026.
Other Public Numbers
Lawyer Jobs
| Figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Median pay for lawyers2025 | $159,670 |
| Lawyer jobs | 863,700 |
| Projected growth in lawyer jobs2025 to 2035 | 5% |
| Lawyer job openings per year | 28,700 |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Lawyers, Aug 27, 2026.
Law School Applicants
Early and directional: the count is for the start of the cycle and will change.
| Figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Law school applicants as of Oct 14Early and directional | 15,273 |
| Increase in applicants from a year earlierEarly and directional | 12.0% |
Source: LSAC, Early 2027 Data Show Continuing Strong Interest in Law School, Oct 15, 2026.
How to Cite This Page
Cite the BigLaw Bear Recruiting Index for our numbers and the named source for every other number.
BigLaw Bear Recruiting Index, "Law Firm Recruiting Statistics 2026," https://www.biglawbear.com/law-firm-recruiting-statistics (data counted November 12, 2026; accessed [date]).
The same numbers are in a CSV file, with the sample size and check date of each.
Method
Program numbers count each 1L and 2L summer associate program on the BigLaw Bear Job Board once. A program’s opening month comes from the date its firm states, and its deadline month from the deadline the firm posted. A program with neither is counted as not announced, not guessed. Open now means the firm’s own page confirms applications are open.
These counts are programs, not firms, so they can differ from the Job Board tabs, which group by firm, include fellowships on the 1L tab and combined programs on the 2L tab. Shares may not add to 100 because of rounding.
Firm numbers count every firm in the directory. Application materials count one row per firm, from the firm’s own page. Pay counts one published first-year base per firm from our audited pay file.
We show a share only when at least 20 programs or firms are behind it. Below that the page says so and shows no percentage. Test and demo firms are excluded. Numbers come only from public Job Board, directory and pay data.
This page is rebuilt from that data about once an hour. Every table shows its n and the day it was checked. Third-party numbers are copied as the source prints them and are not ours.
Firms can send a correction to hello@biglawbear.com.