How Does Pass/Fail Affect BigLaw Recruiting?

Some law schools offer pass/fail options for certain classes, and you might be tempted. Here's how it plays in recruiting.

The General Rule

Firms notice pass/fail courses. One or two won't raise eyebrows, especially if they're clinics, externships, or legal writing courses that are commonly graded P/F. But multiple graded courses taken P/F can look like you're hiding something.

When It's Fine

• Clinics and externships (these are usually P/F by default)
• One elective outside your area of interest
• Courses during semesters with heavy extracurricular commitments like law review

When It Hurts

• Core doctrinal courses that relate to your stated practice area interest
• Multiple P/F courses that create gaps in your transcript
• Any mandatory 1L course (if your school even allows this)

The COVID Exception

During the pandemic, many schools went mandatory pass/fail. Firms generally understood this context and didn't penalize students. But that exception is over. Going forward, strategic P/F use is fine; heavy reliance on it is a red flag.

Bottom Line

Use P/F sparingly and for good reasons. If you're worried about a class tanking your GPA, consider whether the GPA risk is actually worse than the signal a P/F sends. Sometimes a B- is better than a P.