Skip to main content

When Do Summer Associate Applications Open?

Of 155 BigLaw 2L summer 2028 programs on the Job Board, 83 have a known open date, from Sep 10, 2026 to Apr 1, 2027. 58 have opened as of Nov 13, 2026. For 1L summer 2027, 53 of 106 have a date, from Sep 8, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027, and 47 have opened. Dates are as each firm states them. Updated Nov 11, 2026.

2L Summer 2028 Applications by Month

83 of 155 programs have a known open date. 58 have opened and 25 are still to come. November 2026 is the busiest month, with 44 programs (53%).

2L summer 2028 programs by the month and week their applications open, with the running count and share open by the end of each period and the firms that opened in it
PeriodProgramsOpen by the End of ItFirms Opening
September 20261
1 of 83 (1%)
October 202613
14 of 83 (17%)
Week by week below
Oct 1 to 43
4 of 83 (5%)
Oct 12 to 187
11 of 83 (13%)
Oct 12: Foley & Lardner LLP
Oct 26 to 313
14 of 83 (17%)
November 202644
58 of 83 (70%)
Week by week below
Nov 127
41 of 83 (49%)
Nov 2 to 816
57 of 83 (69%)
Nov 9 to 151
58 of 83 (70%)
December 202611
69 of 83 (83%)
Week by week below
Dec 1 to 68
66 of 83 (80%)
Dec 14 to 203
69 of 83 (83%)
January 202711
80 of 83 (96%)
Week by week below
Jan 1 to 35
74 of 83 (89%)
Jan 4 to 106
80 of 83 (96%)
February 20272
82 of 83 (99%)
April 20271
83 of 83 (100%)

The dates are each firm’s own, or the day we recorded it opening. A date links to the page for programs opening that day. Programs with no known open date (72) are not in this calendar.

2L This Cycle vs Last Cycle

24 firms have both this cycle's and last cycle's open date recorded for 2L. 14 opened earlier, 8 on the same calendar day and 2 later. The median firm opened 1 day earlier than last year.

2L programs with both last cycle’s and this cycle’s open date recorded
FirmLast CycleThis CycleChange
Foley Hoag LLPDec 1, 2025Oct 1, 202661 days earlier
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.Jan 12, 2026Oct 1, 2026103 days earlier
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLPNov 1, 2025Oct 15, 202617 days earlier
Alston & Bird LLPNov 1, 2025Nov 1, 2026Same day
Fenwick & West LLPDec 1, 2025Nov 1, 202630 days earlier
Hogan Lovells CadwaladerJan 1, 2026Nov 1, 202661 days earlier
Kirkland & Ellis LLPNov 1, 2025Nov 1, 2026Same day
Latham & Watkins LLPNov 3, 2025Nov 1, 20262 days earlier
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLPNov 10, 2025Nov 1, 20269 days earlier
Ropes & Gray LLPNov 1, 2025Nov 1, 2026Same day
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLPNov 1, 2025Nov 1, 2026Same day
Sullivan & Cromwell LLPNov 1, 2025Nov 1, 2026Same day
White & Case LLPNov 1, 2025Nov 1, 2026Same day
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLPNov 3, 2025Nov 2, 20261 day earlier
Gunderson Dettmer LLPDec 1, 2025Nov 2, 202629 days earlier
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLPDec 1, 2025Nov 2, 202629 days earlier
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLPNov 3, 2025Nov 2, 20261 day earlier
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLPNov 14, 2025Nov 12, 20262 days earlier
Ballard Spahr LLPJan 1, 2026Dec 1, 202631 days earlier
Covington & Burling LLPDec 1, 2025Dec 1, 2026Same day
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & KatzDec 1, 2025Dec 1, 2026Same day
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLPDec 1, 2025Dec 14, 202613 days later
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLPDec 15, 2025Jan 1, 202717 days later
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLPJan 5, 2026Jan 4, 20271 day earlier

2L Deadlines by Month

24 programs have a posted deadline, and 11 are listed as rolling. Each firm’s deadline is in the summer associate deadlines table.

2L summer 2028 programs by the month of the posted deadline
MonthDeadlines
December 20262
January 20277
February 20277
March 20275
June 20271
October 20271
May 20281

1L Summer 2027 Applications by Month

53 of 106 programs have a known open date. 47 have opened and 6 are still to come. November 2026 is the busiest month, with 25 programs (47%).

1L summer 2027 programs by the month and week their applications open, with the running count and share open by the end of each period and the firms that opened in it
PeriodProgramsOpen by the End of ItFirms Opening
September 20261
1 of 53 (2%)
Sep 8: Blank Rome
October 202622
23 of 53 (43%)
Week by week below
Oct 1 to 45
6 of 53 (11%)
Oct 12 to 1813
19 of 53 (36%)
Oct 19 to 252
21 of 53 (40%)
Oct 26 to 312
23 of 53 (43%)
November 202625
48 of 53 (91%)
Week by week below
Nov 115
38 of 53 (72%)
Nov 2 to 86
44 of 53 (83%)
Nov 9 to 153
47 of 53 (89%)
Nov 301
48 of 53 (91%)
December 20261
49 of 53 (92%)
January 20274
53 of 53 (100%)

The dates are each firm’s own, or the day we recorded it opening. A date links to the page for programs opening that day. Programs with no known open date (53) are not in this calendar.

1L This Cycle vs Last Cycle

9 firms have both this cycle's and last cycle's open date recorded for 1L. 5 opened earlier, 3 on the same calendar day and 1 later. The median firm opened 1 day earlier than last year.

1L programs with both last cycle’s and this cycle’s open date recorded
FirmLast CycleThis CycleChange
Foley Hoag LLPOct 20, 2025Oct 1, 202619 days earlier
Alston & Bird LLPNov 1, 2025Nov 1, 2026Same day
Covington & Burling LLPNov 3, 2025Nov 1, 20262 days earlier
Kirkland & Ellis LLPNov 1, 2025Nov 1, 2026Same day
Latham & Watkins LLPNov 3, 2025Nov 1, 20262 days earlier
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLPNov 3, 2025Nov 2, 20261 day earlier
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLPNov 3, 2025Nov 2, 20261 day earlier
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLPDec 15, 2025Jan 1, 202717 days later
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLPJan 1, 2026Jan 1, 2027Same day

1L Deadlines by Month

27 programs have a posted deadline, and 9 are listed as rolling. Each firm’s deadline is in the summer associate deadlines table.

1L summer 2027 programs by the month of the posted deadline
MonthDeadlines
December 20265
January 20278
February 20276
March 20276
April 20271
May 20271

Frequently Asked Questions

When do 2L summer associate applications open?

83 of the 155 tracked 2L summer 2028 programs have a known open date, from Sep 10, 2026 to Apr 1, 2027. The busiest month is November 2026, with 44 programs (53% of those with a date). 58 have already opened.

When do 1L summer associate applications open?

53 of the 106 tracked 1L summer 2027 programs have a known open date, from Sep 8, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. The busiest month is November 2026, with 25 programs (47% of those with a date). 47 have already opened.

What do pre-OCI and EIW mean?

Pre-OCI means applying to a firm directly, ahead of your school's on-campus interview program, OCI. EIW stands for early interview week. Your career office can tell you which of these your school uses. How to apply before or outside OCI

Are summer associate applications rolling?

11 of the 155 tracked 2L programs are listed as rolling, meaning the firm reviews applications as they arrive. 23 have a fixed deadline and the rest have not announced one.

When are the application deadlines?

24 of the 155 tracked 2L programs have a posted deadline, from Dec 11, 2026 to May 1, 2028. The most fall in January 2027, 7 of them. The firm-by-firm list is on the deadlines page. Summer associate deadlines by firm

2L summer 2028 programs 1L summer 2027 programs How to apply before or outside OCI The BigLaw recruiting timeline What OCI is and how bidding works Law school employment outcomes The live Job Board

More BigLaw Data