The second Roundtable on the Future of Lawyer Hiring, Development, and Advancement was held September 28, 2009 in the San Francisco offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and brought together another panel of distinguished industry leaders for a discussion about how we might change and improve the ways law firms recruit new associates in the new economy. Highlights included a discussion about whether this industry should move to a matching system similar to the one used by medical schools to place graduates in internships, as well as further debate about how moving the OCI process later in the season might work as a practical matter. Panelists also discussed implementing a common offer date. The discussion produced a hopeful consensus that the legal job market will improve for the Class of 2012, but also an agreement that for now, law firms will proceed very conservatively in the hiring arena.

Read the full transcript (PDF)
Watch video of the roundtable discussion
Read an article about the discussion (PDF)

September 28 Panelists:

Read biographies of these participants here

• David Breach, Chairman, San Francisco Recruiting Committee, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
• Lisa Dickinson, Associate Director Attorney Recruiting and Professional Development, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
• Gihan Fernando, Assistant Dean, Georgetown Law Center
• Bryant Garth, Dean, Southwestern University School of Law
• Pamela Gates, Partner, Bryan Cave, Phoenix
• James Leipold, Executive Director, NALP, Co-Moderator
• Larry Kramer, Dean, Stanford Law School
• David Montoya, Assistant Dean for Career Services, The University of Texas School of Law
• Patricia Morrissy, Chief Legal Recruiting Officer, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York
• Tammy Patterson, CEO & President, NALP Foundation, Co-Moderator
• Pamela Reed, Firmwide Managing Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP
• Stephen Venuto, Firmwide On-Campus Hiring Partner, Corporate, Silicon Valley Office, Orrick

NALP thanks the WestLegalEdcenter for educational support of this program.

The first Roundtable took place on June 24. More information from that event, including videos and transcripts, are available here.

Upcoming Roundtable programs are scheduled for December 2009 and March 2010. For more information about these programs, contact NALP's Executive Director, Jim Leipold, at jleipold@nalp.org.