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I suppose that stranger things have happened, but Fordham University School of Law has banned Reed Smith, one of the 15 largest law firms in the world, from participating in on campus interviews at the law school for the next five years. What could make a law school ban a law firm from headhunting at the school in this job market?
According to an ABA Journal article, in support of the ban, the law school is citing a lack of professionalism from the law firm in a late cancellation of OCI participation. In a letter to Fordham students at Above the Law, the law school characterized the problem as an ethics issue.
Although the Pittsburgh-based law firm has not eliminated its summer associate program for 2010, it has reduced the number of law schools at which it will continue on campus interviews.
Is a five-year ban on OCI participation a bit strong? The correct answer, as usual, is "it depends." There some obvious issues that any law school would need to face if/when a law firm backs out of a scheduled OCI visit at an unreasonably late hour. A response like this could show the community that the law school has standards that it will apply regardless. On the other hand, the very present reality of a struggling economy and law job market could make any type of job-related bridge burning come off as arrogant. Either way, both law schools and law firms are facing difficult employment related issues and decisions and its easy to imagine strong pressures as well as good faith on both sides.
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