Revisiting recruitment ethics and etiquette
The purpose of this article is not to tell you how to use your napkin or to expound on the virtues of discretion. It is only to admonish one especially reprehensible practice: taking advantage of a firm’s generosity while knowing that you have no intention of accepting an offer from that firm.
Back in August, I wrote a short post in the Class of 2021 Facebook group. The post responded to some disturbing information I had received about the New York recruit. I learned that students who had already accepted job offers at certain firms were nevertheless attending recruiting events for other firms.
That was plainly unethical for three reasons. First, those students were knowingly misleading the hosting law firms. Those students could not—and would not—accept any offers that the other firms might extend to them.
Second, those students were depriving deserving and actual candidates the opportunity to market themselves. Many recruiting events, such as the coveted dinners, are by invite-only. It is wrong for someone who has no legitimate business being at such an event to take one of the limited seats that would otherwise go to a real candidate.
Third, even at initial networking events, those students’ presence stood to deprive real candidates of their potential employers’ attention. Any time that an associate or partner spent speaking to a fake candidate would be time that they were not spending assessing the relevant qualifications of a real candidate.
The New York recruit is now over, but my observations remain relevant for two reasons. One, there will be another New York recruit. Two, the Toronto recruit is similarly vulnerable to exploitation.
I recognize that the LSO’s regulations prevent early offers during the recruit. However, were you so inclined, you could attend a dinner after having decided to decline any offer forthcoming from the hosting firm. Doing that would be wrong for the same reasons outlined above.
Even if your presence would not directly deprive another student of the opportunity to attend, you should recuse yourself. To be clear, if you are midway through an event and you decide the firm is not for you, then you should politely excuse yourself.
If you take advantage of a firm’s generosity that you have no intention of accepting an offer from, you are interfering inexcusably with actual candidates’ abilities to secure employment. In short, you are a greedy asshole. Do not be an asshole. Do not make the recruitment process any more stressful than it already is.
