Recruiting Policies

Guidelines for the Timing of Offers and Acceptance

Summer Employment Provisions

Full-Time Employment Provisions

Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates not previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 28 days following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first. Candidates should reaffirm these offers within 14 days from the date of the offer letter, if an employer requests such reaffirmation in its offer letter. Employers that have requested this reaffirmation may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed within the 14-day period.
Offers made after December 15 for full-time positions to commence following graduation should remain open for at least two weeks after the date of the offer letter. Candidates may request that an employer extend the deadline to accept the employer’s offer until as late as April 1 if the candidate is actively pursuing positions with public interest or government organizations. Candidates may hold open only one offer in such circumstances. Employers are encouraged to grant such requests.
Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates previously employed by them should leave those offers open until at least October 1 of the candidate’s final year of law school, provided that such offers are made prior to or on September 2. Candidates should reaffirm these offers within thirty days from the date of the offer letter, if an employer requests such reaffirmation in its offer letter. Employers that have requested this reaffirmation may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed within the 30-day period. After September 2 of a candidate’s final year of law school, employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 28 days following the date of the offer letter.
If an employer makes an offer to a law student candidate not previously employed by that employer before the beginning of the law school’s on-campus interview program, that offer should not expire until at least 28 days following the first day of the law school’s on-campus interview program. Employers should contact the appropriate law school(s) to determine these dates.
Employers offering candidates full-time positions to commence following graduation and having a total of 40 attorneys or fewer in all offices are exempted from Paragraphs 1-4 of this Section. Instead, offers made on or before December 15 should remain open for at least three weeks following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first, and offers made after December 15 should remain open for at least two weeks

Non-Discrimination Policy

The official non-discrimination policy of UNC School of Law is as follows: “The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to equality of educational opportunity. The University does not discriminate in offering access to its educational programs and activities on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the University’s non-discrimination policies.” Use of CDO facilities and services is restricted to students and prospective employers who agree to comply with this non-discrimination policy.
UNC School of Law complies with the anti-discrimination requirements of state and federal law, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools, and other accrediting agencies. The requirements of the Association of American Law Schools mandate that the School of Law “pursue a policy of providing its students and graduates with equal opportunity to obtain employment, without discrimination or segregation on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap or disability, or sexual orientation.” They further require that the school “communicate to each employer to whom it furnishes assistance to facilities for interviewing and other placement functions. It is the school’s firm expectation that the employer will observe the principle of equal opportunity.” For this reason, the School of Law asks all employers who intend to use its recruitment facilities to refrain from inappropriate or illegal considerations in the student employment process.