It varies by firm. The most credential-conscious firms tend to look for a 3.5 or higher, but many are more flexible, requiring a minimum GPA between a 3.0 and 3.25. A GPA below 3.0 is generally considered “low” in the lateral hiring world.
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As an aspirant hoping to join the ranks of Kirkland & Ellis, it's important to understand the caliber they seek in their candidates. The firm is highly selective and has a reputation for hiring only the most promising talent. Let's go over a few of the requirements this firm has for getting a job there.
Boutique Firms With the Most Harvard Law School Graduates Gibbs & Bruns LLP. Roberts & Holland LLP. Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu P.C. Morvillo, Abramowitz, Grand, Iason & Anello PC. Spiegel & McDiarmid. Yetter Coleman LLP. Robbins, Russell, Englert, Orseck, Untereiner, & Sauber LLP. Horvitz & Levy LLP. Attorneys: 36.
It varies by firm. The most credential-conscious firms tend to look for a 3.5 or higher, but many are more flexible, requiring a minimum GPA between a 3.0 and 3.25. A GPA below 3.0 is generally considered “low” in the lateral hiring world.
It's extremely rare for a firm to hire only from one school (and in any case a Harvard Law grad would take a backseat to a Yale Law grad, given that Yale has always been ranked higher and has much higher standards for admission), though it certainly is true that firms hire from only a select group of schools.
To date, Skadden has welcomed more than 380 1L Scholars and nearly half have returned to the firm as associates. In 2024, we hired 47 1L Scholars from more than a dozen top law schools around the country.
Exclusivity. Pearson Hardman had a policy of hiring only associates that graduated from HLS. After the firm became known as Pearson Specter, the rule was waived for Rachel Zane, and eventually abolished when Harvey Specter became managing partner of Pearson Specter Litt.