Trump Hiring Freeze Has Agencies Ditching Law School Recruiting

Federal agencies are pulling out of on-campus recruiting events at law schools, following through on President Donald Trump’s directive to freeze hiring.

More than a dozen agencies withdrew from a public interest career fair hosted by New York University’s law school on Thursday and Friday, according to a NYU spokesperson. The annual event saw more than 1,700 job seekers from 20 law schools last year. Multiple agencies also skipped a Jan. 24 law student recruiting event organized by Georgetown University and George Washington University, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Trump announced an executive order pausing hiring at federal agencies on January 20, the same day he was sworn in for a second term. The order nixed federal jobs and internships in legal and other roles across the federal government, including honors programs for recent law graduates at the Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department.

Nearly 1,000 new law graduates landed federal government jobs in 2023, according to the National Association of Law Placement. More than 250 of the roles were in agency honors programs.

“For some of these students, the fact that these jobs were pulled may make the difference of whether they ever become a practicing attorney or not,” said Nikia Gray, NALP’s executive director. “This is happening at a really critical juncture in their career development.”

Trump imposed the freeze for up to 90 days or until the Office of Management and Budget and other agencies issue a plan to cut the federal workforce “through efficiency improvements and attrition,” according to the order. The move is part of a broader effort to slash federal payrolls by eliminating remote work and offering buyouts to government workers.

Job Scramble

On-campus interviews have long been law firms’ chief recruiting method for entry-level attorney positions. It’s how many law students secure their first full-time legal jobs and the summer internships that pave the way to those positions.

Some large law firms are looking to snatch up junior lawyers who lost govenrment jobs as part of the freeze, but the openings are likely to be limited.

“It’s unique in that there are some new very talented lawyers on the market that had otherwise affirmatively decided not to go to law firms, particularly those who had accepted positions in very prestigious groups in DOJ like antitrust and federal programs,” said Karen Vladeck, managing partner of recruiting firm Risepoint Search Partners. “Many of them will end up going to law firms now, although there won’t be space for all 3Ls affected by the layoffs across the board.”

Jennifer Breen, hiring partner at Morgan Lewis, is meeting with students whose offers were rescinded while she conducts on-campus interviews for the firm’s 2026 summer associate class at Cornell University.

“We’ve been able to identify places across the firm that we could see an opportunity to add another associate or two to our ranks to support matters and partners we have,” Breen said.

Students are anxious and nervous, said Breen, who worked in the honors program at the IRS in 2001. First-year and second-year law students whose summer jobs were eliminated will have a difficult time finding replacement roles this late in the game, she said. Most Big Law firms have long filled their summer associate classes for this year, Breen said.

Litigation firm Quinn Emanuel also is interested in recruiting from this pool, said William Burck, a prominent trial lawyer and the firm’s global co-managing partner.

“We have been in touch with career services offices at various law schools to help facilitate placements that are a good fit for both the candidates and our firm,” Burck said. “We remain dedicated to recruiting strong up-and-coming talent and are excited about connecting with talented individuals seeking to begin their careers in private practice.”

New York-based litigation boutique Elsberg Baker & Maruri is one of many firms to receive a flurry of last-minute applications

“We do a lot of trials and we give early experience and a lot of them are interested in trial work,” David Elsberg, the firm’s founder, said. “It’s sort of a really good match for us, which is also why we’ve been seeing a lot of applications come in.”

Elsberg says he expects to make multiple offers to students who have had federal offers rescinded for the firm’s 2025 summer associate pool and its new associate class.

Elias Law Group, a leading election law firm in Democratic circles, encouraged students who lost honors program roles to apply to open attorney positions in a LinkedIn post.

“The Trump Administration’s unprecedented decision to withdraw these job offers is just more proof that Trump does not want a meritocracy—he wants a government of unqualified ideologues,” Elisabeth Frost, the firm’s litigation chair said in a statement. “Elias Law Group is honored to have received scores of applications from these highly qualified candidates, and we hope other firms and legal employers will similarly do what they can to help give these new lawyers meaningful opportunities to start their careers.”