Career Services Policies

UCLA Law Office of Career Services policies on topics including On-Campus Interviews, communications between students and prospective employers and law school transcripts.

  • Recruitment Policies

    Summary of UCLA Law Guidelines Relating to Offers to 2Ls/3Ls from Employers 

    These guidelines were formulated specifically to promote fairness amid the pressures of the summer/fall interviewing season. Although UCLA Law strongly requests that employers abide by these guidelines, students are responsible for keeping track of deadlines and requirements communicated by employers. In addition, students and employers must comply with UCLA Law Career Services Policies. 

    Summer Interviews for Employment for the Following Summer 

    Timing: Students should be given 14 days to respond to written offers.  OCS asks employers to be generous with requested extensions.  (No early offer for the 2L summer should expire prior to mid-June of the 1L summer.) 

    Writing: Offers should be confirmed in writing. 

    Expiring Offers: Candidates are expected to accept or release offers or request an extension (see below) by the applicable deadline. Offers that are not accepted by the offer deadline expire. 

    Offer Reaffirmation 

    Request: If requested in the offer letter (or email), students must reaffirm the offer within the time given or the offer could be retracted. 

    How to reaffirm: Any reaffirmation requirement should be stated in the offer letter, including the firm's policy of reaffirmation (e.g. instructions for when and how to reaffirm). Because the purpose of reaffirmation is for the firm to know a student remains interested, the reaffirmation date should be close to and before the acceptance deadline (i.e. not immediately after receiving the offer). 

    Three Offer Limit 

    Over three offers: Students should not leave open more than three offers at a time. For each offer received over three, students must release the offer within one week. 

    Extensions of Deadlines 

    Requesting Extensions: Students may ask for an extension beyond the offer deadline. While employers are not obligated to extend an offer, it is our hope that extensions of at least one week (7 days) will be granted upon request. 

    Public Interest Search: Students may request a longer extension if they are actively pursuing positions with public interest or government organizations. Students may hold open only one offer in such circumstances, and employers are encouraged to grant reasonable requests. 

    Professionalism 

    Students/Employers should abide by the National Association for Law Placement's Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process and UCLA Law Career Services Policies 

     


    Summary of UCLA Law Guidelines Relating to First Year Students and Recruiting/Job Search Activities 

    Focusing on Academics: 

    • For UCLA Law students to be as successful as possible, the school believes the focus of 1L students should be on their academic studies rather than on job search activities, especially during the first semester of law school. 

    • The Office of Career Services should not provide, and 1L students should not seek, one-on-one career counseling, application document reviews, or access to the Office’s on-line job posting board prior to October 1 of 1L year. 

    • Educational and professional development contact with 1L students is permitted at any time. Prior to October 1, however, events for first year students should be limited to those focusing on the general characteristics of the legal profession rather than on the job search. 

    • Nothing herein is intended to limit 1L students from engaging in opportunities to learn about the legal profession, professionalism, and professional development. 

    • OCS encourages employers wishing to connect with 1L students, whether individually or collectively, to consult with OCS on ways to do so while respecting the students’ academic studies. 

    1L Recruiting Start Date: 

    • Prospective employers should not initiate contact, including applications, interviews, or offers to first year students, before November 1.  First year students should apply to legal positions no earlier than November 1st. 

    • The focus of 1L students should be on their academic studies during the first semester. Most legal employers do not consider 1Ls until Spring Semester; even employers that hire earlier don’t generally consider applications until December 1. OCS has set a recruiting start date of November 1 to avoid interfering with students’ finals in December. 

    • Appointments with students for interviews should be established for a mutually convenient time so as not to unduly disrupt students’ studies. 

    • In limited circumstances government employers may receive and review applications prior to November 1 due to different timing needs (e.g. those requiring an extensive background check or considering applications primarily from non-law school candidates.) 

    Timing of Offers & Acceptances: 

    • Offers to first year students for summer employment should remain open for at least two weeks after the date the offer was made, whenever feasible. 

    • If an employer requires a response time of less than one week, we would ask the employer to notify OCS at careers@law.ucla.edu

     

    Full-Time Post-Graduate Employment When the Student Was Not Previously Employed by that Employer 

    Timing: The above guidelines also apply to students offered post-graduate positions where the students were not previously employed by that employer. Early offers should not expire until at least 14 days after the last day of OCI prior to the student's final year of law school. 

    Full-Time Post-Graduate Employment When the Student Was Previously Employed by that Employer. 

    Timing: 

    • Offers made prior to or on Sept. 9 should remain open until at least October 1 of the student's final year of law school. 

    • Offers made after Sept. 9 of the student's final year of law school should remain open for at least 21 days from the date of the offer letter. 

  • Non Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Policy

    UCLA Law and its Office of Career Services are committed to principles of nondiscrimination and equality of opportunity, and firmly expect that employers who interview or hire UCLA Law students, mentors who work with the UCLA Law community, offsite hosts and those who engage with our students will observe such principles and model good behavior. 

    We do not make our services, interviewing facilities or jobs database available to employers who discriminate on the basis of national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including identity and expression), disability, age or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. 

    Our expectations that our students will be treated professionally, respectfully and free from discrimination and harassment extend to offsite student internships, mentorship activities and other events, regardless of whether they are taking place in person, over the phone or online. 

    Examples of unprofessional activity include: 

    • Using sexual innuendo, making jokes of a sexual nature, commenting about a person's physical appearance or asking inappropriate personal questions. 

    • Physical touching without expressed verbal consent, including repeatedly standing too close to or brushing up against a person. 

    • Assigning work duties based on gender, age or disability, and not on merit. 
        

    It is also important to ensure that the real or perceived authority of your employees or mentors is not used in a way that would make a student feel the need to engage in unwanted activity to receive future academic or employment benefits. Examples include: 

    • Asking a student (who may be counting on you for work, a special project, a recommendation, a reference, etc.) for a date, a personal phone number or to engage in off-duty activities one-on-one. 

    • Emailing, texting or posting social media messages of personal affection, requesting to socialize and/or date or sending inappropriate pictures. 
        

    The University of California's Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment applies to all interactions with our students, whether on or off campus, and employers, mentors and others who engage with UCLA Law students in any capacity are expected to be familiar – and fully comply — with its provisions as well as those contained in the University of California's Nondiscrimination Policy

    If you see or hear of behavior that violates this expectation: 

    • Call 911 if someone is in danger or needs immediate help. 

    • Review UCLA's Title IX Office/ Sexual Harassment Prevention website for resources and information, including reporting options/contacts and ways you can help someone. You may also contact the Office of Career Services Assistant Dean Beth Moeller at moeller@law.ucla.edu; please note that employees are obligated to report sexual harassment to the UCLA Title IX Coordinator. Confidential resources for students can be found on the Confidentiality and Resources section of the Title IX Office website. 
        

    Thank you for supporting our students' academic and professional development endeavors by building and maintaining respectful relationships. 

  • Cancellation / No-Show Policy

    Students participating in UCLA Law interview programs are expected to conduct themselves professionally. Missing interviews or failing to cancel interviews in a timely manner reflects poorly on both students and the law school, which can impact opportunities for future students. For this reason, UCLA Law students are required to observe the policy set forth below regarding cancelling and missing interviews. 

    Last-Minute Cancellations 

    Please consult the applicable interview program materials for the allowed timeframe for cancellations. The interview cancellation policy is necessary in order to give adequate notice to both the Office of Career Services (OCS) and to employers. Cancellations that are made outside the designated timeframe will be considered last-minute. 

    For example, for UCLA Law’s On-Campus Interview Program (OCI), if a student wants to cancel an interview, they need to do so via Symplicity three days prior to the interview date (e.g., if their interview is anytime on Friday, they must cancel by 12:00 noon on Tuesday). Symplicity will not accept cancellations after the cancellation deadline. If an emergency arises after the online cancellation period has closed or the student has accepted another offer, the student must contact OCS with their last-minute cancellation request and follow last-minute cancellation policies. 

    Last-minute cancellations will be subject to the following: 

    First and Second Last-Minute Cancellations 

    In the event that a student has a last-minute cancellation request (i.e. for OCI, within three days of the scheduled interview), the student must first communicate with the OCS Assistant Dean or a designated staff person. They must then write an email to the employer, apologizing for the late cancellation. The student is required to send the email to the employer within 72 hours of the cancelled interview time, and the student needs to copy OCS and their career advisor. 

    Third Last-Minute Cancellations 

    The student must follow the same procedure set forth regarding first and second last-minute cancellations. Depending on the circumstances, OCS may determine that, as a result of a third late cancellation, a student will no longer be permitted to participate in further interviews through that particular interview program, i.e., if the cancellation occurs during OCI, the student may not participate in any further interviews during that OCI. 

    In the event that OCS does not receive a copy of the email to the employer within the required time period, it may be determined that the student cannot participate in any further interviews through any other OCS-sponsored or co-sponsored interview programs or job fairs for the duration of the academic year. 

    Cancellation Methods 

    Approved ways to cancel interviews may vary for each interview program. Please consult the materials and Frequently Asked Questions for each particular program. 

    No-Shows 

    A student may be penalized for failing to attend interviews set up through OCS. If the interview is not canceled prior to the scheduled time, the student will be considered a no-show and subject to the following: 

    The student must provide OCS with a timely and adequate explanation. They are required to speak with the OCS Assistant Dean or a designated staff person within 72 hours of the scheduled interview time. They must then write an email to the employer, apologizing for not showing up for their interview. The student is required to send the email to the employer within 72 hours of the scheduled interview time, and the student needs to copy OCS and their career advisor. 

    Depending on the nature of the no-show violation, it may be determined that the student cannot participate in any further interviews through that particular interview program. If a student fails to send an apology email and copy OCS in a timely manner, it may be determined that the student cannot participate in any further interviews through any other OCS-sponsored or co-sponsored interview programs or job fairs for the duration of the academic year. 

  • Reciprocity Policy and Procedures

    Reciprocity allows UCLA and other NALP-member law schools to support the employment search of students and alumni from ABA-accredited law school providing similar services. Reciprocity requests will ONLY be considered from December 1 through June 30 from ABA-accredited law schools outside of the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. Please note reciprocity involves remote online access to our job database; we are not able to provide in-person use of our facilities. 

    Non-UCLA Students and Alumni: Access to UCLA Law 

    Reciprocity is granted on a one-to-one basis to students and graduates of accredited law schools that grant reciprocity to UCLA students or graduates. Services are only granted to the extent that the reciprocating school provides in-kind services each year. We are not able to grant all requests. 

    Reciprocity Includes: 

    Remote online guest access to our online career opportunities (Symplicity). Guest accounts are "browse-only," meaning account holders cannot upload any documents to the system. 

    Reciprocity Limitations: 

    • Reciprocity requests are for a three-month period or until June 30, whichever occurs first. Reciprocity is closed from July 1 to December 1. 

    • Reciprocity will only be granted to students or alumni for whom a request was made. OCS may restrict or revoke reciprocity privileges of any individual who misuses our services or facilities. 

    • The following services are not available under a reciprocity grant: 

    • Career counseling, resume review or on-campus interviewing. 

    • User name and password necessary to access subscribed websites. 

    • Access to the intranet part of UCLA School of Law's website (MyLaw). 
        

    To Request Reciprocity: Non-UCLA Students/Alumni 

    1. All requests must be made by the career services office of the law school affiliated with the law student or alumni requesting reciprocity. Requests must be sent via email to careers@law.ucla.edu

    1. All requests are evaluated individually. A grant of reciprocity is not guaranteed. 
      *Please note, unfortunately due to the large number of reciprocity requests UCLA Law receives each year, we are not able to grant all requests. 

    1. UCLA School of Law OCS only communicates with the requesting law school, but as a courtesy, UCLA will send a copy of the grant or denial to the requestor if the requestor information is provided. 
        

    UCLA Law Students and Alumni: Access to other law schools 

    Reciprocity services vary by school. Most law schools have a period of time during which reciprocity services are not granted that typically occurs between July 1 and December 15. 

    To Request Reciprocity: 

    1. Please check the reciprocity policies of the law schools in the geographic area in which you are seeking career opportunities. Current reciprocity policies may be found through the NALP website or the individual law school's website. 

    1. Make sure the law schools' reciprocity policies: 

    • Will meet your needs (e.g. remote online access). 

    • Provide reciprocity for your class year (1L, 2L, 3L, Grad). 

    1. Email careers@law.ucla.edu the names of the top three law schools from which you would like to receive reciprocity. We will then submit a request on your behalf.  If for some reason your first choice denies our request, we will then contact your second and third choice. 

    1. You may receive reciprocity from only one school at a time. 

  • Guide to Grade Reporting

    Reporting for the Classes of 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 

    The academic transcripts for the classes of 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 contain letter grades. The grading system is outlined below. 

    Grades/ Point Ranges Grades Grade Point Ranges

    A+

    4.3 (extraordinary performance)

    A

    4.0 - 4.29

    A-

    3.7 - 3.99

    B+

    3.3 - 3.69

    B

    3.0 - 3.29

    B-

    2.7 - 2.99

    C+

    2.3 - 2.69

    C

    2.0 - 2.29

    C-

    1.7 - 1.99

    D+

    1.3 - 1.69

    D

    1.0 - 1.29

    F

    0 -.99

     

    Students may report their grade-point averages on their resumes using either a letter grade or the appropriate numerical calculation. When students report their GPAs either verbally or in writing, the GPA may be rounded up only to the nearest hundredth, or the second numeral behind the decimal point (i.e., 3.765 may be rounded up to 3.77, but not to 3.8 or 3.9; or 3.699 may be rounded up to a 3.70). As an alternative, students may state the entire GPA or drop one or more of the three numerals behind the decimal (i.e., 3.763 may be reported as a 3.76 or 3.7). "Rounding up" means that the third numeral behind the decimal point (nearest thousandth) is a 5, 6, 7,8 or 9 which, when rounded and then dropped from the GPA, makes the second numeral behind the decimal point one number higher than originally calculated. Students may not use numbers beyond the third numeral behind the decimal point of their GPA for rounding or any other purpose. 

     

    CLASS RANK 

    It is the policy of the School of Law not to rank its student body. The only exceptions are (1) the top 12 students in each class; (2) students applying for judicial clerkships and academic positions; and (3) students in the top 10 percent of each graduating class, who are invited to join the Order of the Coif, the national legal honorary scholastic society. * These distinctions appear in the memorandum section of transcripts. 

    *Under Coif's rules only students who have completed at least 75 percent of their UCLA Law units in letter-graded courses are eligible for consideration. Transfer students should check with the Dean of Students office to verify how many letter-graded courses they should take to qualify. 

    TRANSCRIPTS 

    Students are encouraged to use “unofficial transcripts” in the early stages of the application and interviewing process with prospective employers. Official transcripts can be ordered by students and are processed by the company Parchment. Parchment can send either an electronic official transcript or a hard copy official transcript to the recipient indicated by the student.  We suggest that prospective employers obtain an official transcript prior to extending an offer. 

  • Salary Range Policy

    The CA Labor Commissioner has clarified that Labor Code Section 432.3 requires that the pay scale must be included in the job posting if the position may ever be filled in California, either in-person or remotely if there are at least 15 employees. See: California Equal Pay Act: Frequently Asked Questions. This would include CA employers and jobs that are posted where someone could work remotely from CA. It would not cover an out of state employer where all the work occurred in that state or outside of CA, however, other jurisdictions, including New York City, also require pay transparency as to the salary range for a posted position. As such, we ask all employers to disclose the hourly or annual salary range in their job listings. 

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