This article was written by Law & Social Change Fellows Kayleigh Hasson (khasson@jd27.law.harvard.edu), Katherine Owojori (kowojori@jd28.law.harvard.edu), and Liana Wang (lwang@jd26.law.harvard.edu), who coordinated the “You Are Not Alone” Campaign, with thanks to the signatories who provided testimonials below. The Law & Social Change Fellows can be contacted with questions about this article, the poster campaign, or pursuing a public interest career.
Late last spring, the legal market experienced a moment of reckoning. One by one, several Big Law firms decided whether or not to strike a deal with the Trump administration. Law students across the country watched closely. Some students quietly reshuffled their personal rank lists of “ideal firms,” moving certain firms up their lists, down, or off of them entirely. Other students decided not to pursue Big Law altogether, perhaps because of the firms’ decisions or because the moment raised broader concerns about the values and incentives that shape the entire industry.
As of December 1, 145 HLS students signed the annual “You Are Not Alone” poster. That number marks a notable increase from last year’s number of signatories, despite the fact that Big Law recruitment timelines have continued to move up and 1Ls face mounting pressure to begin their job search as soon as the semester begins.
This fall, OCS’s first “Big Law 101” session took place on September 15. “1L Coffee Chats” began as early as September 29. Some firms are now extending “bundle offers” that require 1Ls to commit their 1L and 2Ls summers to the same firm. Deadlines have shifted up drastically, many even before 1Ls will sit for their first law school exams–let alone receive any grades. Firms are competing more aggressively with one another, trying to avoid losing potential candidates to their peers. Desperate to capture the attention of brand new law students before they have time to contemplate what they might like to do with their careers, Big Law firms are reshaping not only the 1L job market, but the entire 1L experience.
Every year, there are students who resist this pressure and choose not to participate in Big Law recruitment, also known as the Early Interview Program (“EIP”). Below are testimonials and signatures from students who chose not to participate in EIP, withdrew from the process, rejected all offers in previous years, or are choosing not to participate in Big Law recruitment this year.
Testimonials: Why Students are Choosing Not to Pursue Big Law
“There is so much privilege in attending a school like Harvard, and having all the opportunities we do. I wanted to use the training and resources we receive to give a fair shake to everyone the legal system leaves behind. And I didn’t want to put one second of my time into defending corporate greed or harming marginalized communities.”
- Rebecca Schwartz, JD ‘27
“I’ve seen the exciting, meaningful, balanced, financially secure future I can have in a career in labor law! Everyone I’ve met that works in big law has been overworked, undervalued, and struggling with the moral weight of the work they perform. Pro bono is a tiny part of big law work at best. I would rather be in an environment of people fully dedicated to a values-driven mission.”
- Mia Stone-Molloy, JD’27
“I’m choosing not to pursue a Big Law career because I’d rather be middle-class and fight against injustice than become rich and famous by stepping on the necks of the underserved.”
- Silas Olsen, JD ‘28
“I deserve better than endless, high pressure, and unfulfilling work; my loved ones deserve my time and attention; and the world deserves a contribution to the common good, rather than another lawyer spending their life stealing from our future to increase corporate profits.”
- Reilly Johnson, JD ‘27
“I came to law school because I wanted to help create a world in which people are free to live happy, fulfilling lives. Big Law firms and their work are directly opposed to creating the type of world I want to live in, and I refuse to let my labor, power, and privilege prop up state and corporate violence that harms the communities and people I care most about.”
- Zerxes Bhadha, JD ‘27
“I have no desire to work in Big Law, and we have the immense privilege of being at HLS where it is absolutely financially feasible to work in a fulfilling career without “needing” to work in Big Law to pay off your loans.”
- Kayleigh Hasson, JD ‘27
“I don’t want to get rich off of incarcerating immigrants, giving people cancer through toxic water supplies, and killing working class people by stripping labor protections! Big law is an organized crime ring. Plus, my $270,000 in debt will be paid almost in full by HLS.”
- Luisa Graden, JD ‘26
“Big Law has never, not for one second, been the reason I came to law school or what I want to do with my law degree.”
- Hannah Levine, JD ‘27
“My integrity is not for sale.”
- Mary Enloe, JD ‘27
“ ‘The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.’ – FDR”
- Otto Barenberg, JD ‘26
“ ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’
Even with loans, I have never felt happier than when I decided to commit to public interest. You deserve to feel that, too: a community of brave people, feeling like you are leaving the world better than you found it, making the person you were when you applied to law school proud, serving the people who actually need it.
We have one of the biggest safety nets that exists in the world. We cannot ask other people living paycheck to paycheck to be brave — go vote, protest, stand up against consolidated power, make moral choices — unless we take a leap of faith ourselves. I promise it’s worth it. “
- Emily Berry, JD ‘26
“Work life balance/using the privilege of an HLS degree to do good”
- Dan Cohen, JD ‘27
“The issues of the world are too urgent to be part of the problem! I can’t imagine wasting the gifts and privileges that this private school education affords us by working to help the ultra-wealthy avoid taxes, or help companies carry out genocide, or help fossil fuel giants burn the planet.”
- Ariel Boone, JD ‘26
“I came to law school to pursue public interest law. Big Law was never even something I considered. When 1L started, I quickly noticed the early push towards Big Law—dinners, open bar tabs, everything sponsored by some big firm. Despite all this wining and dining, I always came back to my values and career goals; the reason I came to law school was to pursue a career where I will directly help people who need it most. Big Law was never going to give that to me. Instead, I’ve found a wonderful community on campus, filled with people who are also passionate about helping others and finding fulfilling careers that will make this world a better place.”
- Mirella Baker, JD ‘26
“For me, the decision to become a lawyer was to learn the law and go back to my community and fight the systems that oppress it. Going into big law would mean sacrificing my values.”
- Alyssa Matias, JD ‘28
“I did not come here for that.”
- Sahaj Singh, JD ‘28
“I refuse to sacrifice the very communities, causes, and values that brought me to law school in the first place.”
- Sofia Bottinelli, JD ‘26
“I came to law school because I sought a career where I can be of service to real people who deserve to have their rights protected. It is such a genuine privilege to use the skills we develop to advance justice- why would I do anything else?”
- Greta Maras, JD ‘27
“I want to serve my community, not corporations.”
- Anabel Masaschi, JD ‘26
“It’s been such a relief to actually stay focused on what I came to law school to do, and not worry about hesitating about whether or not to take a path I never wanted to take long term. Also, I get to be in non- and anti-big law spaces that have the coolest people and such a solid community!”
- Anonymous, JD ‘28
“I came to law school to take on corporations, not defend them.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘28
“I came to law school with a focus on working for and with organizations, specifically in the education space.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘26
“Having worked for a number of years prior to law school, I knew that Big Law just didn’t align with my interests or career goals. I ultimately decided it was a better career choice to pursue the public interest work I came into law school wanting to do, and fortunately, the LIPP program makes it financially feasible for me to do so.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘27
“As HLS students, we are among the most intelligent and privileged people of our generation. We quite literally have the power to change the world. I personally feel like it would be a waste of my talent and opportunities to do anything other than fight to make the world a better place.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘26
“We are at HLS! Let’s not limit our dreams to making money for a company’s shareholders.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘27
“I didn’t work as hard as I did to get to HLS to not do meaningful work when I graduate. I don’t want all the incalculable time and energy I have put into getting where I am today (and will put into my career in the future) going to make rich people richer. That’s not why I came to law school, and I don’t want to wait a second longer than I have to after graduation to use my new legal skills to actually help those in need.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘27
“Instead of becoming one of the thousands of Harvard lawyers who sell their considerable talents and privileges to the most powerful profit-motivated entities in the country and the world, I want to defend the people, their representatives, and the decisions they make on behalf of the common good. No amount of money and no amount of two-years-ahead job certainty could buy my decision, and no HLS graduate that I’ve ever heard of has regretted their decision. I know that I won’t.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘27
“Instead of furthering corporate interests I will be fighting against their impunity!”
- Anonymous, JD ‘26
“Mary Oliver asks us, ‘what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’ and I could not answer ‘corporate M&A transactions’”
- Michael Pusic, JD ‘26
What have you learned from the experience of choosing not to do Big Law recruitment?
“I’ve learned that there’s a wonderful community of students who are here to support you in the decision to do public interest work!”
- Silas Olsen, JD ‘28
“There are really cool people who are also swimming upstream with you.”
- Kayleigh Hasson, JD ‘27
“I have a feeling that a lot of us at HLS aren’t used to being cast as a minority, but that’s what PI students are, and it’s genuinely hard to resist the pressure to conform. That’s why it’s so important to seek out community with other PI students; it helps to inoculate you against the feeling that big law is the obvious choice and it makes it easier to remember your values and goals. I also remind myself that at the end of the day I’m at an incredibly powerful institution and as a result I have access to an array of amazing opportunities. As much as possible, I try to focus on the abundance and privilege of being a PI student at HLS, and that helps to make the big law stuff feel less important or relevant.”
- Hannah Levine, JD ‘27
“All of the paths I envision for my life involve helping other people, reducing misery, and stopping the government from killing people, slowly and quickly. I don’t have to worry that my work won’t have meaning or feel, even for one second, like I’m compromising what is important to me.”
- Ariel Boone, JD ‘26
“The public interest community is strong at HLS!”
- Alyssa Matias
“The culture of Big Law at Harvard is pervasive and powerful, but it does not hold a candle to the joy and fulfillment that comes from public interest service. In refuting this culture I have found an amazing group of similarly dedicated and motivated friends who are fighting for a clean environment, civil rights, labor rights, prisoner’s rights, and so much more.”
- Greta Maras, JD ‘27
“You can deviate from the charted path and be both successful and content, even if it seems like all voices surrounding you are shouting at you to go the other direction.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘27
“There are many super impactful and interesting jobs in policy with good work-life balance that pay quite well (e.g., $130,000+ starting salary)!”
- Anonymous, JD ‘27
“I came to Harvard so I would be able to do anything I wanted. The path to big law may be paved in gold, but (for many) it leads to an unfulfilling place. The path to PI is a backwoods road by comparison, but at the end I hope to find a career that I want, where I do some good in the world. And, most importantly, it is not a path I have walked alone. I have met many amazing people who will go do wonderful things, and we have supported each other on this journey through thick and thin.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘26
“Fellowship applications suck but not nearly as much as big law.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘26
If you quit EIP/Big Law recruitment or rejected all offers, what was the deciding factor?
“I interviewed at one firm and realized I couldn’t articulate a practice area I’d want to do. Anything I was interested in – class actions, antitrust – I couldn’t say that I wanted to do it on the defense side.”
- Rebecca Schwartz, JD ‘27
“I was extremely enthusiastic about pro bono opportunities at the firms I interviewed with, but almost none of my interviewers had any knowledge of their firm’s pro bono initiatives, and they didn’t give me the sense that it played any role in shaping the firm’s culture.”
- Anna Kate Manchester, JD ‘26
“I choose happiness and following my passion.”
- Anonymous, JD ‘28
Signatories (as of December 1st)
- Ben Kane, JD ’26
- Kendall Matsumoto, JD ’27
- Carson Maconga, JD ’27
- Ruth Jaensubhakij, JD ’27
- Jane Blaugrund, JD ’27
- Justin Tseng, JD ’27
- Mark Sterling, JD ’27
- Reina Patel, JD ’27
- Rebecca Schwartz, JD ’27
- Mia Stone-Molloy, JD ’27
- Eleanor Savas, JD ’27
- Silas Olsen, JD ’28
- Reilly Johnson, JD ’27
- Owen Hwang, JD ’28
- Zerxes Bhadha, JD ’27
- Liana Wang, JD ’26
- Kayleigh Hasson, JD ’27
- Jordan Hoogsteden, JD ’26
- Micah Herskind, JD ’26
- Luisa Graden, JD ’26
- Tabitha Escalante, JD ’26
- Pat Healy, JD ’26
- Elise Colin, JD ’27
- Ifeanyi Umunna, JD ’28
- Annabel Xu, JD ’27
- Allison Singleton, JD ’27
- Richard Lin, JD ’26
- Evie Gentile, JD ’27
- Jane Merrick, JD ’26
- Jane Holmes, JD ’27
- Catherine Ho, JD ’26
- Hannah Levine, JD ’27
- Caroline Casey, JD ’26
- Lauren O’Connell, JD ’26
- Jenny Pigge, JD ’26
- Sumita Rajpurohit, JD ’27
- Mira Bohannan Kumar, JD ’27
- Mary Enloe, JD ’27
- Anor Chen, JD ’27
- Martin Konstantinov, JD ’27
- Jenna Boguslavsky, JD ’27
- Elias Decker, JD ’27
- Rose Reilly, JD ’27
- Kieran Murphy, JD ’26
- Julia Saltzman, JD ’26
- Luke Pittman, JD ’26
- Otto Barenberg, JD ’26
- Ben Gantt, JD ’26
- Rosemary Yin, JD ’26
- Valerie McCarthy, JD ’26
- Kirsten “Shaw” Mettler, JD ’26
- Janson Requist, JD ’27
- Angela Li, JD ’26
- Hillel Ehrenreich, JD ’27
- Emily Berry, JD ’26
- Sara Nicholson, JD ’26
- Nina Zietlow, JD ’27
- Ideal Dowling, JD ’27
- Natalia Brown, JD ’26
- Aarthi Kannan, JD ’26
- Lila Greiner, JD ’26
- Amber Magnuson, JD ’27
- Sarah Boxer, JD ’26
- Daniel Sorkin, JD ’27
- Tyler Armstrong, JD ’27
- Anna Kate Manchester, JD ’26
- Brayden Soffa, JD ’27
- Jacob Linfesty, JD ’26
- Lauren Collins, JD ’27
- Amy L. Eisenstein, JD ’26
- Justin McMahan, JD ’26
- Anna McDougall, JD ’27
- Finlay Adamson, JD ’27
- Maddie Stuzin, JD ’26
- Molly Hayes, JD ’27
- Ava Pacchiana, JD ’27
- Jared Vornhagen, JD ’27
- Tara Mou, JD ’27
- Mariana Beyer, JD ’27
- Meredith Gudesblatt, JD ’26
- Pablo Manon Mateos, JD ’26
- Abigail Moats, JD ’26
- Joshua Lilly, JD ’26
- Dan Cohen, JD ’27
- Ariel Boone, JD ’26
- Mirella Baker, JD ’26
- Alinnah Qiao, JD ’26
- Katie Mayopoulos, JD ’26
- Jackie O’Neil, JD ’26
- Liz Feltner, JD ’27
- Katrina Weinert, JD ’26
- Savannah Freitas, JD ’28
- Carolyn Daly, JD ’26
- Morgan Breene, JD ’26
- Larissa Truchan, JD ’28
- Ali Medina, JD ’26
- Kyle Lewis, JD ’27
- Ainsley Morrison, JD ’28
- Lucy Sun, JD ’26
- Elaina Katz, JD ’27
- Alyssa Matias, JD ’28
- Andrew Wan, JD ’28
- Sahaj Singh, JD ’28
- Sofia Bottinelli, JD ’26
- Lara Weinberg, JD ’28
- Anisha Ariff, JD ’28
- Maral Asik, JD ’28
- Hila Eitam, JD ’27
- Matt Tyler, JD ’28
- Kristen Busch, JD ’27
- Tom Latkowski, JD ’28
- Elizabeth Dolan, JD ’28
- Aastha Sinha, JD ’28
- Anna Diaconu, JD ’28
- Mara Kelly, JD ’28
- Sarah Lev, JD ’27
- Zahra Saifi, JD ’27
- Chloe Haskell, JD ’28
- Sal DeFrancesco, JD ’26
- Naheim Banks, JD ’28
- Ireland Lesley, JD ’28
- Ellie McCarty, JD ’28
- James Carney, JD ’27
- Greta Maras, JD ’27
- Sarah Kersting-Mumm, JD ’28
- Kelsey Carido, JD ’28
- Ethan Blue Reichsman, JD ’28
- Camilla Cox, JD ’27
- Heather Callahan, JD ’28
- Simran Surtani, JD ’28
- Malka Schreier, JD ’28
- Chris Hopson, JD ’28
- Anabel Masaschi, JD ’26
- Anya Behrens, JD ’27
- Alice Corey, JD ’28
- Jason Altshuler, JD ’28
- Anjali K, JD ’26
- Ilai Gavish, JD ’26
- Rachel Kennedy, JD ’26
- James Morrison, JD ’26
- Jonathan Griffin, JD ’26
- Emily Sklar, JD ’26
- Tony Maquiling, JD ’26
- Michael Pusic, JD ’26
- Zachari Curtis, JD ’26