Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
I’ve talked to a few friends whose firms wanted to hold out, but they felt like they had to give in because they weren’t getting the candidates they wanted and they were afraid of losing out to other firms. [The stipends are] a signing bonus wrapped up in public interest.
— A Biglaw talent professional, in comments given to Law.com under the condition of anonymity, concerning the public interest stipends for 1L students who have been accepted into Biglaw firms’ 2L summer associate programs. At least 15 Am Law 100 firms have offered students amounts ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 as a way to retain talent.
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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