Collective Action By Skadden Associates - But, Will It Throw Shade on Associate Reputations and Be Effective as Resistance Strategy?

 Around Skadden there's a campaign struggling to get traction: Associates are being encouraged to opt out of all those events to recruit new lawyers to the firm. Having junior lawyers in the recruiting outreach is important because it's assumed they will be straightforward with applicants, as opposed to receiving some hardened party line from partners. 

How would this be accomplished? As part of a collective action, associates wouldn't respond to calendar prompts to participate in recruitment. 

The thinking is: Hey, this won't damage client work so it won't throw shade on my reputation and therefore won't move the dial on being forced out the door. But is that assumption aligned with the law-firm power structure? In such a top-down system all associate actions are under close scrutiny and open to assessment by both senior associates and partners. Not being enthusiastic about recruiting could ding you.

For that reason, I don't anticipate too many associates will take this path of resistance. 

In addition, is the issue of effectiveness. Will the non-participation deter applicants from joining Skadden? 

The raw reality is: There's a current glut of lawyers. With the exception of COVID times there usually was. Given the DOGE job cuts in government jobs and the corporate cost-efficiency ethos which impacts hiring for in-house positions, that glut has ballooned. That could worsen since law-firm business could fall off in 2025. Come on, it won't take an intensive multi-dimensional recruiting effort to attract the best and brightest to join Skadden. 

The same phenomenon is at Paul Weiss, which also has gone through public relations nightmare post-dealmaking with the Trump administration. Those jobs pay well. That means you could get rid of a major chunk of student loan debt. You can learn plenty being part of a star's team on a project. And they have an excellent track record for exit options.

Overall, this particular approach to collective action as resistance doesn't seem like it will catch on or move any kind of needle, except in darkening the future of associates at Skadden.

Meanwhile, though, in the court of public opinion Skadden continues to get pounded. Paul Weiss is recovering from all that. So much so that it has put back on its website the Center to Combat Hate.

Not too long ago when Paul Weiss took it down it seemed to be responding to what it assumed the Trump administration would object to in its social justice initiatives. Not unthinkable: Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp could again take on the mantle of Saint Brad in terms of being a change agent on behalf of the most vulnerable in society.

UPDATE:

A student group at Georgetown Law opted out of a recruitment event. Here are details. However, I size this behavior up as what will be atypical. Late payment on student loan debt can damage a credit rating by over a 100 points. 

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