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BigLaw placement, clerkship rates, and OCI access for transfer students at top law schools — see what your career looks like after transferring.
| School | BigLaw Rate | Clerkship | PI / Gov | OCI Access (Transfers) | Typical Sending School BigLaw |
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On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) is the structured recruiting process where law firms interview and hire summer associates directly at law schools. It takes place in late summer/fall of 2L year (fall OCI) and spring semester (spring OCI).
Why it matters for transfers: BigLaw firms hire the vast majority of their future associates through the 2L summer associate program. OCI is the primary gateway to those offers. Without OCI access, transfers must compete through significantly harder direct-application channels, which have much lower success rates.
Full vs. Limited OCI: Some schools give transfer students full and equal access to both fall and spring OCI — this is the gold standard. Others allow transfers only in spring OCI (missing the largest cycle). A few schools have informal policies that disadvantage transfers in firm selection. Always confirm OCI policy directly with career services before committing to a transfer school.
Schools known for strong transfer OCI: Georgetown, Penn, Northwestern, and Cornell consistently give transfer students full OCI access. Yale, Harvard, and Columbia have smaller but highly prestigious OCI programs where transfer students participate equally.
Even if your school's fall OCI has already occurred when you arrive, reach out to career services immediately. Many firms conduct rolling interviews outside formal OCI windows. Prioritize spring OCI for your primary recruiting push — and apply to every firm that interests you.
Your sending school's alumni network and professor connections remain valuable. Former 1L professors can write strong recommendations for clerkships and firm applications. Classmates who stayed may have connections to firms recruiting at your original school. Layer both networks.
The 2L summer associate offer is the most reliable path into BigLaw. Transfers who secure a summer associate position convert to full-time associates at over 90% rates at most firms. Every other credential (journal, moot court, grades) matters primarily insofar as it helps you land that summer offer.
Transfers to regionally strong T14 schools — Georgetown (D.C.), Texas (Texas markets), Vanderbilt (Southeast) — often have outsized local market access. If you have strong ties to a specific region, a school that dominates local recruiting may outperform a higher-ranked school focused purely on New York markets.