Is it worth submitting last-minute applications for firms recruiting on a rolling basis?

[Andrei Radu]

As deadlines for many firms are fast approaching and we are entering in the busiest time for applications in the year, a question many candidates ask around this point in the application cycle is: it is worth investing time and effort to complete a last-minute application for a firm recruiting on a rolling basis?

This is an issue I used to worry about a lot - and for good reasons: I would find myself in the unfortunate (although very common) situation where I had intended to apply to a given firm a long time ago but had procrastinated on it, only to now have only a few days left to try to research the firm in depth and try to write high-quality answers. The matter was stressful enough simply given how pressed for time I would be with other applications, but when this was a firm recruiting on a rolling basis, I would then have the additional anxiety and worry that all of my efforts would be in vain - for I (wrongly) assumed my chances of progressing would be minimal given how last-minute I had left things. As such, I would end up doubting whether it is even worth submitting the application and whether it would be better to abandon it and move on to another firm.

Fortunately, in my second application cycle, I ended up taking the advice of some seniors and still went through with these last-minute applications at rolling firms. I was therefore progressed past the applications stage in more than by more than a couple of these firms, and ended up even invited to the AC by one. Taking a broader view, my progression/rejection rate was not substantially worse in these last-minute applications for rolling firms than in my normal applications for non-rolling firms. As such, my general advice for people who are facing the same issue is the same one I have received before: unless this is a firm that is known to place a very heavy emphasis on early submissions, you should try to complete and submit even a last-minute applications for rolling firms - provided that you estimate you will still have enough time to write objectively high-quality applications.

There are a number of reasons why I think this makes sense and why most last-minute submissions are not just doomed to fail:

1. According to many recruiters I have spoken to, even firms recruiting on a rolling deadline receive the vast majority of their applications the last 48 hours before the deadline. As such, if they do not want to automatically take out a huge pool of talent, recruiters simply cannot afford to not give application sent around that time proper consideration.
2. For the same reason, even if you only manage to submit an application to a rolling firm 1-2 days before the deadline, chances are you will still have submitted earlier than most other candidates. As such, this is not a factor that would likely be held very strongly against you.
3. Finally, most recruiters I have talked to embrace a holistic approach to assessment of candidates and decision-making, with their aim simply being to identify the best potential future lawyers. While early submission can be indicative to good planning and a stronger interest in the firm, this is but one factor among many that a graduate recruiter will consider when deciding the outcome of your application. As such, if everything otherwise is really strong, you should still have a good chance of being progressed.