Stopping firms from ‘ghosting’ law students

But perhaps more discouraging than the rejection itself is the silence that law students have instead been experiencing from law firms – no feedback, no acknowledgement, and often not even a formal rejection.

The ‘ghosting’ pandemic

Amelia Daou, a law student at Deakin University, knows this experience all too well, having been ghosted by “numerous firms” during her job search.

While she understands that hiring teams often face overwhelming demands and may not be able to offer personalised feedback on unsuccessful applications, Daou said these experiences have “impacted my confidence in my job search” and have made her feel “a little bit lost”.

Her experience is far from unique. This issue has sparked widespread conversation online, with videos on TikTok garnering thousands of views from students venting about the deafening silence they face after submitting job applications.

One student, in a video that has now been viewed over 15,000 times, summed up the experience, stating: “Every time that I apply, they just don’t get back, I don’t get rejected, I just get ghosted.”

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These feelings are echoed in anonymous feedback submitted to the College of Law (COL), where many students expressed similar frustrations.

“I have applied for a range of roles, including junior lawyer, graduate lawyer, paralegal and law graduate programs, but have received no responses. I am struggling to get a foot in the door in a legal career to be able to transition from the financial services industry to legal,” one said.

Another student said: “As a recent graduate, I’ve spent months applying for roles within the legal sphere (many of which are entry-level positions). I rarely hear back from anyone, even when calling or emailing the company to follow up.”

And it’s not just isolated to a particular subset of students. Mitch Catterall, managing partner at Unveil Development Partners, noted that the ghosting phenomenon is affecting law students across the board, “regardless of location and urban/rural demographic”.

Is this a new phenomenon?

While it may seem like a newly emerging challenge, industry experts confirm that ghosting in legal recruitment is far from a recent phenomenon. Instead, it’s a persistent problem that has long affected law students navigating the job market.

Susan Pincus, national career strategist at the College of Law, noted that ghosting is not “a new phenomenon” and believes it’s an issue that “will continue” to confront law students during their job search.

Her colleague, Ruth Beran, also a national career strategist at the College of Law, echoed this view, stating that ghosting has become “more commonplace” – not only within the legal profession but also “across every industry.”

Recruitment experts in the legal sector agree that this is not a temporary trend, but one that is expected to persist.

Alison Crowther, partner at empire group, said this issue will “definitely” remain a challenge for law students, pointing to the growing number of universities offering law degrees. At the same time, “only so many roles” are available to graduates.

Daniel Stirling, director of the Australian division of G2 Legal, also noted that the job market is “likely to remain challenging for law students” in the years ahead.

Why is this happening?

While there’s no definitive answer as to why ghosting by law firms has become so widespread, the reasons behind this growing issue are complex and varied.

According to Catterall, one of the most common causes is the overwhelming volume of emails law firms receive – a flood that often leaves student applications buried and unanswered.

“Many law firms are simply very, very busy, and get smashed with emails every single day. As a student, shooting a cold email across to a law firm you have no connection to will likely never get read,” he said.

“Small law firms have partners that are too busy, medium law firms have processes in place that protect partners from the comms chain, and larger firms have a full recruitment pipeline to adhere to.”

Given the many demands on their time, Beran shared that hiring managers are often “generally time-poor”, making it difficult for them to find the time to respond to every applicant, contributing significantly to the ghosting problem.

Reflecting on her own time in HR and recruitment days, Pincus echoed this reality, noting that “we were inundated with applicants and didn’t have the luxury of time to respond in person”.

However, both recruitment experts agree that the increasingly competitive nature of the legal profession is a major driver behind the rise in ghosting.

Stirling observed that while the number of graduate positions at major law firms is “trending slightly upwards”, the volume of law graduates entering the market is “increasing at a higher rate”, intensifying competition.

Reflecting on this reality, Crowther added, “there are only so many places for all students”, emphasising that law graduates must find ways to “stand out” in what has become an exceptionally crowded and competitive field.

As this growing imbalance continues, Pincus observed that firms now find themselves in a stronger position to be selective as they now have “a choice of talent where they can pick and choose” – a dynamic that reinforces why many applications go unanswered.

Finding a way through

Despite the challenges and emotional toll that ghosting can take on aspiring legal professionals, there are practical strategies that students and graduates can adopt to navigate and overcome this hurdle.

Having faced these difficulties herself, Daou shared that one approach that has proven to be successful was leveraging LinkedIn as a tool to expand her professional network and access opportunities.

“Building a LinkedIn profile helped me to expand my network, and it opened up new opportunities as both of the internships I secured have been through LinkedIn advertisements. By creating a LinkedIn, I was able to market my profile and apply for jobs to increase my chances of securing employment,” she said.

While law students sometimes overlook internships in favour of formal employment, Daou emphasised their value – both in gaining experience and in demonstrating commitment to the profession.

“Throughout the internship, I was able to learn new skills and adapt to working in a legal environment. I would recommend law students to not overlook internships as completing one gives you a skill set to rely on and discuss in your job applications,” she said.

“Because even if you don’t have any formal legal employment, you can rely on your internship to qualify as legal work experience.”

For Catterall, he suggested that law students take an increasingly active role by adopting a sales-oriented mindset to pitch themselves to potential employers effectively.

“Do some sales research! Especially if you’ve never had a job before. Getting a job is a sale: you are selling yourself! Do your research and find out about their firm as much as you can,” he said.

“Try and work out what their pain points are (e.g. What they need), pitch how your skills are going to help solve their problem, and present yourself as someone that can fit in with their culture (this is way bigger than what people realise. No one wants to bring in an unknown employee who might then damage the good culture they have).”

While most jobseekers instinctively focus on applying for advertised roles on popular websites, Pincus recommends a different approach – tapping into the hidden job market.

“My suggestion would be to reduce reliance on advertised job search websites where they are often competing against large numbers of applicants,” she said.

“I suggest investing time into the hidden job market where you are running your own race, but this involves different tactics like networking and seeking out desirable workplaces. It also requires greater effort, time and energy, along with resilience and adaptability.”

Beran also advised that law students contact the hiring manager before submitting their application as an effective way to stand out among the many candidates and gain valuable insights about the role.

“I recommend contacting the hiring manager before you apply for a role rather than afterwards. This is a useful job search strategy in any case, as it means the hiring manager is more likely to look out for your application,” she said.

“In addition, you can get some insights into the role before applying. Be sure to ask relevant questions and let the hiring manager know a little bit about you and why you are a good match for the role.”

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the legal profession, raising questions about its potential impact on graduate hiring, Stirling advises law students to focus on developing a solid understanding of emerging technologies.

“I feel that this is an evolving area as firms develop their usage of AI. Whether this leads to lower graduate intakes or not, I feel it will be important for graduates to have a good understanding of AI and legal technology to ensure their skills are valuable in the future,” he said.

However, Catterall emphasised that the most crucial step law students can take is to actively engage in networking and attend industry events to avoid becoming just another name on a résumé.

“Arguably, this is the most important, and one that I see many students struggle with – and one that some students will HATE to hear, but it is the truth that you can’t escape: you must get out there and network, socialise, and create contact points within the industry. Simple as that. Otherwise, you are just another random/unknown person emailing them and wasting their time asking for a job,” he said.

“Contact your local Law Society and find the next CPD events, and request a discounted ticket to go along. Search for events in your area and introduce yourself to people. Start a LinkedIn and start connecting with other lawyers, and slide into their DMs, asking if they want to go for a coffee.”

He added: The vast majority of partners and leaders in the law space that I’ve worked with have gotten into that position with perseverance, grit, determination, and hard work. They will be looking for echoes of that same approach with any juniors coming through the door.”

Echoing this, Ann-Maree David, executive director at the College of Law Queensland, said that networking should start during law school and begin with the people closest to you.

“Creating these connections should start at law schools – especially with the law student associations, where they can be learning from their peers. I know many former judges’ associates and law clerks who have been recommended for these roles by graduates whom they had met at law school,” she said.

What should law firms do differently?

While much of the burden falls on students, many experts say law firms must also take responsibility.

Daou suggested that firms should provide “some feedback on rejected applications even if it is generic”, stating that it would allow them to understand why they didn’t progress and “apply it to their next job application”.

Beran also agreed with this idea, explaining how “candidates can put a lot of time and effort into the recruitment process and receiving feedback can be incredibly valuable”.

For Pincus, acknowledging candidates who don’t progress in the recruitment process is a matter of professional etiquette – a small gesture that can make a significant difference for law students.

“I believe law firms should be taking accountability for the way candidates are feeling about being ghosted and not responded to. Etiquette goes a long way and helps reinforce the organisation’s care factor and brand.

“It could be a matter of having a policy in place for ensuring all candidates are acknowledged and receive recognition of their applications. In terms of those that reach the shortlist and interview stage, I think a phone call goes a long way. This, of course, means being able to explain to the individual why their application wasn’t successful, which is not an easy conversation,” she said.

However, Catterall offered a different perspective, suggesting that law firms may not need to change significantly in how they approach student recruitment.

“In the end, they are running a business, and they can only do things that will help ADD value to their business, not take it away,” he said.

“They do not need to take a risk hiring a second-year law student, with a basic-looking CV, who has not made the effort to do a decent cover letter, and has no LinkedIn profile and never been to an event. Too risky. I don’t blame law firms for ghosting those kinds of applicants – in fact, that is good business practice!”

While he doesn’t believe firms need to overhaul recruitment completely, he says they should modernise and prepare for the modern intake of a new generations lawyers by “clarifying what performance looks like at the firm”, “treat people fairly and ethically, and have systems to help do this”, and “unpicking the managing partners from the bottleneck of operations”.

What do firms think?

Speaking from a firm’s perspective, Shannon Lyndon-Lugg, director of people and culture at Maddocks, urged law students to remember that being ghosted is often not a reflection of their worth, but rather the result of circumstances beyond their control.

“We know that it’s really tough to be in a recruitment process, and that’s why we make sure to reply to all of our applicants because respect and communication matter. If you do get ghosted by another firm, try to remember it’s not because of you – it’s likely things like timing, volume of applications, or their systems or processes,” she said.

“Don’t be afraid to follow up. It’s OK to ask for clarity, and the firms [that] value people will always respect that.”