Scheduling a Reception

Law School Policy

Employers are welcome to host information sessions and informal social receptions for second and third year students any time during the fall, and first year students in the spring. The Office of Career Services will help you to choose an appropriate date for your event. Please note the following:

• Prior to organizing an event for students, employers must contact the Office of Career Services to ensure that the proposed date of the event does not conflict with another program or another firm’s reception.
• Consistent with the NALP Guidelines employers may not communicate directly or indirectly with first year students before December 1. This rule also prohibits informally arranging meetings with 1Ls during the fall recruitment season, even if the contact is student initiated. Invitations to social functions scheduled before December 1 should be directed only to second and third year students and, if first year students appear at such functions, employers are expected to make clear that their attendance is a violation of policy.
• If the event you are planning is an information session or reception open to all students (or all students in a particular class year), the event is a recruiting event and should be held off campus. Once the date and time of your event has been approved by OCS, the event will be posted on the OCS Career Events Calendar.
• If the event you are planning is something other than an off-campus information session or reception, the event’s content as well as its date, time and location must be approved by OCS. Please note that presentations by employers on career-related topics (i.e. "Tips for Successful Cross-Examination," "How to Succeed as a Summer Associate," etc.), are unlikely to be approved due to conflicts with OCS programming. Approved events will be posted on the OCS Career Events Calendar.
• Employers may participate in on-campus events hosted by registered student organizations, but such events should be open to (and publicized solely to) members of the hosting organization. Employers may not use a student organization to reserve a room on campus and then invite the entire student body (or an entire class year) to what is essentially a recruiting event. Recruiting events are to be held off-campus.

Procedures for Scheduling a Reception 

The following procedures were initiated to prevent schedule conflicts and best serve the needs of students and employers. Your reception date must be approved before making any final arrangements for your event. To obtain a date, please complete the following two steps:

Step 1:  Go to the OCS Events Calendar. Click on the 'Add Event' button found in the upper right hand corner of the page. Enter your event information in the required boxes and then press 'Submit Event'.

Step 2:  Email Heather Stewart, Recruitment Manager, at recruiting@law.harvard.edu and inform her of your event submission. We will review your submission, email our response (approval or disapproval) within 48 hours and post it in the calendar if it is appropriate. Your event is not approved until you receive written confirmation.

Additional Assistance

• For assistance in arranging programs or social receptions, you may want to contact HL Central, a student organization that plans and promotes events and receptions for employers. More information about HL Central may be found at www.hlcentral.com.
• The Office of Career Services website suggests other ways to advertise or promote events. For more information, click here