What If I Don't Have Grades Yet?
by the Summer Associate Hub Team
So we originally wrote this post in Spring 2024, as firms started to hire students with only first semester grades. Our goal was to help students navigate the timing to apply to firms even without spring semester grades. However, in Fall 2025, some firms started to encourage students to apply in November and December, before even having any law school grades… and this post has been edited accordingly to reflect that.
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As the law student recruiting timeline has accelerated, some firms have started accepting 1L/2L summer applications in November and December of 1L year, before any law school grades are even released. (As of December 2025, almost all firms are waiting for grades to be released before making offers, except in very limited and specific circumstances.)
Because of this, one of the most common questions we get from students is, “What if I don’t have law school grades?”
The short answer is: Don’t Worry.
Firms of course know that grades are not released yet. And when that firm decides to open their application portal anyway, it is to attract students to apply without grades.
Even for the firms who are interviewing during November and December, almost all plan to wait to see first semester grades before actually making offers. (Except in very limited and specific circumstances, such as for a student with a specific background in a niche area that is hard to find, such as a PhD in a particular technical area in high demand for the firm’s patent practice.)
So what do you do if you are ready to apply but don’t have grades yet?
In true 1L finals form, let’s play out a few scenarios (but first a quick public service announcement about how to upload grades when they come out):
—No matter what you do, please follow the firm’s instructions for submitting grades when they are released: Because many firms will be opening their application portals before law school grades are released, students will need to update their applications with law school grades later. Each firm will have different instructions for how to do that. Some firms will ask you to upload it into a specific portal. Some firms will ask you to send them via email. Some firms will have an entirely different process. It is important to follow the firm’s instructions properly to send your second semester grades.
—If the firm opens their application portal between November and early January: If a firm opens up their application portal anytime between November and early January, that firm knows that students won’t have law school grades yet. Unless the firm expressly states in their application portal that they require law school grades, the firm is almost certainly ok with seeing your application without grades – which will include a resume, and most likely a cover letter too (and some firms asking for undergraduate transcripts and/or LSAT scores in the meantime). If they weren’t ok with you submitting without grades, they wouldn’t have their portal open so early.
Of course, some firms will ask for your updated transcript in January when it’s available, perhaps before they make a formal offer. And you could always volunteer your updated transcript when it becomes available by sending it to your recruiting contact at the firm (see above). But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply with what you have to start that process.
If this is a firm you are interested in, and especially if you have engaged with that firm before at networking events, etc, you are likely better off applying earlier with the application that you have – so the firm can invite you to interview in the meantime, or have you on their radar if they plan to conduct interviews in December or January.
–If the firm opens their application portal in mid/late January or later: Some BigLaw firms may open up their application portals in mid/late January or later, though likely not the majority. A big reason a firm might do this is because they want to see at least one semester of law school grades, so they time their portal accordingly.
In this case, the question “what if I don’t have law school grades” becomes mostly moot. By that point, you should have your first semester grades and can apply with your full 1L transcript. Buuuutttt…. that assumes that all law professors get their grades in on time. And you know what happens when you assume.
So, if it’s mid/late January, and you are still missing a grade or two… what do you do? Similar to the above, if it is a firm you are interested in, go ahead and apply. Firms know that it’s out of your control. And you are usually better off applying with what you have than not applying at all.
In addition, if it’s that late in January and you are missing a grade or two, let your Career Services Office know. They can signal to firms that there are a couple of professors who are late, so the firms know this and are prepared. They can also let firms know that this is the case for any applications they receive as part of a formal school-organized resume collect.
—If you want to apply to a firm, but you are holding out to show good grades: This is a tricky one. Some students want to apply early to a firm, but feel they need solid first semester grades to differentiate themselves. This is especially the case for students at law schools that are not traditionally a large part of that firm’s pipeline. So, they want to hold out and apply with their full first semester transcript and their best foot forward.
This is a great question, because typically it is great to put your best foot forward the first time you apply.
In true lawyer fashion, the answer is: It Depends. This depends a lot on the specific student, the specific school, and the specific firm. If it is a firm that is known to be particularly grade conscious and they only opened their portal on January 15 or February 1, it may make sense to wait until you have grades. If you are at a school that has a larger BigLaw pipeline and being a the top of your class is less critical to land an offer, then it may make sense to apply in the meantime and update your application with the transcript when it is available.
On the other hand, if you are at a school where it is more critical to be a the top of your class, such as top 10%, it may make sense to wait and see if you can get within that range before applying. Many top firms have expressed to us that, when it comes down to it, grades are more important than networking when it comes to getting an offer.
On the other hand, if it’s a firm that you’ve built a genuine relationship with through past events, programs, informational interviews, etc – then perhaps you are better off applying and leveraging those connections and information you’ve learned in that process to get an advantage. Grades are not everything, and genuine interest/engagement is an important factor too — if you are confident that you can land an interview based on your prior engagement before grades are released, then go for it.
Although timing is important, being thoughtful about your initial application is a good thing where it matters.
We recommend speaking with your law school Career Services office about your specific situation if you are in this category.
Summer Associate Hub Team
This content is based on our own experiences as former law students and BigLaw attorneys, and countless conversations with firm recruiting teams, law students, law school career advisors, legal career coaches, and hiring partners.
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