Top US law firms including Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Davis Polk, Gibson Dunn, Weil and Milbank now open applications for summer associate posts during students' first law-school semester — before any grades exist — targeting roles that begin in 2029. Paul Weiss, Simpson Thacher and Milbank plan to start before Christmas. Cleary Gottlieb partner Maureen Linch says applicants often don't know practice-area differences, but the firm cannot delay or risk losing talent to competitors. Cooley CEO Rachel Proffitt calls hiring students without grades for jobs two-and-a-half years later "crazy." Firms calculate that even if AI reduces junior headcount, the premium on elite judgment will intensify the race for top candidates.

The trend mirrors Wall Street, where private equity and investment banks recruit college sophomores years before they join the workforce. In sports, private capital is similarly reshaping golf: the PGA Tour created a for-profit arm backed by a $1.5bn investment from Strategic Sports Group — led by John Henry, Steve Cohen and Arthur Blank — and hired NFL executive Brian Rolapp as CEO. LIV Golf's future hinges on talks between Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, LIV players and BC Partners. PGA commercial chief Dhruv Prasad says every sports league is transitioning from trade association to business, focusing on "the most efficient and highest-return uses of capital."