Do BigLaw firms verify transcripts?

[throwaway9999]

Question that has arisen amongst my 2L classmates. A handful of us know of a student who landed at a 7 sister with a falsified grade on their transcript (found some way to edit their copy of the official transcript). We know this as they had sent their application package to one of us to review during the summer, and we quickly realized one grade had changed from a C to an A. 

We don't, however, know that the student categorically submitted this version of the transcript through the OCI process. And despite our suspicions, none of us are willing to confront them, nor raise this with our faculty - as they are generally a strong student and an extra A would not make much of a difference. Can we expect the firm they were hired to, to verify this with the schools, or just move on and forget about it?

[helloall]

Yes, no shit. See article.

[HopefulStudy]

I’ll be working at a seven sisters firm this coming summer. After the recruit week wrapped up, they required us to send official transcripts directly to the firm.

[Dinsdale]

Ah, the good old UofT fake-marks scandal.  That was under some extraordinary circumstances though, to the extent I remember.  First and foremost, the marks were on Christmas exams that did not appear on the official UofT year-end transcript, and the entire thing was at the "suggestion" of an anti-Bay Street prof.  No one (to my knowledge) was ingenious enough to actually falsify an official transcript. 

Nevertheless, it certainly did cause us to look askance at UofT candidates for that one year only.

More generally, in my experience, no, law firms don't always independently verify the transcript of every student and lateral they hire.  Having said that (and if it is actually true that "recruiters read this forum too") I suggest a few may do so now!

Also agree with the above that if only photocopies were submitted with the original application, then firms will ask to receive an original at some point too.  I guess I was imagining that the original had been manipulated somehow.

Edited November 20, 2023 by Dinsdale

[Eathwens]

If I was running a firm, why not just request an official transcript at the year's end? What's the negative of doing so? 

[99problems]

I lateraled and gave them a screenshot of my grades...

[Dinsdale]

1 hour ago, Eathwens said:

If I was running a firm, why not just request an official transcript at the year's end? What's the negative of doing so? 

Correct.  It's been a few years, but I believe this is what we did, yes.  

[JackoMcSnacko]

I don't remember whether we had to direct submit transcripts when I was hired as a student, but it'll be odd if they don't require this as it's such a small expense to firm resources.  When I lateralled there was extensive third party background checks along with academic verification, so I'd expect the same or similar for law student hires. 

As a slight aside, I wouldn't be surprised if deceitful manipulation of application materials (i.e. inflating grades, misrepresentation of experience, etc.) is not a rarity in the profession, given the greater than normal number of sociopaths I've come across in law school and in practice.  Sometimes it's caught (I've known a small handful of cases) and likely sometimes it's not (I suspect a few cases, but never verified).

Edited November 20, 2023 by JackoMcSnacko