Who Gets In?Research programme of Elite Careers Strategy

Institution evidence record Official sources

Cleary Gottlieb: what the official sources say about selection

5 dated facts (signals) from 2 official source records, observed between 14 September 2026 and 2 November 2026. An evidence record lists what the register holds for one institution; it is not a dossier and it does not describe a complete selection process.

Markets recorded: United States; United Kingdom / London. Categories: Candidate selection factors / GPA policy; Academic expectations; Contextual recruitment; Named assessment sequence; Exclusive trainee access route.

LimitThe signals below are what Cleary Gottlieb published on the observation dates, coded one programme, market and date at a time. They do not establish hidden screening criteria, university weighting, acceptance odds or a universal process across offices.

United States

1 signal

SIG-218 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary says summer-associate hiring decisions consider prior work experience, judgment, interpersonal skills and demonstrated academic performance, and do not rely primarily on a minimum GPA requirement.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourceOur hiring decisions are based on many factors, including prior work experience, outstanding judgment, interpersonal skills and demonstrated high academic performance in both your legal and undergraduate studies. We do not rely primarily on a minimum GPA requirement.

United States · Summer Associate recruiting · Candidate selection factors / GPA policy · Observed 14 September 2026 · Verified 14 Sep 2026 · Source SRC-135 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

United Kingdom / London

4 signals

SIG-1397 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb London's vacation scheme says it normally expects a high 2:1 degree or better from a leading university and at least AAA at A-level or equivalent.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourcenormally expect candidates to be on course to attain a high 2.1

United Kingdom / London · Vacation schemes / trainee pathway · Academic expectations · Observed 2 November 2026 · Official employer primary source directly reviewed 2026-11-02 · Source SRC-501 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

SIG-1398 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb London says it uses Rare Recruitment's Contextual Recruitment System to consider applicants' academic achievements in the circumstances in which they were obtained.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourceRare Recruitment's Contextual Recruitment System

United Kingdom / London · Vacation schemes · Contextual recruitment · Observed 2 November 2026 · Official employer primary source directly reviewed 2026-11-02 · Source SRC-501 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

SIG-1399 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb London states that shortlisted vacation scheme applicants first complete Watson Glaser, then an online interview with a training principal and senior associate, followed by an in-person assessment day.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourceWatson Glaser test

United Kingdom / London · Vacation scheme applicant selection · Named assessment sequence · Observed 2 November 2026 · Official employer primary source directly reviewed 2026-11-02 · Source SRC-501 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

SIG-1400 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb London says its trainee intake is recruited exclusively through two-week vacation schemes.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourcerecruit our trainees exclusively through our two-week vacation schemes

United Kingdom / London · Vacation Scheme to Training Contract · Exclusive trainee access route · Observed 2 November 2026 · Official employer primary source directly reviewed 2026-11-02 · Source SRC-501 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

Official sources

Cite this object

Who Gets In? (Elite Careers Strategy), Cleary Gottlieb selection evidence record, revised 2 November 2026, https://whogetsin.com/institutions/cleary-gottlieb

Preserve the institution, programme, geography, observation date and limitation. Do not generalise a single signal to an institution-wide or sector-wide rule.

CITATION.cff

Evidence behind this page

5 dated facts (signals), observed between 14 September 2026 and 2 November 2026

Every signal this page cites, with the observation as coded, the passage recorded against the official page, the observation date and the source. Follow a signal ID for its full record; follow the source for the live page.

SIG-218 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary says summer-associate hiring decisions consider prior work experience, judgment, interpersonal skills and demonstrated academic performance, and do not rely primarily on a minimum GPA requirement.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourceOur hiring decisions are based on many factors, including prior work experience, outstanding judgment, interpersonal skills and demonstrated high academic performance in both your legal and undergraduate studies. We do not rely primarily on a minimum GPA requirement.

United States · Summer Associate recruiting · Candidate selection factors / GPA policy · Observed 14 September 2026 · Verified 14 Sep 2026 · Source SRC-135 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

SIG-1397 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb London's vacation scheme says it normally expects a high 2:1 degree or better from a leading university and at least AAA at A-level or equivalent.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourcenormally expect candidates to be on course to attain a high 2.1

United Kingdom / London · Vacation schemes / trainee pathway · Academic expectations · Observed 2 November 2026 · Official employer primary source directly reviewed 2026-11-02 · Source SRC-501 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

SIG-1398 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb London says it uses Rare Recruitment's Contextual Recruitment System to consider applicants' academic achievements in the circumstances in which they were obtained.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourceRare Recruitment's Contextual Recruitment System

United Kingdom / London · Vacation schemes · Contextual recruitment · Observed 2 November 2026 · Official employer primary source directly reviewed 2026-11-02 · Source SRC-501 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

SIG-1399 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb London states that shortlisted vacation scheme applicants first complete Watson Glaser, then an online interview with a training principal and senior associate, followed by an in-person assessment day.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourceWatson Glaser test

United Kingdom / London · Vacation scheme applicant selection · Named assessment sequence · Observed 2 November 2026 · Official employer primary source directly reviewed 2026-11-02 · Source SRC-501 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

SIG-1400 Official source Cleary Gottlieb

Cleary Gottlieb London says its trainee intake is recruited exclusively through two-week vacation schemes.

Evidence passage recorded against the sourcerecruit our trainees exclusively through our two-week vacation schemes

United Kingdom / London · Vacation Scheme to Training Contract · Exclusive trainee access route · Observed 2 November 2026 · Official employer primary source directly reviewed 2026-11-02 · Source SRC-501 (clearygottlieb.com) · source record

Corpus release SIG-001..SIG-1427 · signal register · source register · methodology

This page: revised . Corpus: 1387 dated facts (signals) from 494 official source records, last canonical update . Release notes