@SculptorDad: Right, and I’m saying whoever told you that was wrong. Or, at least, that there’s no evidence for such a belief in any of the hiring statistics I’ve seen about big firm recruiting. There are far more students than there are jobs available at big firms. (There are literally twice as many students as law jobs in the market, and only 10% of those jobs are at major law firms.) Big firms can be–and are–selective. Even firms based on high attrition models select for those they think will put out the best work product during that time. For various reasons, younger women do not fit that description.