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Let's put aside saving money / maturation / law school admissions. ITE, is full-time professional work experience for one or two years justifiable solely based on the advantage it gives you at OCI?

Depends on what kind of WE it is.

So for people who say it always matters, is this just any WE like working as a waiter etc, or does it mean WE that you would at least have to have a college degree to do?

If it demonstrates maturity, an ability to work under pressure or in a team, work with clients, etc. (i.e., things that can translate to a legal career), then it will be helpful. Several years folding clothes at The GAP won't necessarily help just for the sake of work experience, other than perhaps showing them you can maintain a steady job in the real world.

That's how I've understood it, and how the partners I've talked to have spoken about it. Hiring isn't always as formulaic, obviously, as some folks wish it was.

You never know, sometimes WE can show maturity, sometimes it can mean that you have already become aware of the real world and are more cynical, thus perhaps less likely to work as hard as a K-JD eager to work around the clock. Also too much WE can give you some bad habits and firms may want to mold you into the attorney they need you to be.

ETA: If you do have WE by all means you should spin it positively and use it to relate to your interviewer. Spinning it this way ensures that you don't give the impression that you just got bored of your job and decided to go to law school, as this may make you seem like a flight risk.

WE makes interviewing MUCH easier, you have more/easier things to talk about and have the potential to relate to the person sitting across from you in a way you don't if you go k-jd.

WE as a Marine will go a LONG way if your interviewer is a former Marine. Being an assistant manager at McDonalds for a couple of years will not.

In other words, it depends on the WE and it is WAY just beyond finance or engineering.

Like others have said, depends on the WE.

With that being said, WE like the following are good IMO:
-something that shows you can work LONG hours (60+/wk) (partner in a start-up company, etc)
-something that shows you have been given responsibility (managerial duties with strict deadlines w/success record)
-something that can help you connect w/ the interviewer/hiring partners/decision-making people (military)
-something that shows you have exposure to the legal world (previous work at a law firm or area of work you want to do)

What should probably be left off the resume, and/or would be useless IMO:
-part time job at retail store during HS/UG

Chucky21 wrote:You never know, sometimes WE can show maturity, sometimes it can mean that you have already become aware of the real world and are more cynical, thus perhaps less likely to work as hard as a K-JD eager to work around the clock. Also too much WE can give you some bad habits and firms may want to mold you into the attorney they need you to be.

If through WE you learn you're not willing to work long hours, you were going to find that out shortly as an attorney anyway, and frankly it would probably be apparent before the end of your summer. WE is never going to break someone who otherwise would have been a hard worker. Quite the opposite, its value to a firm is to allow people who are not willing to work long hours to realize that about themselves and opt out of firm work, instead of just theorizing as a K-JD that you will be a hard worker.

As for bad habits, I don't think there are many jobs analogous enough to associate work for bad habits to emerge.

If you can get in to Yale or Stanford as a K-JD I think you should go. Harvard is probably fine too, but you may be sacrificing some opportunities if you don't get stellar grades.

I would probably opt for 2 years of high quality work experience before going to CCN as a K-JD.

If your only options are low quality experiences, you should probably just go to school if it's a T14.

bdubs wrote:If you can get in to Yale or Stanford as a K-JD I think you should go. Harvard is probably fine too, but you may be sacrificing some opportunities if you don't get stellar grades.

I would probably opt for 2 years of high quality work experience before going to CCN as a K-JD.

If your only options are low quality experiences, you should probably just go to school if it's a T14.

I agree with your post content, but probably have a narrower definition of "low quality experiences." While I think that retail work or waiting tables isn't going to help (and might even hurt), lots of entry-level/administrative experience is spinnable.

This is a stupid question. You should absolutely take at least two years off and go work, regardless of where you are going. The idea that only finance or engineering is worthwhile seems to indicate that you could use some perspective, and working for a little while will go a long way in giving that to you. It will also help you to establish your long term goals.

The K-JD kids at my law school don't know anything. They almost all got jobs at good firms because almost everyone at my school does, but nothing is contextualized for them and they really seem clueless and immature a lot of the time. I've really enjoyed my experience in the business school because the people all have experience and know how to get stuff done and work in teams, and there is a very stark difference between those people and the law school people. Take the time to work, you'll be very glad you did.

IAFG wrote:

bdubs wrote:If you can get in to Yale or Stanford as a K-JD I think you should go. Harvard is probably fine too, but you may be sacrificing some opportunities if you don't get stellar grades.

I would probably opt for 2 years of high quality work experience before going to CCN as a K-JD.

If your only options are low quality experiences, you should probably just go to school if it's a T14.

I agree with your post content, but probably have a narrower definition of "low quality experiences." While I think that retail work or waiting tables isn't going to help (and might even hurt), lots of entry-level/administrative experience is spinnable.

I agree that a generic corporate-ish job can probably help show that you understand how to operate in a work environment. It probably isn't necessary to work in a position like that for much more than a year though.

Waiting tables or working retail are definitely not worth delaying school for. I have mixed feelings about teaching, which seems to be a common experience for law school but I really don't see how it translates into legal work.

bdubs wrote:

IAFG wrote:

bdubs wrote:If you can get in to Yale or Stanford as a K-JD I think you should go. Harvard is probably fine too, but you may be sacrificing some opportunities if you don't get stellar grades.

I would probably opt for 2 years of high quality work experience before going to CCN as a K-JD.

If your only options are low quality experiences, you should probably just go to school if it's a T14.

I agree with your post content, but probably have a narrower definition of "low quality experiences." While I think that retail work or waiting tables isn't going to help (and might even hurt), lots of entry-level/administrative experience is spinnable.

I agree that a generic corporate-ish job can probably help show that you understand how to operate in a work environment. It probably isn't necessary to work in a position like that for much more than a year though.

Waiting tables or working retail are definitely not worth delaying school for. I have mixed feelings about teaching, which seems to be a common experience for law school but I really don't see how it translates into legal work.

I don't think translation into legal work is necessary for an OCI boost in the least. Once you get outside of finance and management consulting, they're all pretty inapplicable, and at that point you're mostly spinning your dedication, ability to grind, professionalism, etc.

On the topic of WE, does a one-year full-time science research fellowship qualify as WE?

collegebum1989 wrote:On the topic of WE, does a one-year full-time science research fellowship qualify as WE?

Is it independent of a degree program?

Yes, not affiliated witha degree. It's actually for post-grads

Since any lawyer would be familiar with the concept of fellowships from at least te perspective of legal fellowships, I am sure it would be viewed as real work.