1L diversity SA positions Forum

[Anonymous User]

From what I know Gibson only takes 1-2 1Ls per office.
Anyone know which offices extended offers already?

Almost every Gibson office is only taking one 1L (or at least, that's what I was told).

[Anonymous User]

Have an interview for ACC Minority Internship (Chicago Chapter) this weekend.

[Anonymous User]

Do Gibson Dunn, Cravath, or Wachtell provide scholarships along with their diversity programs, or is it just the normal SA salary?

[Anonymous User]

Do Gibson Dunn, Cravath, or Wachtell provide scholarships along with their diversity programs, or is it just the normal SA salary?

Wachtell and Gibson Dunn NY don't (not sure about the other Gibson offices). As for Cravath, I believe their 1L program is open to anyone, not just diverse candidates, and also does not include a scholarship.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have a general timeline of the process? It's too hard to piece together with all the anonymous posting. And is it just screening, a callback, and then offer?

[Kretzy]

Does anyone have a general timeline of the process? It's too hard to piece together with all the anonymous posting. And is it just screening, a callback, and then offer?

Anonymous does make it hard to determine a timeline. Here was mine:

November: Create a list of all the firms you can find that have diversity programs, create a spreadsheet of deadlines and requirements for each.

December (before finals): Line up letters of recommendation and undergrad transcripts, if required.

December (after finals)/January: Begin writing your personal statements, often 500 words or so, and tailor them to each firm. Winter break is a great time for this, I bet I did 12 or so while I was home/traveling over break.

January: Send off the first wave of applications. For these, I've found it was less important to have stuff to firms right off the bat; many (including some of the most prestigious ones) won't start interviewing or calling folks back until they have everyone's applications in. Try to be in a couple weeks before the deadline.

Late January/early February: If you're a competitive applicant and have everything in, you might start hearing from some firms for screening interviews. Some firms will bump certain candidates straight to a callback. Just like in law school apps, start being ready to answer your phone when strange area codes pop up.

Early February: Start getting rejections. You'll be getting a lot of them, even if you're a very competitive applicant.

February, into March: Do callbacks. This makes Spring sort of rough (particularly if you are at Stanford/Chi/UW/other schools on quarters), but firms were almost always willing to work with me to make sure I came on the day of the week where I'd be missing the least class. All told, I still missed about a dozen classes during spring term for callbacks.

Still February, into March: Start receiving offers. Most firms will operate on the NALP deadline for 1Ls (2 weeks), though some will allow you to keep the offer open indefinitely (just don't be dick about it and string them along). This can put you in a sort of precarious position, just like you will be during 2L OCI - I had two offers closing within a day of each other, and was waiting to hear back from another firm I liked more. I spent a lot of time thinking about which firm I'd call at 4:30 on the day of my offer deadline, if the other firm didn't come through.

It's a hectic process. Not all firms are the same, but this was generally true about most of them. Make sure to spend extra time searching for firms that do diversity programs in areas where you have ties: Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Atlanta and Portland all have a number, as do NYC/SF/LA. Sometimes being competitive as an applicant isn't enough, and the firms will take local students despite your best efforts to seem interested in the area (or, genuine interest in the area, as happened to me in one case).

Don't get discouraged when your friends are all taking offers elsewhere, but do recognize that you're taking a risk just applying to firms; you'll hear later, and most of the top-notch PI and gov't jobs will be gone. I'd apply to Federal Gov't positions as a backup, in retrospect, like Transportation/Labor/Defense and other Cabinet Departments, since those move rather late as well. For me, working at a firm during the summer was worth the risk (I turned down two PI jobs before getting even a screening interview with any firms), for many of my friends, they decided locking down their first choice USAO/whatnot was a better call.

Hope that helps.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone have a general timeline of the process? It's too hard to piece together with all the anonymous posting. And is it just screening, a callback, and then offer?

Anonymous does make it hard to determine a timeline. Here was mine:

November: Create a list of all the firms you can find that have diversity programs, create a spreadsheet of deadlines and requirements for each.

December (before finals): Line up letters of recommendation and undergrad transcripts, if required.

December (after finals)/January: Begin writing your personal statements, often 500 words or so, and tailor them to each firm. Winter break is a great time for this, I bet I did 12 or so while I was home/traveling over break.

January: Send off the first wave of applications. For these, I've found it was less important to have stuff to firms right off the bat; many (including some of the most prestigious ones) won't start interviewing or calling folks back until they have everyone's applications in. Try to be in a couple weeks before the deadline.

Late January/early February: If you're a competitive applicant and have everything in, you might start hearing from some firms for screening interviews. Some firms will bump certain candidates straight to a callback. Just like in law school apps, start being ready to answer your phone when strange area codes pop up.

Early February: Start getting rejections. You'll be getting a lot of them, even if you're a very competitive applicant.

February, into March: Do callbacks. This makes Spring sort of rough (particularly if you are at Stanford/Chi/UW/other schools on quarters), but firms were almost always willing to work with me to make sure I came on the day of the week where I'd be missing the least class. All told, I still missed about a dozen classes during spring term for callbacks.

Still February, into March: Start receiving offers. Most firms will operate on the NALP deadline for 1Ls (2 weeks), though some will allow you to keep the offer open indefinitely (just don't be dick about it and string them along). This can put you in a sort of precarious position, just like you will be during 2L OCI - I had two offers closing within a day of each other, and was waiting to hear back from another firm I liked more. I spent a lot of time thinking about which firm I'd call at 4:30 on the day of my offer deadline, if the other firm didn't come through.

It's a hectic process. Not all firms are the same, but this was generally true about most of them. Make sure to spend extra time searching for firms that do diversity programs in areas where you have ties: Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Atlanta and Portland all have a number, as do NYC/SF/LA. Sometimes being competitive as an applicant isn't enough, and the firms will take local students despite your best efforts to seem interested in the area (or, genuine interest in the area, as happened to me in one case).

Don't get discouraged when your friends are all taking offers elsewhere, but do recognize that you're taking a risk just applying to firms; you'll hear later, and most of the top-notch PI and gov't jobs will be gone. I'd apply to Federal Gov't positions as a backup, in retrospect, like Transportation/Labor/Defense and other Cabinet Departments, since those move rather late as well. For me, working at a firm during the summer was worth the risk (I turned down two PI jobs before getting even a screening interview with any firms), for many of my friends, they decided locking down their first choice USAO/whatnot was a better call.

Hope that helps.

Thanks! I was asking more specifically about the diversity SA positions though, like between screening - callback - offer. Also what happens if you take a job, thinking they won't give you the offer, and then they do afterwards? Just SOL?

[Kretzy]

Thanks! I was asking more specifically about the diversity SA positions though, like between screening - callback - offer. Also what happens if you take a job, thinking they won't give you the offer, and then they do afterwards? Just SOL?

It ranges; I've waited up to 3 weeks after the deadline for a screener/callback, and between 2-10 days for an offer, and between 3-10 days for a rejection. And yes, if you take a job, you're SOL for the diversity position.

[Anonymous User]

...or you're not SOL, just back out.

[Anonymous User]

Do all of these fellowships pay? How much?

[Anonymous User]

Wanted to bump this thread to ask:

Does anyone know what type of grades are necessary (from HYS, CCN, etc.) for these 1L diversity positions/fellowships (e.g. MTO, Weil, Wachtell, etc.)?

[Anonymous User]

Wanted to bump this thread to ask:

Does anyone know what type of grades are necessary (from HYS, CCN, etc.) for these 1L diversity positions/fellowships (e.g. MTO, Weil, Wachtell, etc.)?

Can't speak to people's exact grades, but a few anecdotes might be illustrative: One person I know from CCN who did 1L at Wachtell ended up on LR at her school, and of the two from HLS who did 1L at Gibson Dunn, one ended up on LR and the other is a BSA. These things don't correlate precisely with grades, but are usually a pretty good indication that the people did very well 1L year. Probably top 25% at the *very* least. Note these anecdotes aren't necessarily all from the same year. Also, there are a couple HYS people who did 1L at Wachtell who aren't on LR or anything like that (but one was known to be a super-gunner 1L - take that for what it's worth re: grades, and the other is a joint degree person with a very prestigious b-school) so, it's possible there's some wiggle room.

Sketchy information with fuzzy correlation/causation questions, I know, but hopefully it's somewhat helpful. The upshot is that people who get these spots tend to be pretty high-caliber.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone received a reply from Perkins Coie yet?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone received a reply from Perkins Coie yet?

Chicago office just sent out email asking people to make sure their applications are complete, so I'm guessing decisions for interviews not finalized yet.

[Anonymous User]

What's going on with MoFo? I had a phone, now in person interview set up. Anyone else?

[Anonymous User]

What's going on with MoFo? I had a phone, now in person interview set up. Anyone else?

What is the phone interview like? What do they ask? Also, how common are the phone interview invitations? Does almost everyone get them or do they give them out selectively?

[Anonymous User]

What's going on with MoFo? I had a phone, now in person interview set up. Anyone else?

What is the phone interview like? What do they ask? Also, how common are the phone interview invitations? Does almost everyone get them or do they give them out selectively?

Different anon. They seem to be selective with their screeners because the limited time slots for screeners. Which offices did you apply to?

[Anonymous User]

What's going on with MoFo? I had a phone, now in person interview set up. Anyone else?

What is the phone interview like? What do they ask? Also, how common are the phone interview invitations? Does almost everyone get them or do they give them out selectively?

Different anon. They seem to be selective with their screeners because the limited time slots for screeners. Which offices did you apply to?

I applied to their main office in San Francisco.

[Anonymous User]

How long after your phone screen with MoFo did it take for them to contact you about an in-person interview?

[Anonymous User]

How long after your phone screen with MoFo did it take for them to contact you about an in-person interview?

What was the phone screen like?

[r6_philly]

Anyone heard from Cravath or MTO?

[Anonymous User]

Just to encourage everyone. I had work experience, and was top 20% at a T10 after 1st semester and didn't even get an interview. Black guy. Spent lots of time on the applications and essays. Don't put all your eggs in this basket

[Anonymous User]

Just to encourage everyone. I had work experience, and was top 20% at a T10 after 1st semester and didn't even get an interview. Black guy. Spent lots of time on the applications and essays. Don't put all your eggs in this basket

Yeah, but where were you applying? I only applied to smaller Midwestern markets where I had ties and I'm really hoping something comes through. It's good advice though to look for other options as well.

[Anonymous User]

Just to encourage everyone. I had work experience, and was top 20% at a T10 after 1st semester and didn't even get an interview. Black guy. Spent lots of time on the applications and essays. Don't put all your eggs in this basket

Yeah, but where were you applying? I only applied to smaller Midwestern markets where I had ties and I'm really hoping something comes through. It's good advice though to look for other options as well.

Every single one I could find (probably over 20). Granted didn't have ties to a lot of them but even where I had ties I wasn't doing well for some reason. I ended up getting a paid gig but what I am saying is keep hustling and applying paid and unpaid until you get an actual offer. 1L job hiring is so fickle good grades are far from enough

[estopped]

Ugh. This is so depressing. Places are already giving callbacks and offers, but I haven't even gotten any of my grades yet. Terrible.