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I feel like a jerk for asking this, but it's something I've been pondering.

I'm around the top 20% mark at a lower T14, and am mostly interested in working in any number of large-ish firms in the small cities near where I grew up. These firms interview at OCI, but it's a small market, so there's only a handful. However, ITE, getting a job in one of these firms seems less sure than it used to. My question is, is it probably safer to interview at some NY firms or Boston firms so I am more likely to have some kind of job offer in case this doesn't work out? Or is it better to show my commitment to working in my geographical region by being able to tell the firms "I'm only interviewing with firms in [geographical region]," so they know that unlike other students they aren't my contingency plan?

I'd really, REALLY prefer to be in my geographical region, as I'm not that into big cities. However, I'd rather have a job that can pay off my loans in Boston or NY than no job at all. Advice?

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thesealocust wrote:Bid on NYC + home town. If you're at a T14 you should have plenty of bids to cover firms you have realistic chances with in both markets, and at the top 20% mark you should have as good a chance as can be hoped at landing a job in one or both markets.

Two things I forgot to mention:

1. The hometown firms all focus a lot in their recruiting information on only being interested in people who are committed to living in this region.

2. I do have a worst case scenario fall-back legal job that should provide enough to pay off loans, so even if I strike out at OCI I won't be unemployed. It's just a job that is far from ideal right now.

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thesealocust wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

thesealocust wrote:Bid on NYC + home town. If you're at a T14 you should have plenty of bids to cover firms you have realistic chances with in both markets, and at the top 20% mark you should have as good a chance as can be hoped at landing a job in one or both markets.

Two things I forgot to mention:

1. The hometown firms all focus a lot in their recruiting information on only being interested in people who are committed to living in this region.

2. I do have a worst case scenario fall-back legal job that should provide enough to pay off loans, so even if I strike out at OCI I won't be unemployed. It's just a job that is far from ideal right now.

Changes nothing; advice stands.

wrt #1, that doesn't change how you bid. It might change how you structure / phrase / order your resume and how you respond to questions in interviews, but it won't affect bidding (other than "don't bid on 5 firms in each of 7 different markets so that you get caught with your pants down if you have to answer the "so where else are you interviewing?" question)

Thanks thesealocust, your advice is deeply appreciated. I think you're probably right.

But Jesus, I'm terrified of getting a time sensitive offer from a NY firm that I have to respond to before hearing back from hometown firms. And then I feel shitty for dreading what most law students would love. But Biglaw sounds completely miserable.

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thesealocust wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:But Jesus, I'm terrified of getting a time sensitive offer from a NY firm that I have to respond to before hearing back from hometown firms.

The NALP Hiring Guidelines wrote:Employers offering positions for the following summer to candidates not previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 28 days following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first. Offers made after December 15 for the following summer should remain open for at least two weeks after the date of the offer letter.

See generally http://www.nalp.org/fulltextofnalpprinc ... _Standards

Thanks!

,

NYAssociate wrote:Obnoxious bluebook reference aside, the NALP rules are a joke. Yes, most firms follow them, but the rules aren't binding, and there were firms that didn't follow them last year. Yes, we all know about the SullCrom vs. HLS battle, but there are other firms that did it without punishment (I'm guessing because they're not as prominent as SullCrom).

But yes, for the most part, one should expect the firm to follow NALP. All of the offers I received followed it.

Thanks NYAssociate, good to know!