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I just recently started applying. I know it was stupid to miss the December 1st deadline, but I was busy with finals. Do I still have a decent shot of landing a firm job? Even a remote shot of landing work with any of the big vault firms? Advice on what sort of firms/markets I should target? I am open to working anywhere, but my T30 is in the Midwest.

lawschooliseasy wrote:I just recently started applying. I know it was stupid to miss the December 1st deadline, but I was busy with finals. Do I still have a decent shot of landing a firm job? Even a remote shot of landing work with any of the big vault firms? Advice on what sort of firms/markets I should target? I am open to working anywhere, but my T30 is in the Midwest.

Apply to literally as many places as you have time for, but definitely don't skip markets geographically close to your T30. It's late, but probably not too late. Plus, with numbers like those, you might have a shot at your spring OCI, if there is one. GL!

patrickd139 wrote:

lawschooliseasy wrote:I just recently started applying. I know it was stupid to miss the December 1st deadline, but I was busy with finals. Do I still have a decent shot of landing a firm job? Even a remote shot of landing work with any of the big vault firms? Advice on what sort of firms/markets I should target? I am open to working anywhere, but my T30 is in the Midwest.

Apply to literally as many places as you have time for, but definitely don't skip markets geographically close to your T30. It's late, but probably not too late. Plus, with numbers like those, you might have a shot at your spring OCI, if there is one. GL!

Basically, here's the situation I'm in. I have a good offer that I like with a non-profit. Would I be justified in turning it down based on a reasonable probability of landing paid work? Or should I take the non-profit gig and call it a day?

'law school is easy' the rest of the 98%-99% hate you haha

You have a remote shot at landing a Vault firm 1L summer gig mainly because so few of them do it. Your best bet though is to scour NALP and ask career services about other firms in your area that have traditionally taken on 1L's, then send apps out to those. Working for a Vault firm 1L doesn't add much to what I personally consider to be the rather large boost you get during 2L OCI if you've worked any sort of "significant" firm for the summer.

IMO, it also doesn't matter if you don't eventually want to work in the region of your school. With those grades, you have a good shot at getting something at the firms that do take on 1L's so you should take advantage of it. You'll be getting paid, boosting your resume/ability to succeed at OCI, and giving yourself an answer to the inevitable question of "why should we take a chance that someone with your credentials would actually want to stay here." That was the approach I took this past summer. I worked at two well known regional firms in my school's state. It ended up solidifying my previously nonexistent ties to the state my school was in, thereby helping with my OCI success at my school (a good fall back plan to have; especially for schools like ours (t30s) that generally only have firms in their state or region at OCI). It also helped me land several job offers in several different states. Pretty much every firm I interviewed with commented about either liking that I had worked/knowing my firm/knowing someone at my firm/etc...


edit: Can you split with the non profit and a firm?

lawschooliseasy wrote:

patrickd139 wrote:

lawschooliseasy wrote:I just recently started applying. I know it was stupid to miss the December 1st deadline, but I was busy with finals. Do I still have a decent shot of landing a firm job? Even a remote shot of landing work with any of the big vault firms? Advice on what sort of firms/markets I should target? I am open to working anywhere, but my T30 is in the Midwest.

Apply to literally as many places as you have time for, but definitely don't skip markets geographically close to your T30. It's late, but probably not too late. Plus, with numbers like those, you might have a shot at your spring OCI, if there is one. GL!

Basically, here's the situation I'm in. I have a good offer that I like with a non-profit. Would I be justified in turning it down based on a reasonable probability of landing paid work? Or should I take the non-profit gig and call it a day?

how long before you have to give the non-profit an answer? i definitely dont think it is that reasonably probable that you will land a 1L firm gig so...

thegor1987 wrote:'law school is easy' the rest of the 98%-99% hate you haha

I feel like an asshole for having this username. I picked it when I bombed my first LSAT out of sheer irony.

Aqualibrium wrote:
edit: Can you split with the non profit and a firm?

Maybe I should ask about this? Problem is that I was already made an offer that I believe I have to accept or reject quite soon (a weekish). Should I just ask if splitting is a possibility?

lawschooliseasy wrote:

Aqualibrium wrote:
edit: Can you split with the non profit and a firm?

Maybe I should ask about this? Problem is that I was already made an offer that I believe I have to accept or reject quite soon (a weekish). Should I just ask if splitting is a possibility?

Yes. Tell them you're excited about the opportunity to work with them, but there are also a few other opportunities that you're interested in so you wanted to see if you could spend six weeks with them, which would allow you to work 6 weeks at another organization.

Aqualibrium wrote:

lawschooliseasy wrote:

Aqualibrium wrote:
edit: Can you split with the non profit and a firm?

Maybe I should ask about this? Problem is that I was already made an offer that I believe I have to accept or reject quite soon (a weekish). Should I just ask if splitting is a possibility?

Yes. Tell them you're excited about the opportunity to work with them, but there are also a few other opportunities that you're interested in so you wanted to see if you could spend six weeks with them, which would allow you to work 6 weeks at another organization.

This. If they press you to give them specifics, tell them you want to work the second half of the summer.