Median CLS at EIP Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering how everyone thought that 2Ls who are at median will fare at EIP this year? Supposedly, according to the OCS there are are more employers and interviewers than last year. Just wondering what you guys think.

[Anonymous User]

+1, I'm interested in this too anyone have any thoughts? I have a little under 20 interviews all NY

[Anonymous User]

Better than median at most other schools.

[imchuckbass58]

There's no way to say this for sure.

Most firms will probably hire the same or slightly more than they did last year (though with the recent market turmoil, who knows). Given that, EIP will probably be a lot like last year. That is, most people at median will get a job, but there will be some who don't, whether it's because of poor bidding (hard markets and/or overly aggressive firm list), inability to interview well, or having a generally unremarkable package as a whole.

[Anonymous User]

I'll preface this by saying I'm also median at CLS, but I think we should both be shitting bricks

[GeePee]

I'll preface this by saying I'm also median at CLS, but I think we should both be shitting bricks

Do your homework and prep for your interviews and you should have a job. Yes, it will probably be a stressful path to a job, but there is no reason that you shouldn't be able to get yourself hired from median at CLS.

[Anonymous User]

I'll preface this by saying I'm also median at CLS, but I think we should both be shitting bricks

Do your homework and prep for your interviews and you should have a job. Yes, it will probably be a stressful path to a job, but there is no reason that you shouldn't be able to get yourself hired from median at CLS.

I don't really know what "homework" to do. Other than basic info such as practice areas, work assignment/allocation, and knowing who your interviewer is, what else is there? I mean should we know what cases the firm has been on, what deals they've closed? If so, that is a ton of info for any big firm.

[GeePee]

It's really as simple as the stuff you listed plus any unique policies and the summer program. That should put you ahead of the curve. If the firm has been in the news, that's good info too, but I'd be hesitant to have substantive discussions about cases you probably don't know much about.

[Anonymous User]

It's really as simple as the stuff you listed plus any unique policies and the summer program. That should put you ahead of the curve. If the firm has been in the news, that's good info too, but I'd be hesitant to have substantive discussions about cases you probably don't know much about.

Great! I was thinking exactly that. I would not be able to talk all that intelligently about most of that stuff (I mean, torts and Ks were great classes, but I doubt I know anything about real-world cases).

[Anonymous User]

I was below-median at 2L OCI last year (B- killed me first semester), received a number of callbacks and ultimately worked at a V10 firm. Don't make your grades a self-fulfilling prophecy. Aside from knowing about the firm's program, my best piece of advice would be that personality goes a LONG way in this industry. Be enthusiastic about the firm and about your experience, smile, be gracious and excited.

[timbs4339]

I'd have to disagree with a some of the posters in this thread. It is a really chancy proposition coming from median especially with no work experience. Based on my experience, I was pretty prepared, had cheat sheets, knew the practice areas and interviewer bios, big cases, etc, and still struck out. Your classmates will have all of that information too. You should be mass mailing, hospitality suites, federal government honors, etc.

I guess my advice would be: be the best version of yourself.

[GeePee]

I'd have to disagree with a some of the posters in this thread. It is a really chancy proposition coming from median especially with no work experience. Based on my experience, I was pretty prepared, had cheat sheets, knew the practice areas and interviewer bios, big cases, etc, and still struck out. Your classmates will have all of that information too. You should be mass mailing, hospitality suites, federal government honors, etc.

I guess my advice would be: be the best version of yourself.

You've also admitted yourself that a lot of the problem was that you bid heavily on secondary markets where you thought you had ties, but they weren't enough. Obviously, that alone can't take all of the blame, but CLS places quite well in New York and median students should be in good shape with proper bidlists.

[Anonymous User]

I was below-median at 2L OCI last year (B- killed me first semester), received a number of callbacks and ultimately worked at a V10 firm. Don't make your grades a self-fulfilling prophecy. Aside from knowing about the firm's program, my best piece of advice would be that personality goes a LONG way in this industry. Be enthusiastic about the firm and about your experience, smile, be gracious and excited.

are u a minority? did u have superb work experience pre-law school? was the v10 an outlier or did you have other similar caliber callbacks/offers?

[timbs4339]

I'd have to disagree with a some of the posters in this thread. It is a really chancy proposition coming from median especially with no work experience. Based on my experience, I was pretty prepared, had cheat sheets, knew the practice areas and interviewer bios, big cases, etc, and still struck out. Your classmates will have all of that information too. You should be mass mailing, hospitality suites, federal government honors, etc.

I guess my advice would be: be the best version of yourself.

You've also admitted yourself that a lot of the problem was that you bid heavily on secondary markets where you thought you had ties, but they weren't enough. Obviously, that alone can't take all of the blame, but CLS places quite well in New York and median students should be in good shape with proper bidlists.

If living in a place your entire life doesn't count as ties, I don't know what does.

[Anonymous User]

I was below-median at 2L OCI last year (B- killed me first semester), received a number of callbacks and ultimately worked at a V10 firm. Don't make your grades a self-fulfilling prophecy. Aside from knowing about the firm's program, my best piece of advice would be that personality goes a LONG way in this industry. Be enthusiastic about the firm and about your experience, smile, be gracious and excited.

are u a minority? did u have superb work experience pre-law school? was the v10 an outlier or did you have other similar caliber callbacks/offers?

Nope, caucasian. This was my only V-10, but I received about ten callbacks, mostly within the V-20 and V-50. I did work as a paralegal before law school, but most people at CLS have pre-law school work experience and a bad transcript far outweighs a fairly common soft like WE.

[Anonymous User]

I was below-median at 2L OCI last year (B- killed me first semester), received a number of callbacks and ultimately worked at a V10 firm. Don't make your grades a self-fulfilling prophecy. Aside from knowing about the firm's program, my best piece of advice would be that personality goes a LONG way in this industry. Be enthusiastic about the firm and about your experience, smile, be gracious and excited.

are u a minority? did u have superb work experience pre-law school? was the v10 an outlier or did you have other similar caliber callbacks/offers?

Nope, caucasian. This was my only V-10, but I received about ten callbacks, mostly within the V-20 and V-50. I did work as a paralegal before law school, but most people at CLS have pre-law school work experience and a bad transcript far outweighs a fairly common soft like WE.

First of all, congrats. Hopefully your summer went well and you secured an full-time offer. Did you have ties to this V-10 or a recommendation? Any tips outside of enthusiasm and graciousness that you can think might have lead to not only this gig, but all the other callbacks? I'm below median at CLS as well, on a secondary journal, with work experience, and am about to start this process in a couple days. Thanks.

[Total Litigator]

I was below-median at 2L OCI last year (B- killed me first semester), received a number of callbacks and ultimately worked at a V10 firm. Don't make your grades a self-fulfilling prophecy. Aside from knowing about the firm's program, my best piece of advice would be that personality goes a LONG way in this industry. Be enthusiastic about the firm and about your experience, smile, be gracious and excited.

are u a minority? did u have superb work experience pre-law school? was the v10 an outlier or did you have other similar caliber callbacks/offers?

Nope, caucasian. This was my only V-10, but I received about ten callbacks, mostly within the V-20 and V-50. I did work as a paralegal before law school, but most people at CLS have pre-law school work experience and a bad transcript far outweighs a fairly common soft like WE.

Wow, congrats. Can mortals do this too, or are you this guy?:

[Anonymous User]

I was below-median at 2L OCI last year (B- killed me first semester), received a number of callbacks and ultimately worked at a V10 firm. Don't make your grades a self-fulfilling prophecy. Aside from knowing about the firm's program, my best piece of advice would be that personality goes a LONG way in this industry. Be enthusiastic about the firm and about your experience, smile, be gracious and excited.

are u a minority? did u have superb work experience pre-law school? was the v10 an outlier or did you have other similar caliber callbacks/offers?

Nope, caucasian. This was my only V-10, but I received about ten callbacks, mostly within the V-20 and V-50. I did work as a paralegal before law school, but most people at CLS have pre-law school work experience and a bad transcript far outweighs a fairly common soft like WE.

First of all, congrats. Hopefully your summer went well and you secured an full-time offer. Did you have ties to this V-10 or a recommendation? Any tips outside of enthusiasm and graciousness that you can think might have lead to not only this gig, but all the other callbacks? I'm below median at CLS as well, on a secondary journal, with work experience, and am about to start this process in a couple days. Thanks.

Thanks very much! The summer went extremely well. I had no ties to my firm (or any of the firms I received callbacks from) or recommendations from any of its attorneys. Fun fact, the firm I paralegaled at didn't even give me a callback, probably because of my grades!

I'm not going to lie: it's an uphill battle, and some firms have strict GPA thresholds (don't ask me which ones - I still don't know). My boyfriend and I spent a good time pondering how the hell I made it through EIP, and the only thing we could come up with is the fact that I have good interviewing skills. Because, let's face it: basically everyone at EIP will be on a secondary journal and have some sort of awesome work experience as an intern for some judge or law firm or international court.

One thing I did learn while being a paralegal is that most people can do a first year associate's job. Recruiters want to hire people who they want to work long hours with. But frankly, there's a fair amount of people in the legal profession who are all sorts of awkward sauce. Being likable and approachable is huge, and is the type of asset that'll make you stand out from all the other highly qualified law students.

[Anonymous User]

As an unemployed c/o 2011 alumnus, I wish you all the best of luck.

[CG614]

As an unemployed c/o 2011 alumnus, I wish you all the best of luck.

Thank you for the completely unnecessary post!

[somewhatwayward]

As an unemployed c/o 2011 alumnus, I wish you all the best of luck.

what percentage of your class do you think is still unemployed?

[Anonymous User]

20-30%. I don't count 6 month fellowships as real jobs.

[Anonymous User]

So how's it going for people? I have two CBs, and I am pretty nervous....

[Anonymous User]

not so well, only 1 CB here. time to start mass mailing and looking into govt jobs...

[Anonymous User]

I just posted this in the other EIP thread, but I'm reposting here: most of the firms that seem to have had a quick turnaround from screener to callback so far are V10s or V50s. As median or below median, you should have interviewed with lots of firms that are not in this range. These are also the firms that, for the most part, have not given out callbacks yet. I don't think you can accurately judge how you are doing for at least another week or so. Keep your chin up!