I had always planned on doing the writing competiton, but due to starting my job early I left a lot of it until last minute. I would have been ok to finish it but my father in law was rushed to the hospital today with symptoms of a heart attack, so it looks like I'm not going to get it done (due tomorrow 8am). Will no LR kill my chances? Without spring grades I'm borderline top 20% at bc. If I don't make it tonight I'll take the long shot and attempt a note on.

And I don't mean to come across as a callous ass. My father in law is going to be ok, but in our rush to get here before we knew I dropped everything and ran for the car. We live an hour away so its not like I can go home and get my notes and blue book, and I don't want to leave my husband because he's still really upset.

No, it's not necessary. It definitely helps, but it's not absolutely necessary.

When does the note-on happen at BC? If the answer isn't "before OCI" then the main benefits of being on a journal are gone so there's less incentive to try.

I got market paying biglaw from a similarly ranked school with no journal. My grades were slightly better (top 5-10%) but it's definitely possible to do without journal. Just slap moot court on your resume and be prepared to sound really excited for it and for all the litigation-centric experience that goes with it.

I dont know what advice to give.

LR is worth it, but as I had expected, a secondary journal was not (at least 2-3 years ago). People who did not have good grades did not get biglaw just because they were on journals. A lot of resentment and regret on their part. A lot of people who had the grades and/or had technical backgrounds were able to get something even without any journals.

i did not regret not going for any secondary journal.

How bad would it be if you didn't get big law at OCI but did get a secondary journa, and then decided post-OCI to quit your journal position?

I heard that a LR guy quit after getting regional biglaw.
as for your case, I don't know what to say. probably less bad.... but imho, once you've made a promise you should commit to it.

I had a very top GPA from my T30 but did not get a journal due to a quirk in the system. It hurt me during OCI in a major way. I still got biglaw but only a couple offers when others in my spot had their pick.

Not what I wanted to hear . This + my paying near sticker at my T30 pretty much confirms that I'm transferring.

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My school (and I imagine others as well) would be pretty unhappy about this. We'd get a notation on our transcripts, though I'm not sure what else.

I think we had to sign a contract too so it would be breaking that (but I could be wrong on this account, my memory is fuzzy).

i think it depends on whether you have a good excuse for why you didn't try (and all the other factors). i have a friend who started job early also and just couldn't put time into it, he ended up splitting between 2 big law firms (had much more than just 2 offers)... but he's also very good with networking, likeable, and did all the litigation stuff like clinics as a 2L at a high t14 with a good gpa.

My school sends a letter to your firm if you quit.

OUCH!!! That's kind of harsh--and reeks of tortious interference.

A journal usually serves to help distinguish otherwise similarly situated students at one school.
Since not all school operate their journal the same way it's hard to say how important being on a any journal is compared to being on law review.
If you have a school that gives journal spots to students based on class rank or GPA then journal can be an easy way to just interview only those at a certain rank in the class.
I think it's tough to say definitively if not being on a journal hurts your chances, and obviously if a firm prefers journal experience and you don't have any that is not in your favor. Being on a journal when it comes to interviewing can never be a bad thing.