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Any advice for getting a job in a secondary market that I have no ties to? I've always wanted to live there, but no ties. Lost cause?

abc12345675 wrote:Any advice for getting a job in a secondary market that I have no ties to? I've always wanted to live there, but no ties. Lost cause?

Don't mean to sound like a dick, but yeah, probably. If you're a 0L, try to volunteer somewhere there next summer to get a connection to the city on your resume for OCI. If you're a rising 2L, it's probably not going to happen unless there's some trick I don't know about. I tried like hell to crack some firms in secondary markets for which I had no ties but was otherwise a competitive applicant. Got no response.

If the market has its own law school, consider visiting there for a semester to show interest and network. Good luck.

abc12345675 wrote:Any advice for getting a job in a secondary market that I have no ties to? I've always wanted to live there, but no ties. Lost cause?

I wouldn't say it's impossible, but it's not likely. Might depend on the school you go to, but I know people who managed to get jobs in markets where they had nothing. Remember, firms don't specifically care about ties. Ties are just a proxy for the likelihood that you will stay there and not leave after two years. Firms want to be convinced that you are in for the long haul and worth the investment. Ties are an easy way to convince them of this because the provide an obvious explanation for why you want to be in that area and legitimize your claim.

If you really want to live in the area, that's going to need to come across in your interview (and they will ask). Convince them of that. Have in depth knowledge of the city and be able to articulate why you want to live there.

And yeah, as above poster said, do everything you can to create ties. This will matter more if you're 0L as opposed to already in law school. But do anything/everything you can in the area. Find some way to do something that can go on your resume.