Critique my GWU OCI Bid List Forum

[androstan]

Trying to get basically anything anywhere. 1LE, passed the patent bar, BS in Chem E, MA in Chemistry. 1 year of work experience as a chemist and an adjunct faculty. Internship at PTO. 2.9 UGPA. 3.43 LS GPA, which means at least top 35% (Thurgood Marshall Scholar designation). Been working for a solo patent attorney for several months now who was a student associate at Finnegan for 4 years. Just offered an internship in Justice Rader's chambers for the remainder of the summer. For those who do not know, the Fed. Circuit hears most patent cases, and he is the chief justice.

GW is all preselect. We get 35 bids for on-campus interviews, otherwise there are no meaningful bid limitations.

GW FRP
1. Baker & Hostetler
2. Baker & McKenzie
3. Bryan Cave
4. Chadbourne & Parke
5. cooley llp
6. Dechert
7. Drinker Biddle & Reath
8. Epstein Becker & Green
9. Finnegan
10. Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
11. Fox Rothschild
12. Frommer, Lawrence & Haug
13. Goodwin Procter
14. Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds
15. Hughes Hubbard & Reed
16. Hunton & Williams
17. Keller and Heckman
18. Kelley Drye & Warren
19. Kenyon and Kenyon
20. Knobbe Martens
21. LeClairRyan
22. Leydig, Voit & Meyer
23. McDermott, Will & Emery
24. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
25. Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
26. Nixon Peabody
27. Patton Boggs
28. Paul Hastings
29. Pillsbury Winthrop
30. Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, PC
31. Shearman & Sterling
32. Sidley Austin
33. Sullivan & Worcester
34. Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox
35. Vinson & Elkins
36. Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald
37. Wiley Rein

NY REGIONAL
1. Amster Rothstein & Ebenstein
2. Cahill Gordon & Reindel
3. Chadbourne & Parke
4. Linklaters
5. Lowenstein Sandler
6. Porzio, Bromberg & Newman
7. Schulte Roth & Zabel


PA REGIONAL
1. Ballard Spahr (Baltimore)
2. Ballard Spahr (Philadelphia)
3. Drinker Biddle & Reath (Philadelphia)
4. Fox Rothschild (Philadelphia)
5. Woodcock Washburn (Philadelphia)

[fatduck]

so jelly of your OCI

[androstan]

so jelly of your OCI

what?

[fatduck]

so jelly of your OCI

what?

lots of firms i would like to bid on that don't come to vandy

carry on

[Anonymous User]

I think your bid list is generally good, but you almost seem to be low-balling yourself a little bit as an IP person. For example, you don't have Ropes on your list, and I know they recruit at GW for IP people pretty regularly. Don't be afraid to throw in a few reach bids.

As for the NY regional list (and Philly too I guess, but I don't have experience in that one), unless you are now limited to 7 bids or there are only 7 firms coming, you should bid on the maximum number of firms you can. It's all done in one day, and the CDO schedules them to ensure that any interviews you get can be fit in. There's really no reason not to send in a bid for a regional day unless you are limited by number or in your case, they don't do any IP work.

[androstan]

I think your bid list is generally good, but you almost seem to be low-balling yourself a little bit as an IP person. For example, you don't have Ropes on your list, and I know they recruit at GW for IP people pretty regularly. Don't be afraid to throw in a few reach bids.

As for the NY regional list (and Philly too I guess, but I don't have experience in that one), unless you are now limited to 7 bids or there are only 7 firms coming, you should bid on the maximum number of firms you can. It's all done in one day, and the CDO schedules them to ensure that any interviews you get can be fit in. There's really no reason not to send in a bid for a regional day unless you are limited by number or in your case, they don't do any IP work.

Thanks for the feedback. I thought Ropes was more than just a "reach," but rather more of a space-rocket launch. Dean Whealan (assistant Dean for IP at GW) told me he thought Finnegan was a "stretch."

With respect to regional bids, there aren't many firms doing it, like 10 or 15? I bid liberally, but for PA I wasn't going to bid on Ballard's Salt Lake or or AZ offices, a DE firm, or the PA DA's office. That's it for PA regional.

For NYC, I wasn't going to bother with Allen Overy, Arnold & Porter, Cleary (lol), O'Melveny & Myers, Paul Weiss, Riker, Schulte, Simpson, & Skadden. That's all for NYC Regional.

[Anonymous User]

For NYC, I wasn't going to bother with Allen Overy, Arnold & Porter, Clearly (lol), O'Melveny & Myers, Paul Weiss, Riker, Schulte, Simpson, & Skadden. That's all for NYC Regional.

Why not bid on those firms? Think of it this way: while it may be unlikely that you'll get interviews at them, they are still going to be interviewing 20 people that day, and they have to fill those spots. Worst case scenario is you don't get any interviews, but you might as well still apply, since you'll be there anyway and it's relatively little work on your part (who knows, maybe one will have a need in IP and really like you). Plus, any extra interviews you get, even if unlikely to result in a callback, still gives you more experience in interviewing, which never hurts.

[androstan]

For NYC, I wasn't going to bother with Allen Overy, Arnold & Porter, Clearly (lol), O'Melveny & Myers, Paul Weiss, Riker, Schulte, Simpson, & Skadden. That's all for NYC Regional.

Why not bid on those firms? Think of it this way: while it may be unlikely that you'll get interviews at them, they are still going to be interviewing 20 people that day, and they have to fill those spots. Worst case scenario is you don't get any interviews, but you might as well still apply, since you'll be there anyway and it's relatively little work on your part (who knows, maybe one will have a need in IP and really like you). Plus, any extra interviews you get, even if unlikely to result in a callback, still gives you more experience in interviewing, which never hurts.

Of course, you're right.

[Anonymous User]

For NYC, I wasn't going to bother with Allen Overy, Arnold & Porter, Clearly (lol), O'Melveny & Myers, Paul Weiss, Riker, Schulte, Simpson, & Skadden. That's all for NYC Regional.

Of course, you're right.

Recent GW IP grad.

I think your bid list as-is looks solid. I'm not 100% sure, but I think a few of the firms have really tiny classes and may not have much of an IP group in DC so you should look into whether it is worth it to use a bid on them (e.g., Epstein Becker, Drinker Biddle - maybe replace it with Dickstein Shapiro or Fish & Richardson which I don't think I saw on your list).

I don't think its worth it to use bids on Ropes, Paul Weiss, Simpson, Skadden etc. - generally, if they're going to take someone with a slightly lower GPA it will be a EE/CS person with solid WE. The people with around your GPA my OCI-cycle got offers at places like Foley & Lardner, Finnegan, Fish (EE though), Dickstein, and Knobbe.

Oh and I just noticed you're from NC. Be sure to direct write Charlotte firms. Quite a few people with NC connections got firms there such as MVA and Alston + Bird.

[Anonymous User]

How recently did you graduate? OCI ITE?

[Anonymous User]

just graduated - fall 2010 OCI.

[Anonymous User]

you almost seem to be low-balling yourself a little bit as an IP person. For example, you don't have Ropes on your list,

+1 F-in put Ropes NYC and Weil NYC on that list.

[Anonymous User]

you almost seem to be low-balling yourself a little bit as an IP person. For example, you don't have Ropes on your list,

+1 F-in put Ropes NYC and Weil NYC on that list.

where are you getting this info from? weil and ropes aren't going to take a non-LR/top 15% ChemE.

Not trying to be an asshole, but OP has a great shot at getting biglaw, but needs to bid strategically and not throw away bids. 3.43 is on the lower end of Thurgood.

[androstan]

you almost seem to be low-balling yourself a little bit as an IP person. For example, you don't have Ropes on your list,

+1 F-in put Ropes NYC and Weil NYC on that list.

where are you getting this info from? weil and ropes aren't going to take a non-LR/top 15% ChemE.

Not trying to be an asshole, but OP has a great shot at getting biglaw, but needs to bid strategically and not throw away bids. 3.43 is on the lower end of Thurgood.

+1 wondering if there is anything substantive to back up those suggestions

[androstan]

I've received good feedback already, but more would be great!

[androstan]

Started interning with the Fed. Circuit today, make any difference?