Let's Talk San Francisco - Taking Questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

any non-SF Bay natives (and non-CA) that scored SA/CB/Offers/Jobs care to share how you answered the "Why SF/PA/SV" type of question if it was asked?

I played up tech a lot in SV, struck out in SF.

[Anonymous User]

Top 25% Berk interested in Lit (though would consider Corp)

1. Sidley Austin
2. Baker & McKenzie
3. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
4. Winston & Strawn
5. DLA Piper
6. K & L Gates
7. Nixon Peabody
8. Mayer Brown
9. Sedgwick
10. Boies Schiller & Flexner
11. Shearman & Sterling
12. Reed Smith
13. Ropes & Gray
14. Arnold & Porter
15. Holland & Knight
16. Perkins Coie
17. Farella Braun + Martel
18. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
19. White & Case
20. Keker & Van Nest
21. Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Frankling & Hachigan
22. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
23. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
24. Foley & Lardner
25. Cooley
26. Orrick
27. Crowell & Moring
28. hogan lovells
29. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
30. Davis Polk & Wardwell
31. Covington & Burling
32. Goodwin Proctor
33. Simpson Thatcher
34. Drinker Biddle & Reath
35. Kirkland & Ellis
36. King & Spaulding
37. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
38. Munger Tolles & Olson (L.A.)
39. Baker Botts
40. Sullivan & Cromwell
41. Vinson & Elkins
42. Greenberg Traurig
43. Hanson Bridgett

Any thoughts? The tremendously small SA class sizes of my top choices worry me. Also, if you notice a usual suspect missing it's probably because I already interviewed with them.

[sundance95]

I don't know B's bidding system (i.e. preselect, pure lottery, or mixed), but w/top 25% grades, bids on Boies, Keker and MTO strike me as wasted bids even if you get a screener out of them.

[sap]

Berk's pure lottery.

[Anonymous User]

I don't know B's bidding system (i.e. preselect, pure lottery, or mixed), but w/top 25% grades, bids on Boies, Keker and MTO strike me as wasted bids even if you get a screener out of them.

Well the system closed 4 minutes ago :/. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I'm Top 25%...I could be Top 15% for all I know. Despite my best efforts at trying to put my grades into context, info is a little sparse in that department at Berkeley. We shall see...

[chem]

any non-SF Bay natives (and non-CA) that scored SA/CB/Offers/Jobs care to share how you answered the "Why SF/PA/SV" type of question if it was asked?

I played up tech a lot in SV, struck out in SF.

Fiancee with family there. Played up tech

[sundance95]

I don't know B's bidding system (i.e. preselect, pure lottery, or mixed), but w/top 25% grades, bids on Boies, Keker and MTO strike me as wasted bids even if you get a screener out of them.

Well the system closed 4 minutes ago :/. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I'm Top 25%...I could be Top 15% for all I know. Despite my best efforts at trying to put my grades into context, info is a little sparse in that department at Berkeley. We shall see...

word, no sense worrying about it now then.

[Anonymous User]

Top 25% Berk interested in Lit (though would consider Corp)

(Edited for Length)

Any thoughts? The tremendously small SA class sizes of my top choices worry me. Also, if you notice a usual suspect missing it's probably because I already interviewed with them.

Why no Jones Day? Bob M*tt*lst**dt (i-e-ae removed to avoid googlebots), a premier litigator and a JD big wig, and one of the main reasons I picked the firm despite knowing I was going corporate in a different office.

SF office is more lit focused than the SV office, so would recommend there for your goals.

[looks like the list just closed, but you should still visit the hospitality suite and talk to folks]

Another Boaltie

[Old Gregg]

I don't know B's bidding system (i.e. preselect, pure lottery, or mixed), but w/top 25% grades, bids on Boies, Keker and MTO strike me as wasted bids even if you get a screener out of them.

Well the system closed 4 minutes ago :/. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I'm Top 25%...I could be Top 15% for all I know. Despite my best efforts at trying to put my grades into context, info is a little sparse in that department at Berkeley. We shall see...

Doesn't matter, knew top 30% types with no LR who got callbacks at Keker, Boies, though not MTO. You have a shot.

[Anonymous User]

Are there any firms/offices not worth bidding on with median/slightly below median at CCN? I have ties to the Bay, and am a mediocre interviewer.

Firms interrviewing at my OCI:
Bryan Cave SF
Cooley SF/SV
DPW SV
DLA Piper SV
Fenwick
Foley SV/SF
Gibson SF/SV
Goodwin SF/SV
Latham SF/SV
Mayer SV
MoFo SF/SV
OMM SF
Paul Hastings SV/SF
Perkins SV
Pillsbury SF/SV
Ropes SF/SV
Schiff Hardin SF
Sheppard Mullin SF
Sidley SV
STB SV
Skadden SV
Wilson SF/SV

Thanks in advance

[Anonymous User]

2 H's at Stanford, looking for litigation in SF. Straight-through from HYP (magna cum laude, thesis prize). Student leadership positions, DOJ 1L summer, good interviewer. Not from SF, but have family in the Bay Area.

Target firms? Places to cross off my list?

Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Really? I thought both Keker and Munger wouldn't hire you if you didn't have a strong chance at a fed clerkship based on grades.

[Anonymous User]

Reviving this thread. I'm having trouble finding information on which SF/SV firms have a strong transactional practice. It seems like most are very lit-heavy. Should I concede to litigation if I really want SF/SV?

[sundance95]

Not at all. As a very rough rule of thumb, transactional work tends to be in SV while SF skews more lit heavy. Great trans firms include Fenwick, Cooley, Wilson Sonsini.

Disclaimer: I'm a lit guy, so you should listen to Bay Area transactional folks over me.

[Anonymous User]

Really? I thought both Keker and Munger wouldn't hire you if you didn't have a strong chance at a fed clerkship based on grades.

I know someone at B who got MTO without top 20% grades or LR. She's an exception to the rule though, I sure.

[Anonymous User]

Not at all. As a very rough rule of thumb, transactional work tends to be in SV while SF skews more lit heavy. Great trans firms include Fenwick, Cooley, Wilson Sonsini.

Disclaimer: I'm a lit guy, so you should listen to Bay Area transactional folks over me.

I agree with the rough rule of thumb re: transactional in SV and lit in SF. I am not in the NorCal market, but am with Jones Day. Been in on lots of deals with our SV office. Lots of repeat deals with many big clients.

[JusticeHarlan]

Reviving this thread. I'm having trouble finding information on which SF/SV firms have a strong transactional practice. It seems like most are very lit-heavy. Should I concede to litigation if I really want SF/SV?

Bro do you even emerging companies?

[sundance95]

Reviving this thread. I'm having trouble finding information on which SF/SV firms have a strong transactional practice. It seems like most are very lit-heavy. Should I concede to litigation if I really want SF/SV?

Bro do you even emerging companies?

[Anonymous User]

is it worth it to spend $1000 for 5 interviews at a SF minority fair? No ties to the area, top third at a top 10, non-AA, bidding on the relatively better firms of the area (MOFO, OMM, etc), if I could get a dream job in DC I would take it before SF, NYC is OK too.

[bk1]

is it worth it to spend $1000 for 5 interviews at a SF minority fair? No ties to the area, top third at a top 10, non-AA, bidding on the relatively better firms of the area (MOFO, OMM, etc), if I could get a dream job in DC I would take it before SF, NYC is OK too.

Yes.

[Anonymous User]

I'm starting in trans at Wilson and want to qualify the notion that trans is SV and lit is SF. I think more and more trans practices are going to be moving To the city since a lot of emerging tech companies are also moving/starting in the city. How long this will take and how much they will transition is up for a debate, but most ppl would acknowledge that the trans practices are starting to migrate to SF

[Anonymous User]

What firms in SF are doing much patent prosecution?

[Anonymous User]

is it worth it to spend $1000 for 5 interviews at a SF minority fair? No ties to the area, top third at a top 10, non-AA, bidding on the relatively better firms of the area (MOFO, OMM, etc), if I could get a dream job in DC I would take it before SF, NYC is OK too.

Definitely worth it. People DO get jobs out of the SF diversity fair. I would be careful about OMM, though, they are having a lot of problems. Transactions is pretty much dead in their SF office, they have had some defections, and their start dates for incoming associates are much later than other Bay Area firms.

[Anonymous User]

is it worth it to spend $1000 for 5 interviews at a SF minority fair? No ties to the area, top third at a top 10, non-AA, bidding on the relatively better firms of the area (MOFO, OMM, etc), if I could get a dream job in DC I would take it before SF, NYC is OK too.

Definitely worth it. People DO get jobs out of the SF diversity fair. I would be careful about OMM, though, they are having a lot of problems. Transactions is pretty much dead in their SF office, they have had some defections, and their start dates for incoming associates are much later than other Bay Area firms.

I wanted to apply to the Diversity Fair, but not all my grades are back yet. The deadline for submitting files for the fair was today. I sent in a transcript complete minus the two forthcoming grades, but am I out of luck?

The site says no exceptions for file submission, and I imagine a lot of firms will want to see a full set before making a decision. My only hope's that they'll email me later on during the pre-select process, but that's probably not going to happen.

[Anonymous User]

I don't know B's bidding system (i.e. preselect, pure lottery, or mixed), but w/top 25% grades, bids on Boies, Keker and MTO strike me as wasted bids even if you get a screener out of them.

Well the system closed 4 minutes ago :/. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I'm Top 25%...I could be Top 15% for all I know. Despite my best efforts at trying to put my grades into context, info is a little sparse in that department at Berkeley. We shall see...

Doesn't matter, knew top 30% types with no LR who got callbacks at Keker, Boies, though not MTO. You have a shot.

Wut? Definitely not true for my year (Boalt, post-recession OCI). You had to be top 10%ish to get callbacks at all of these firms. Specifically: Keker only gave three callbacks, all to top 5%ish LR. The majority of MTO callbacks were to people who now have 9th/DC circuit clerkships (so, definitely top 10%). I'm not positive about Boies, but most of the people I know that did callbacks with Boies now have prestigious district/circuit clerkships (so, also top 10%ish). I can't think of anyone that wasn't top of the class that did a callback at any of these firms... Your year must have been vastly different from mine.