Attn: those of you who secured a post-LS job during 3L... Forum

[Anonymous User]

I hope that this becomes a valuable resource for those in need (of hope, of positive experiences, of knowing that people get all kinds of legal jobs throughout 3L and to not lose hope) by providing poll data and other pertinent data regarding your 3L job search. Please share your school, grades, market, when you applied, when you interviewed/were offered, firm (BL/mid/small), gov't (fed/state), PI, or any other pertinent data/ anecdotes, etc...

This is not for people who have an offer from 2L SA and are doing 3L OCI to switch firms nor is this thread intended for those seeking general advice re: 3L job searching (for that, kindly go to The Vale of Tears). But we do appreciate all the responses containing detailed answers (perhaps giving advice/ sharing experience) to the last two questions.

Again, I hope that all current, and future, Valers benefit from the poll data and information posted below.

Stay positive.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: T-10, below median, K-JD

Secondary journal (just on the editorial board, no exec/managing positions)

Employer: Govt (fed)

Application: applied online in March, offered in May

Other: This advice applies more to the govt/PI folks. You don't need to apply to 1000 jobs to get an offer. I applied to a total of 6 jobs during my 3L year, and applied to similarly low numbers of internships during law school. I have friends who applied to less than 5. Out of the 6, I had 2 interviews (both fed), and 1 offer (I did not do the 2nd interview because I already had the offer). The 4 jobs I didn't hear back from were all one-year state govt jobs (so I'm glad they didn't work out). I also didn't spend much time on my state applications and applied just to apply.

For both internships and my post-grad job, what worked for me was to really target employers I would be a good fit for based on my experience and my personality. I tailored my applications and answered interview questions in a way that conveyed that I really wanted to be there. I wasn't just applying because I needed a job. If I had the opportunity to, I also always tried to meet in person with an attorney working for the employer before my interview. The people I met with didn't necessarily have hiring authority, but it still seemed to matter to my interviewers if I mentioned that I met with someone from their agency because it showed interest.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that folks should only apply to 6 jobs. But at least for govt/PI, it seems to work better IME if you apply to a narrower group and really tailor your applications and learn about the agencies. Know your agency's mission cold, why you want to be a part of it, and how you will contribute to it. Lastly, do an internship where you learn valuable/practical skills for your entire 3L year. Hope this helps.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: CCN, around top 1/3, secondary journal, K-JD
Employer: Fed Agency
Applied: Early March, 2012
Offer: Late March, 2012
Found the job: Networking
Advice: Had several offers from OCI 2L year, but foolishly turned them down to take job with fed agency that promised that they hire most of their summer interns. I had always wanted to work for the government and thought this would be my chance to skip big law. Budget cuts happened, and they didn't hire a single one. Zero luck from 3L OCI, but friend working at another federal agency told me about a fed agency that didn't have a formal honors program but was looking to hire a few entry level attorneys. Applied, got an interview, and received an offer all within a month. Everything worked out in the end and I love the job I ended up in, but I wouldn't wish those 8 months of terror on anyone. Even if you want FedGov, do biglaw 2L summer if you can.

[Anonymous User]

Please, as a jobless 3L loser, I'd love to hear more stories of people finding legal jobs. The numerous stories of lawyers working at Taco Bell by removing their JD from their resumes is soul crushing.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: UT, UCLA, Vandy, top 1/3, secondary journal, K-JD
Employer: Fortune 500
Applied: Early June, 2014
Offer: Late July, 2014
Found the job: Daily grind of searching job postings, company websites, and indeed.com , monster, etc.
Advice: Don't lose faith. I got so down as all my friends talked about their jobs and I still didn't have one but I couldn't be happier with where I am now. Also apply to everything, wants 3 years of experience? Apply anyway unless it is a hard requirement and explain in your cover letter how you have the skills to be successful in the position. I seriously think this is how I got my job. It stated 2 years of experience but I applied anyway because at that point the worst they were going to do is reject me which I already had plenty of. I explained in my cover letter why I could do the job anyway because of experience X and Y and class Z and apparently they agreed.

[baal hadad]

Good thread op

[Anonymous User]

Stats: TT, no journal, graduated top 10% after fucking up 1L, significant work experience and advanced degree before law

Employer: Biglaw

Applied: Mid-March 3L

Offer: Same day as a sad job fair, late March 3L

Found the job: Overheard a conversation at a cocktail party where a Partner I had seen speak a year prior stated his group was overwhelmed with work. I made sure to get introduced to him then followed up via email later that night. He apparently looked into me with my school and scheduled an interview the next week. Fast forward 15 days and 10 interviews later, I had an offer doing exactly what I wanted in the niche field I had put all my chips on.

Other: Applied nationwide to over 500 jobs. This got me calloused to rejection. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have gone to the cocktail party, let alone approached that partner. Temporary discomfort is no excuse. I think I was also aided by earning three consecutive 4.0+ semesters while working at small firms concurrently.

If you strike out 2L, it's an uphill battle, yes, but it only takes one moment of providence to change your life. Control obsessively those things you can control - your grades, your attitude, and your diligence.

[Anonymous User]

bump.

[Anonymous User]

thanks everyone for posting.

[gaddockteeg]

Good thread. Thanks, OP

[Anonymous User]

bumpity bump

[Anonymous User]

Stats: Median at T14
Employer: In-house at a tech company
Applied: November (after graduation)
Offer: December
Found the job: Through an alumni connection. I had a background in technology consulting prior to law school, so I had some non-legal experience in the field. I found alumni who do interesting work and got coffee with them. I went through alumni databases, asked family friends / professors, talked with colleagues from internships and my clinic to find contacts. I drank a whole lot of coffee. Most of these resulted in interesting conversations and nothing more, but a few contacts thought of me when a job opened up. The job I ended up getting was from one such meeting in August. The company was looking to hire a junior person in November.

Other: Found a paid temporary fellowship to tide me over from May graduation until the fall. So, I ended up working while studying for the bar, which was tough. That said, I made many contacts and got some substantive experience while job hunting.

[Anonymous User]

Make my bump the b-bump, I wants ta get bumped up...

...but seriously, thanks OP and thanks all 3L's sharing their experiences. This is extremely helpful and I feel less hopeless now.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: T50. ~top 15%. LR.
Employer: Midlaw (~200 attorney firm)
Applied: April
Offer: April
Found the job: Posting on the firm's website
Advice: Just keep plugging away.

[andythefir]

Stats: T25. top 10%.
Employer: Small town prosecutor's office
Applied: March
Offer: March
Found the job: State bar bulletin
Advice: I applied to everything from small town PDs to foreclosure mills from September through March and had no success. The back of the bar bulletin had classifieds for DA jobs all over the state, but every single one said they required bar passage. One was ambiguous about whether they wanted applications from current students, so I applied and got an interview almost immediately. Applied to the other places and got interviews too. I set up interviews for when I was home for spring break, and I ended up with 3 interviews and 3 offers in that week. In fact, I turned down interviews because I was out of days to travel to the distant corners of the state.

1L summer I split between a state appellate judge and a federal district judge, 2L summer I was in the biggest firm in the state that didn't extend offers to any of the summers. Small town DA/PDs need bodies. I later found out mine was the only resume they received.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: top 30, top 1/3, secondary journal, 2+ years non-profit work experience
Employer: civil legal aid
Applied: August after graduating
Offer: November after graduating & bar results
Found the job: BYU intercollegiate job bank
Advice: be willing to move, show passion for the work, and don't stop applying - even after you've scrubbed the JD from the resume and start working at Taco Bell to make ends meet. Try to juggle volunteering with the Taco Bell job so you have something law-related to put on the resume and to discuss during interviews.

[Anonymous User]

Bump.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: T14, bad grades 1L to above median 3L, secondary journal
Employer: In-house, Fortune 50
Applied: January, 2015
Offer: Early March, 2015
Found the job: School interview program.

I had a lot of relevant experience, clearly demonstrated interest in the area, and was able to articulate that interest/show I actually know and like the work. I also had an internship at a relevant federal regulator.

I applied to EVERYTHING in my field of interest and only heard back on applications through my school. That said -- no interviews for a while, and now suddenly a bunch of things are showing up, so have hope!!

[Anonymous User]

Stats: Top 20% CCN, other honors
Employer: Fed Govt
Applied: August
Offer: December
Found the job: Government job table. Really good grades. Administrative law experience. Pretended to be interested in subject area and public service.

Other: 2 big law job offers late November. The judge I interned for mentioned me at some event. My 2 cents, take whatever work you can get during law school and impress your bosses.

I still don't understand why I struck out at OCI. It wrecked my confidence for a couple weeks. But you just got to bounce back.

[bjsesq]

Stats: T14, no journal between top 1/2 and top 1/3 grades end of 1L, around median at graduation
Employer: Health care startup
Applied: December 2013
Offer: February 2014
Found the job: Through a friend/classmate from UG

I was no offer @ Winston in the summer of 2012 class. I couldn't find shit during law school, and the career services office couldn't help despite some real effort on their part. I lucked into the job. I sent out around 900 applications before I landed something. Life is actually pretty good now, but it was really, really bad the year after graduation. Feeling sorry for yourself is completely reasonable unless you let it prevent you from apping and searching for something. You have to keep grinding and not let depression make you into a non-acting little bitch. Keep pushing, no matter what.

[AVBucks4239]

Stats: T-30, top 30%, secondary journal, executive position; graduated in 2014.

Employer: small firm (25 attorneys) in small market (less than 100k population)

Application: applied in January, long story.

Other: On a random Saturday morning over Christmas break of my 3L year, I went to my hometown YMCA with a friend to play racquetball. I ended up playing cutthroat (three person racquetball) with this random guy that turned out to be a partner at said small law firm. He said he was retiring within a couple years and they were looking to hire somebody. I told him I was interested and we should get lunch or something.

We exchanged emails and I came in for an interview in January. Things seemed to go pretty well, but I didn't hear from the firm until April. They just completed a merger with a 6 person firm and thus didn't plan on hiring that year, so they didn't hire me.

They were my only lead, so I thought out of the box. My school offered a "Career Start Grant," whereby the school would pay me $2,000 to work for an employer of my choice (and thus at no cost to the employer) for up to three months. So I wrote the small firm a letter stating something along the lines of, "Sorry to hear about not hiring, but let me tell you how I can work for you for free for three months."

The president of the firm called me a week later and basically asked, "So you'll be an independent contractor, at no cost to us, and with no expectation of full time employment?" "Yes."

So they let me work under this grant. I lived at home with my mom (free rent and homemade dinners every night for the first time in almost ten years!), started in September, and worked pretty damn hard for three months (came in early, left late, made sure to do perfect work, etc.). Finally, just two days before my grant was set to expire, they hired me.

And here I am. Granted, this isn't a prestigious job (only making $47,5000, but in a very low cost of living area), but it's been great thus far. It's either going to be a great spring board (people who leave here go to big firms in nearby mid-size markets) or I might be a lifer (12 of the partners have been here since graduation and worked here for 20+ years, which leads me to believe this firm actually does provide a good work/life balance).

So my advice: (1) check and see if your school offers these types of grants, (2) don't worry about firm prestige, you just need any fucking legal job; and (3) and target, target, target. The mass mail advice on here is complete bullshit and a waste of time. Instead, target firms that match your resume and really put yourself out there. You never know who you will run into or what will happen.

[Anonymous User]

Wanted to contribute. Got a lot of moral support from this thread.

Stats: T20, median 1L, just outside top 1/3 ish as of now, secondary journal e-board, business/econ undergrad
Employer: Mid-law, 95k salary in DC
Applied: Feb, 2015
Callback: Late Feb
Offer: Early April, 2015
Found the job: symplicity
Notes: I'm a guy, not particularly attractive or funny, not really anything special. Anon because I still have a CB i haven't heard from.

Unlike most people, I did NOT apply to many jobs. I never mass mailed, ever. In my opinion, 10 targeted applications where your resume matches well with the job is better than 500 scattered about.

My 3L job search looked like this:

Fall 3L symplicity/OCI: 6 applications -> 4 screeners ->1 CB -> no offers
Winter symplicity: 8 applications -> 4 screeners -> 2 CB -> 1 offer, 1 pending

I dont think i was lucky. EVery application I sent out, I was pretty certain I would get at least a screener.

To echo the previous poster:

(3) and target, target, target. The mass mail advice on here is complete bullshit and a waste of time. Instead, target firms that match your resume and really put yourself out there. You never know who you will run into or what will happen.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: T50. Top 30%. LR.
Employer: BigFed
Applied: Fall of 3L
Offer: Today
Found the job: Applying to all of the honors programs and then some.
Advice: Stay strong. By January, I had submitted over 120+ (BigFed honors programs, fellowships, judicial clerkships, and some small firms). I had only two interviews--yes, two. The second one turned into an offer. So don't get disappointed. Just keep going. It only takes one "yes."

[Anonymous User]

The mass mail advice on here is complete bullshit and a waste of time. Instead, target firms that match your resume and really put yourself out there. You never know who you will run into or what will happen.

I think this is bad advice. It's obviously a numbers game but it's worth the effort if you are one of the lucky few to strike gold.

Stats: T60. Top 30%. LR. 2L through 3L clerkship with a firm that does the practice area of my new firm (no offered because of financial reasons)
Employer: BigLaw in my target market.
Applied: Around Feb.
Offered: End of March
Found the job: Mass mailing.
Advice: Until you have a job try different search techniques. I ultimately got it through a mass mail, however, I did targeted emails for firms that were a great fit, networked, and had lawyers at my previous firm put in calls. Checking symplicity, linkedin, indeed, etc is a must. Do everything you can think of until you have a job offer.

If you can, clerk with a firm in the area you want to practice. It will either lead to a job, build resume line, or they can help you find a job.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: Just inside the Top 50% at T50. Small editorial position on secondary journal. Spent my 2L summer as a large ID firm that didn't offer any summer associates

Employer: Small firm (2-10 attorneys) outside major metro area, got through OCI in February. There was over a month of silence between OCI and getting the callback. Then about another 3 weeks until the callback actually took place, then another week until the offer. Remember that a lot of these small firms move slowly with hiring, they don't do it often and it takes up a lot of time. Just be patient.

Other: I actually ended up getting 3 offers in total, all within the span of 5 days. 2 though OCI/interview programs and 1 through mass mailing. I probably mass mailed over 150 firms, and only got one positive response which ended up turning into an offer. Just remember that you can send out 1,000 resumes and be rejected 999 times, but all it takes is one. Stay positive!!!