Columbia EIP 2015 Forum

[John_Luther1989]

For firms we didn't get, who should we be emailing to ask if we can get an extra interview with them? Recruiting contact/hiring partner?

Please email Brad Karp asking for an interview and report back. In all seriousness, don't do that. Just email the main recruiting address, or the head recruiter.

That said, I'm really interested in how this FFB stuff went down. Last year most of the big NY firms only went up a spot or two. OCS must have really gotten into people's heads about where to rank firms.

[ProfBono]

For firms we didn't get, who should we be emailing to ask if we can get an extra interview with them? Recruiting contact/hiring partner?

Please email Brad Karp asking for an interview and report back. In all seriousness, don't do that. Just email the main recruiting address, or the head recruiter.

That said, I'm really interested in how this FFB stuff went down. Last year most of the big NY firms only went up a spot or two. OCS must have really gotten into people's heads about where to rank firms.

IIRC a handful of firms jumped 4 or more spots last year. It seems that 5-10 firms jumped 3+ this year, with everything else mostly moving between 0-2.

[Anonymous User]

For firms we didn't get, who should we be emailing to ask if we can get an extra interview with them? Recruiting contact/hiring partner?

Please email Brad Karp asking for an interview and report back. In all seriousness, don't do that. Just email the main recruiting address, or the head recruiter.

That said, I'm really interested in how this FFB stuff went down. Last year most of the big NY firms only went up a spot or two. OCS must have really gotten into people's heads about where to rank firms.

IIRC a handful of firms jumped 4 or more spots last year. It seems that 5-10 firms jumped 3+ this year, with everything else mostly moving between 0-2.

A minimum of 17 firms went up 3+ spots, because that's how many I lost that I bid 2 higher. This of course excludes ties where I was consistently unlucky.

[ProfBono]

For firms we didn't get, who should we be emailing to ask if we can get an extra interview with them? Recruiting contact/hiring partner?

Please email Brad Karp asking for an interview and report back. In all seriousness, don't do that. Just email the main recruiting address, or the head recruiter.

That said, I'm really interested in how this FFB stuff went down. Last year most of the big NY firms only went up a spot or two. OCS must have really gotten into people's heads about where to rank firms.

IIRC a handful of firms jumped 4 or more spots last year. It seems that 5-10 firms jumped 3+ this year, with everything else mostly moving between 0-2.

A minimum of 17 firms went up 3+ spots, because that's how many I lost that I bid 2 higher. This of course excludes ties where I was consistently unlucky.

How did you figure out if the FFB movement was 3+ as opposed to being 2 and you tieing?

[Anonymous User]

We should riot. Ropes, Wilkie, Latham, Cravath, Cahill and Weil all jumped 3-5 Slots.
And I missed K&E at 1.

-Captain Fire

[TheoO]

The first fail lists have really screwed the system up with regard to some firms, I think.

[Anonymous User]

A minimum of 17 firms went up 3+ spots, because that's how many I lost that I bid 2 higher. This of course excludes ties where I was consistently unlucky.

How did you figure out if the FFB movement was 3+ as opposed to being 2 and you tieing?

Sorry if I was unclear, I meant 17 less those I tied at. However I would be shocked if I actually tied and lost 7+ firns, so I'm confident it will be over 10 moving 3+ just for the firms I bid.

I was unsure if I was being too conservative too, lol

[ProfBono]

The first fail lists have really screwed the system up with regard to some firms, I think.

There are people who got an unnamed FFB = 2 firm at sub 20 bids, so yes, the system has been fucked.

[jbagelboy]

The first fail lists have really screwed the system up with regard to some firms, I think.

There are people who got an unnamed FFB = 2 firm at sub 20 bids, so yes, the system has been fucked.

wait what?

[Anonymous User]

The first fail lists have really screwed the system up with regard to some firms, I think.

There are people who got an unnamed FFB = 2 firm at sub 20 bids, so yes, the system has been fucked.

Wow seriously? I'd guess Sidley or Shearman. Shearman?

[Anonymous User]

Only 10, completely screwed, and I'm a transfer. None of them are grade selective, but jesus, am I done?

You're not screwed. If you only have 10 after Add/Drop, then I might be more worried. Add/Drop is more productive than you'd think (not that you should relax entirely, but honestly, you aren't screwed).

And to the median guy, Boies isn't going to pan out. I'm hoping W&C refers to White & Case rather than Williams & Connolly. Proskauer's more than achievable with your grades, and Debevoise you have a chance.

I was expecting as much with Boies. Also, yes, Williams & Connolly. Well, at least I got interviews with them... it technically doesn't HURT, right? As long as I have 13 other, much more achievable interviews?

[Anonymous User]

Only 10, completely screwed, and I'm a transfer. None of them are grade selective, but jesus, am I done?

You're not screwed. If you only have 10 after Add/Drop, then I might be more worried. Add/Drop is more productive than you'd think (not that you should relax entirely, but honestly, you aren't screwed).

And to the median guy, Boies isn't going to pan out. I'm hoping W&C refers to White & Case rather than Williams & Connolly. Proskauer's more than achievable with your grades, and Debevoise you have a chance.

I was expecting as much with Boies. Also, yes, Williams & Connolly. Well, at least I got interviews with them... it technically doesn't HURT, right? As long as I have 13 other, much more achievable interviews?

It doesn't hurt so much with Williams & Connolly, but I'm assuming you ranked Boies first to get it. If that's true, then by bumping all your other bids up one it's possible you might've had 20+ more achievable interviews rather than 15.

[Anonymous User]

At median Boies and Williams and Connolly are complete wastes of time. I don't know why you'd even show up to waste the interviewer's time.

[Anonymous User]

It doesn't hurt so much with Williams & Connolly, but I'm assuming you ranked Boies first to get it. If that's true, then by bumping all your other bids up one it's possible you might've had 20+ more achievable interviews rather than 15.

I did choose Boies first. But I scored interviews with pretty much everywhere I wanted to interview with.

Weil Gotshal & Manges (IP)
Boies, Schiller & Flexner
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
Dechert
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Debevoise & Plimpton
Cahill Gordon & Reindel
Nixon Peabody
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Jones Day
Proskauer Rose
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo
Williams & Connolly
King & Spaulding

My grades might be crap for W&C and BS&F but as long as I'm not completely out of luck with I'd say half of these firms, I don't think I'd mind so much if they outright reject me.

[jbagelboy]

At median Boies and Williams and Connolly are complete wastes of time. I don't know why you'd even show up to waste the interviewer's time.

Yea, I mean, it doesn't "hurt" but it's also kind of silly. I don't particularly "enjoy" speed-dating style interviewing, and I think most people don't either; it's pretty rote and while some attorneys that show up to EIP are pretty cool and I actually liked meeting them, a lot of others are just irritable or awkward. We interview so that we can get jobs, not because it's good conversation. If there's no job what's the point.

[Anonymous User]

So for the firms we missed, when emailing the recruiting contact, should we include a cover letter? I'm assuming transcript + resume and an explanation that we "bid them high but were not able to obtain an interview through Columbia's lottery system" or some such us sufficient? Damnit why did I have to include Milbank...

-Captain Fire

[Anonymous User]

At median Boies and Williams and Connolly are complete wastes of time. I don't know why you'd even show up to waste the interviewer's time.

Yea, I mean, it doesn't "hurt" but it's also kind of silly. I don't particularly "enjoy" speed-dating style interviewing, and I think most people don't either; it's pretty rote and while some attorneys that show up to EIP are pretty cool and I actually liked meeting them, a lot of others are just irritable or awkward. We interview so that we can get jobs, not because it's good conversation. If there's no job what's the point.

Really that worthless, huh? Even though they don't have an explicit grade requirement?

...maybe I'll rethink this.

[Anonymous User]

So for the firms we missed, when emailing the recruiting contact, should we include a cover letter? I'm assuming transcript + resume and an explanation that we "bid them high but were not able to obtain an interview through Columbia's lottery system" or some such us sufficient? Damnit why did I have to include Milbank...

-Captain Fire

I've been including cover letters - I think it's probably a good idea to do so. I've also been writing a little blurb in the email like you put there.

-E

[Anonymous User]

Even though they don't have an explicit grade requirement?

W&C doesn't have an explicit grade requirement because it's assumed you have at the very least a 3.7.

[Anonymous User]

should we e-mail recruiters now or wait until after add/drop?

[Anonymous User]

At median Boies and Williams and Connolly are complete wastes of time. I don't know why you'd even show up to waste the interviewer's time.

Yea, I mean, it doesn't "hurt" but it's also kind of silly. I don't particularly "enjoy" speed-dating style interviewing, and I think most people don't either; it's pretty rote and while some attorneys that show up to EIP are pretty cool and I actually liked meeting them, a lot of others are just irritable or awkward. We interview so that we can get jobs, not because it's good conversation. If there's no job what's the point.

Really that worthless, huh? Even though they don't have an explicit grade requirement?

...maybe I'll rethink this.

Boies is at least theoretically possible (still not worth it), but williams & connolly only gives 3-5 offers to CLS students each year and those are the types of candidates that have already been interviewing with feeder judges the past month. I haven't heard of W&C interviewers doing this personally, but a Wachtell interviewer has looked at someone's transcript after the interviewee walked in to the interview and handed it over and asked them point blank, why would you interview us with median grades, why do you think this is a good use of our time. That's just unnecessary discomfort and personally it would hurt my confidence for the rest of my real interviews.

[Anonymous User]

Boies is at least theoretically possible (still not worth it), but williams & connolly only gives 3-5 offers to CLS students each year and those are the types of candidates that have already been interviewing with feeder judges the past month. I haven't heard of W&C interviewers doing this personally, but a Wachtell interviewer has looked at someone's transcript after the interviewee walked in to the interview and handed it over and asked them point blank, why would you interview us with median grades, why do you think this is a good use of our time. That's just unnecessary discomfort and personally it would hurt my confidence for the rest of my real interviews.

I think I'll stick with Boies. I feel that, of all the firms I'm looking for, they're my top choice by far, so I should at least strive.

While I appreciate W&C, and their work is super-cool, I wouldn't want to feel so much grief because of them. I'd be fine with that for Boies, but not for them. So I guess I'll drop them.

Probably should drop Cravath too, if Wachtell's doing that.

[Anonymous User]

Boies is at least theoretically possible (still not worth it), but williams & connolly only gives 3-5 offers to CLS students each year and those are the types of candidates that have already been interviewing with feeder judges the past month. I haven't heard of W&C interviewers doing this personally, but a Wachtell interviewer has looked at someone's transcript after the interviewee walked in to the interview and handed it over and asked them point blank, why would you interview us with median grades, why do you think this is a good use of our time. That's just unnecessary discomfort and personally it would hurt my confidence for the rest of my real interviews.

I think I'll stick with Boies. I feel that, of all the firms I'm looking for, they're my top choice by far, so I should at least strive.

While I appreciate W&C, and their work is super-cool, I wouldn't want to feel so much grief because of them. I'd be fine with that for Boies, but not for them. So I guess I'll drop them.

Probably should drop Cravath too, if Wachtell's doing that.

Cravath and Wachtell do not have the same hiring standards. That being said, you're still quite a long-shot from median.

[Anonymous User]

How is one supposed to take advantage of firms' hospitality suites during EIP??

[Anonymous User]

How is one supposed to take advantage of firms' hospitality suites during EIP??

I'm imagining it's like PILF fair. You do research on the firm, bring your resumes, but then just go in and talk to people. About anything, really. Impress them.