Georgetown - EIW 2015 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Do cb dings come back via email or snail mail?

[Anonymous User]

Depends on the size of the summer class. If its a large class and the firm usually makes decisions quickly, probably waitlist. If they only take a few people, they may be waiting to meet with most or all of the candidates before deciding.

[Anonymous User]

Approximate class rank:Top 1/3, but more like 20/25% if GULC ranked that (3.5x)
Journal: TTL/ACLR/ILJ
Moot Court, Beaudry, etc.: No
IP background: No
Significant work experience: Nope
Years out of undergrad: K-JD
Prestigious undergrad: No
Other relevant factors (e.g., URM, LBGT, age/prior life experience, military): Nope
Target markets: NY and DC
Type of work sought: Litigation
Self-assessed interviewing ability: Pretty good
Screeners or callbacks prior to EIW from mass-mailing: didn't mass mail
Screeners received for EIW: 15 (12, and picked up 3 additional)
Callbacks received from EIW screeners: 9
Offers received from EIW: 3: V10 NY, V50 NY and V50 DC. Did 7 callbacks and canceled remaining 2. Haven't heard from other CBs.

Thoughts:
-I think I did fairly well for someone outside top 10/15%, and I think it was a mix of luck and researching firms/practicing interview questions. Having thoughtful questions is important for the end of interviews, and being able to come up with questions on the spot that relate to your conversation is important too.
-PRACTICE INTERVIEWING. Even if you think you're the most personable person in the history of GULC, you can benefit from mock interviewing. It helped me really refine my interview "narrative" so to speak and helped me with my skills a ton. Do it. Multiple times, if you can.
-Try to view EIW and CBs as meeting people and getting to know them, rather than some test you need to pass. It takes the pressure off a bit and has the added bonus of making you feel a little more comfortable/leading to organic conversations.
-Do shit while you're waiting for callback calls and offer calls. Seriously, go for a run or get drunk or something. You'll drive yourself crazy if you check your phone every 5 minutes for a voicemail. I wish I'd taken this advice because I was in 3 weeks of nervous hell and wish I'd have chilled a little.

[Anonymous User]

any Cadwalader (DC) or Fried Frank (DC) offers today (09/01)?

[Anonymous User]

Approximate class rank: Median
Journal: Secondary (not Tax or International)
Moot Court, Beaudry, etc.: None
IP background: No
Significant work experience: Business
Years out of undergrad: 2+
Prestigious undergrad: No
Other relevant factors: None
Target markets: NY
Type of work sought: Transactional
Self-assessed interviewing ability: Average. But it got better as you go through the process. Some interviews I got I knew I didn't have a chance at or I wasn't as interested in, but I did them as practice for the ones that really count. I agree that you should do mock interviews - try to do them throughout the semester, especially law firm mock interviews.
Screeners or callbacks prior to EIW from mass-mailing: 1
Screeners received for EIW: 10 + 2 (open sign up) + 1 hospitality suite
Callbacks received from EIW screeners: 4 (1 from open sign up + 1 from hospitality suite) + 1 (connections)
Offers received: 2, V50 and V10 (cancelled before hearing from the rest after V10 offer)
Accepted: V10
Commentary: Got all interviews with firms whose median GPA were much higher compared to mine, so I went to a lot of hospitality suites of firms whose GPA were relative to or below mine, but could only convert 1 into an interview which ended in a CB. Try and hit on your strengths at each interview. Substantive legal experience at internship and previous work experience was primarily my focus to differentiate me from others. I do agree with a previous tlser that for transactional target, a related internship can help a lot (as in I could legitimately tell the interviewers that I know what firm life is like - the crazy hours, a sense of the work, etc. - basically it is just another point to use to connect with your interviewers).
Something I wish I'd known: (1) Don’t sweat the small stuff. You never really know what’s going on in their heads. Some interviews you think went really well -> no CB. Some interviews you think went awful -> CB.
(2) Try to land as many CB as you can, you'll figure out whether you will fit at your CB. Don’t fret even if you hear that others from the same interview date as you got an offer and you haven’t. My friend heard from the same firm 2 days after CB, I heard a week later. During that time horrible things went through my head. Don't let it get to you! Remember you only need ONE offer, but waiting for that first offer is probably the most difficult process, at least for me it was.

Good luck everyone!

[Anonymous User]

Know someone who got a FF offer today

[Anonymous User]

Any Cadwalader (DC) offers today?

[Anonymous User]

Does everybody have an offer at this point? I've done 4 cbs and gotten 1 rejection.. feeling really anxious because I only have 1 cb left

[JustHawkin]

Does everybody have an offer at this point? I've done 4 cbs and gotten 1 rejection.. feeling really anxious because I only have 1 cb left

Still waiting to hear on callbacks my friend. Don't lose hope!

[Anonymous User]

Does everybody have an offer at this point? I've done 4 cbs and gotten 1 rejection.. feeling really anxious because I only have 1 cb left

I've only done 2 CB's, have 1 remaining, have 0 offers and haven't heard from two screeners. Anxious is an understatement and depression is imminent. Trying to stay positive though, but it is tough. Nevertheless, know that you're not alone.

[Anonymous User]

+1 to above

3CBs, and still waiting to hear back. You're not alone.

[Anonymous User]

Locke Lord Houston ding 4 days after CB

Was it by mail or email?

[Anonymous User]

Any Kirkland NY offers? If so, what was the timeline? Thanks!

Had CB on a Thursday, offer the next Tuesday. Think their committee meets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

[Anonymous User]

Approximate class rank: top 10% (transfer)
Journal: Secondary
Moot Court, Beaudry, etc.: None
IP background: None
Significant work experience: None
Years out of undergrad: K-JD
Prestigious undergrad: Yes
Other relevant factors:
Target markets: DC/DE
Type of work sought: Litigation
Self-assessed interviewing ability: Above Average
Screeners or callbacks prior to EIW from mass-mailing: 3 mass mailed DC only
Screeners received for EIW: 12
Callbacks received from EIW screeners: 3 (2 DC 1 DE)
Offers received: 2 (cancelled remaining callbacks)
Accepted: V50
Commentary: Would not recommend only targeting DC (echoes most advice on here) mainly because class sizes are generally small (some have as few as 2-5 members) and it appears to be highly competitive (read other OCI threads). If you're interested in corporate work, DE looks like an afterthought for several people so it may be less competitive. Mass-mailing didn't yield any benefits for me, but I didn't target NYC, CHI, LA, or Boston so firms may be more receptive there.

[Anonymous User]

Approximate class rank: top 10% (transfer)
Journal: Secondary
Moot Court, Beaudry, etc.: None
IP background: None
Significant work experience: None
Years out of undergrad: K-JD
Prestigious undergrad: Yes
Other relevant factors:
Target markets: DC/DE
Type of work sought: Litigation
Self-assessed interviewing ability: Above Average
Screeners or callbacks prior to EIW from mass-mailing: 3 mass mailed DC only
Screeners received for EIW: 12
Callbacks received from EIW screeners: 3 (2 DC 1 DE)
Offers received: 2 (cancelled remaining callbacks)
Accepted: V50
Commentary: Would not recommend only targeting DC (echoes most advice on here) mainly because class sizes are generally small (some have as few as 2-5 members) and it appears to be highly competitive (read other OCI threads). If you're interested in corporate work, DE looks like an afterthought for several people so it may be less competitive. Mass-mailing didn't yield any benefits for me, but I didn't target NYC, CHI, LA, or Boston so firms may be more receptive there.

Did you get an offer/accept from DE? If so, could you say which one?

[Anonymous User]

orrick dc screener ding

[gulc1924]

Approximate class rank: top 5% (as a transfer)
Journal: TTL/ACLR/ILJ
Moot Court, Beaudry, etc.: None
IP background: None
Significant work experience: None
Years out of undergrad: K-JD
Prestigious undergrad: Yes
Other relevant factors:
Target markets: Boston and DC
Type of work sought: Litigation / Corporate (undecided)
Self-assessed interviewing ability: Average/Above Average
Screeners or callbacks prior to EIW from mass-mailing: 0 - did not mass mail
Screeners received for EIW: 14 (2 through open signup)
Callbacks received from EIW screeners: 4 (2 DC, 2 BOS)
Offers received: 1
Accepted: V20 in Boston
Commentary: Practice interviewing BEFORE EIW. My first interviews were not great and steadily got much better throughout the course of the week. Honestly I think I lucked out getting an offer from the place I did. I think it was mostly because they liked my personality. Biggest piece of advice is SMILE and connect with the interviewer on some level beyond work or academics. Most of them want to know if you're the type of person they'd WANT to work with at their firm. I also think my bidding was pretty risky. I bid only DC and Boston with hardly any regional ties (although I totally played up my tangential ties to Boston).

[Anonymous User]

Approximate class rank: top 25%; 3.5x
Journal: ACLR/TTL/GJIL
Moot Court, Beaudry, etc.: None
IP background: None
Significant work experience: Lots
Years out of undergrad: Lots (non-traditional student)
Prestigious undergrad: No
Other relevant factors: Impressive-sounding (but not especially relevant) work experience
Target markets: DC
Type of work sought: Regulatory / White Collar
Self-assessed interviewing ability: Strong (but capable of a bad day / no connection)
Screeners or callbacks prior to EIW from mass-mailing: 3
Screeners received for EIW: 19 (9 from bidding; 6 from open signup; 4 from emailing after lottery results came out)
Callbacks received from EIW screeners: 10 (canceled 4; went on 6 + 3 pre-eiw cb's)
Offers received: 4 (2 offers/dings pending)
Accepted: top 10 DC

COMMENTARY: My best advice is to hustle in every way possible. Each of my offers came about differently: one from a screener where I was a preselect (I bid it like 40); one from my top bid where I also hustled hard and met and spoke with various attorneys (but did not score a pre-eiw screener); another from a screener I picked up during open signup; and another was just straight EIW (bid it top 5, then went through the process). I was a little surprised that none of the pre-eiw callbacks turned into offers, but them's the breaks. Screener to callback conversion played out fairly predictably; firms where my grades were a stretch didn't pan out despite killer interviews, but most that felt particularly good did turn into callbacks. That said, my single worst screener turned into a cb, so who the fuck knows. Callback to offer conversion was much less predictable, and that seems par for course. I had great callbacks with every firm that offered me, but I had great callbacks with several that were much safer bets GPA-wise and they turned into dings. Being an older student with a strange/interesting resume definitely makes you more of a wild card, and it cuts both ways. Regarding practice area, I came in targeting two discrete areas and wound up with two offers for each. The firm i accepted at excels in both and has a flexible assignment system, so the decision was simple.

DEFINITELY DO: bid intelligently and research the fuck out of past bid statistics. Attend every reception you possibly can and actively try to make contacts without being a douche (I wish I started during 1L instead of waiting til summer). Attend the private practice area lunch events during the semester, which make great talking points for showing interest in a firm or practice area. Exploit every contact and connection you have (again, without being a douche). Reach out to attorneys for phone calls and/or coffee (give them the choice, but always offer the phone call option since it's less obnoxious). Obsessively refresh during open signup (you can easily snag two firms when it first opens and another two just before it closes, and i know people that scored twice as many as I did by refreshing endlessly). Email every single firm you bid on but didn't get (LOTS of firms have shadow schedules). Attend hospitality suites and do resume drops (I did much less of this since I didn't have a lot of available time on the busier days). Try to convert mock interviews into callbacks even when it's not a great fit (it's a great exercise and you'll get a positive ego boost going into EIW). Similarly, go on every mock interview you can. Practice interviewing with OCS. Practice interviewing with coworkers at your summer job, if they're willing to sit through your spiel. The key is to get it rock solid BEFORE you begin EIW. If you're targeting practice areas outside of general lit and corporate work (which is a good idea if you're targeting DC), it helps if you can articulate why—tie it into your background, your classes, the work you did over the summer, and say exactly why you're open-minded to that area (but don't be dead-set on any one). Have interests, but remain somewhat flexible and never denigrate another practice area while interviewing. Also, articulate exactly why you want DC over other cities. One last tip, which helped salvage a screener that was off to a tepid start (and wound up being the offer I'd accept): namedrop like a motherfucker. This comes with the obvious and eternal caveat: namedrop without being a douche. If you've met or spoken with anyone at the firm, find a way to mention it during the interview. Often you can use that as a reason to explain why you're interested in a practice area.

DON'T BOTHER: mass-mailing if you're in DC and targeting DC unless you have much better grades than I did. Absolute waste of time and energy for literally zero return. Other folks I know had the exact same experience with mass mailing. It probably works in NY where they just need warm bodies, and it probably works in secondary markets where they want people from good schools, but let me just reiterate: DC firms do not give a shit about your perfectly crafted cover letter and thoughtful email inquiry unless you're somewhere north of a 3.8 or related to the president. Best of luck, future cogs of the world.

[Anonymous User]

^^^Above poster. Just to clarify, the three pre-eiw screeners were from direct outreach, not mass mailing. I forgot to edit that line in the template.

[Anonymous User]

Any offers from Robins Kaplan MN out? I heard they were supposed to start sending offers out this week.

[Anonymous User]

Approximate class rank: top 5% (transfer, bottom tier)
Journal: secondary
Moot Court, Beaudry, etc.: None
IP background: a little
Significant work experience: moderate
Years out of undergrad: less than 5
Prestigious undergrad: yes
Other relevant factors: worked in law firm
Target markets: NYC, CA
Type of work sought: litigation
Self-assessed interviewing ability: so so but can hold a conversation and be friendly
Screeners or callbacks prior to EIW from mass-mailing: 2
Screeners received for EIW: 19 (16 screeners, 3 pickups)
Callbacks received from EIW screeners: 4 (did all 4)
Offers received: 3 (notified last one before receiving offer/rejection)
Accepted: V100

Commentary: [Disclaimer: this is only IMO and by no means absolute] Just consider it a friendly chat with new friends. Don't be afraid to turn it into a back and forth conversation with questions sprinkled throughout. Must do the prepwork for conversation material but no need to memorize a ton of facts and stats about the firm or interviewer (it might get in the way of being genuine). DELIVERY is equally if not more important than substance during EIW, so if you can, trying avoid looking at your notes. Practice your story (why you want to be a lawyer, why GULC, why this city, etc.) but don't write anything down (I Q&A'd myself in front of the mirror) so it becomes natural. Be firm in your practice area (you can always change your mind later) and say why. If you're ever face with a technical/substantive question that you have absolutely no idea how to answer (this happens extremely rarely during EIW but it might happen relatively more often during callbacks albeit still rare), it might be better to say something to the effect of "I don't know" and move on. They're looking at how you react to adversity more than response quality. I left a lot of other things out since the other posters have previously covered them. Good luck everyone!

Thank you everyone here for all the advice and support!!!!

[BmoreOrLess]

Be firm in your practice area (you can always change your mind later) and say why.

Just to add a data point, interviewers seemed to be extremely receptive to my flexibilty based on the general idea that i have no idea what i actually want to practice until i actuall go to a firm and do it. If you can make the decision between corporate and litigation that's probably good, but don't be afraid to keep specific practice areas open.

[TLSModBot]

To add yet another data point, I found that it depended on what firm you were targeting. Firms that emphasize trying out different areas and those that offer a wide range of practice areas are happy with people who 'are keeping an open mind' (sounds much better than 'I have literally no clue what I want to do as a lawyer). Others who either assign people into practice groups early or have a more limited offering in what they want to do seemed to prefer someone who was targeted and a little more sure or comfortable with being sure early.

[TGK]

Baker Hostetler cb yesterday

Have you heard back post-CB?

[Anonymous User]

Post-screener ding K&L Gates (Seattle) lol