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Hello there. Low T14 here with slightly below median grades.

I had a quick question regarding following up with firms. In short, I'm wondering: is it ever ok to point-blank tell a firm that I would accept an offer if one is given?

I recently had a Skype interview with a suburban office of a relatively large firm. Got the interview by emailing the recruiting contact. The suburban office is their HQ -- the pay is 180k at their satellite office in NYC, and a bit below 180k at their HQ (though quite a bit above market for where the HQ is located).

The interview seemed to be structured like a callback interview, even though it was my first interview with them (I spoke with 3 consecutive attorneys over the course of an hour). I think it went quite well, but one thing I found interesting was that they continuously stated that they "know have other offers." (I do not). They were also almost being defensive when explaining how the location of their HQ is very different from big cities like NY, DC, etc.

While I didn't deny having other offers, I was definitely clear about the fact that I prefer the suburban setting, love the state they're located in, don't want to work in a big city, etc., -- and I generally spoke at length about why the firm is uniquely appealing to me. (This was all 100% true. They are also the highest-paying firm that I've had a lengthy interview with, which does not hurt). I hope that I convinced them of my genuinely strong interest, but I'm not sure.

I know, at this stage in the game, that I would accept an offer from them, pretty much on the spot. Is there any scenario where it would be ok for me to tell them this at some point within the next week or two?

Thanks.

It's not a bad thing to express your continued interest in the firm if a sufficient amount of time has elapsed since your interview without hearing back.

That being said, you should be careful not to come off as desperate. For example, I wouldn't send an email that just says "Dear Recruiting, I want you to know that I'd accept an offer if one were to be extended." That could make it seem like you have no other options.

You have nothing to lose by expressing "that while I have other offers, your firm is my first choice." Assuming you do have another offer...

I think point blank saying "I will accept an offer if one is given" or something similar probably comes off as desperate. Nothing wrong with politely reiterating your interest in the firm though

I think it would be very useful to know whether you would take an offer. I work in a small office, and one of the biggest challenges with recruiting where the class is not going to be 20+ is managing the response/acceptance rate. I would think that ideally the firm would not use it as a criterion in determining whether an applicant is worthy of an offer, but it should definitely be a tipping factor on a close call. For example, if they have three roughly equal applicants for the final two slots, the people making the decision would be thrilled not to continue to recruit for another three weeks while waiting to hear that the offers were turned down. They would much prefer to extend the offer they know will be accepted, and wind down their recruiting for the season.

I did this. Received an offer next day. YMMV.

SFSpartan wrote:I think point blank saying "I will accept an offer if one is given" or something similar probably comes off as desperate.

What makes you think that law firms don't want to hire desperate applicants? Why is desperation bad in this context?

I think this expedites the firm's decision. That, of course, can be good or bad.

I think it could help in this case. It doesn't matter much for large offices, but for small offices where firms have to track their yield closely while following NALP guidelines to wait 28 days or so, it will help for them to know that someone will accept immediately to put a closure on the recruiting process.

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I didnt ever say explicitly "I would accept an offer if one is given" but I harassed my firm until an offer was given. It worked. Probably not recommended though. OP glad it worked out
edit: I read an anon comment and interpreted that wrong. Hope it works out*

I'm in a similar position. What else did you say in the email and how long has it been since the interview?

Anonymous User wrote:I did this. Received an offer next day. YMMV.

I did the same. I was also encouraged to do so by a member of the hiring committee who I had a chance to talk to before I went into my interview.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I did this. Received an offer next day. YMMV.

I did the same. I was also encouraged to do so by a member of the hiring committee who I had a chance to talk to before I went into my interview.

How could I say this without sounding desperate? and when should I let them know?

I did something like this for a firm (though it was for a callback, not an offer). Told my screener point-blank that although I was interviewing with a couple of other firms, they were my absolute top choice and I would "welcome the chance to learn more about their firm if given the chance." Got the callback 20 minutes later, at a firm that was a decent reach for me.

I also talked to OCS about how to do this for an offer, and they recommended I tell the firm in a thank-you email. I'd word it somewhere like "throughout this process, firm X has been my top choice, and I would welcome the chance to work for you in the future." Or something like that - not super desperate, but enough that they know they're your favorite (regardless of whether you have other offers).

YMMV, though.

This literally just happened to me today. I sent them an email saying three things "I just completed all my callbacks and loved your firm most", "I'd take an offer if extended", "I have another offer that's expiring soon". A few hours later, got the offer.

I think it's fine to do this post callback but the OP isn't at that stage

It seems like people are having success by creating urgency in the follow-up. Are there any downsides to telling a firm you have an exploding offer even though you don't?

Anonymous User wrote:It seems like people are having success by creating urgency in the follow-up. Are there any downsides to telling a firm you have an exploding offer even though you don't?

There's the whole lying thing

Also correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation

With so many firms sitting on their hands for weeks/months at a time, while continuously telling me to "let them know" if I have another offer, it is definitely tempting to say I have an exploding offer at X midlaw firm, and need to know now. I almost think I'd get an offer out of it -- a few firms seem to like me, but are letting me rot on the waitlist because they know I don't have any other offers and figure I'll be just as desperate a month from now.

(At which point, maybe they'll find 3 or 4 candidates they like better and/or forget I exist)

BigZuck wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:It seems like people are having success by creating urgency in the follow-up. Are there any downsides to telling a firm you have an exploding offer even though you don't?

There's the whole lying thing

Also correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation

Lawyers don't lie