Contacting Firm as a OL (old) / Personal JX (new topic) Forum

[devilishangelrjp]

I live, attend school and want to work for a firm in the same market. I am hoping to land a 1L internship during summer '11. Would it be smart to contact regional recruiter now and express my interest?

If you like wasting time...which it seems you do.

[superserial]

go for it, gunner.

[Mattalones]

I was wondering about contacting a SD firm about how I can try to get into the market there coming from the east coast. I want to work in SD and will go to LS on the other coast. That seems more like advice seeking than expressing interest. How do you think that would be perceived?

If they even respond they will ask you why you went to school on the east coast if you want to work in SD. If you have a good reason, like you are going to T6, then you don't need to contact them b/c you can practice where you want. So... not beneficial.

That suggests going to a T20 school is pointless for SD unless it is a CA school. I know it's not ideal for it, but that is why I'd be inquiring in the first place. But, I'll probably just fall back on career center and alumni contacts instead.

[APHill]

thanks, i already got an idea that contacting anyone b4 1L OCI is not good idea. In terms of reading textbooks - it is not work for me, it is really enjoyable in fact. I know I will cover a lot more material than necessary, but if I cover 100% and they teach 70%, the 70% of the material will still be a review for me while it will be all new for most other students.

Do you...have friends? Hobbies? You have three years of law school to read textbooks.

I have a wife I spend a lot of time with. As far as for hobbies - I enjoyed video games and World of Warcraft in particular, but after I discovered TLS I had to cancel my WoW membership, as I did not have time for it. Reading books is one of my hobbies, but while most people like fiction, I like legal textbooks. Sue me.

[APHill]

A.P. Hill?

Yes, I love that guy, he is my hero.

[APHill]

I got this from webmd...

"Asperger's syndrome is a lifelong condition, although it tends to stabilize over time, and improvements are often seen. Adults usually obtain a better understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses. They are able to learn social skills and how to read others' social cues. Many people with Asperger's syndrome marry and have children.

Some traits that are typical of Asperger's syndrome, such as attention to detail and focused interests, can increase chances of university and career success. Many people with Asperger's seem to be fascinated with technology, and a common career choice is engineering. But scientific careers are by no means the only areas where people with Asperger's excel. Indeed, many respected historical figures have had symptoms of Asperger's, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Thomas Jefferson. "


You can have a very happy and productive life. Good Luck!!

I think I might have it.

[APHill]

i bet your insecure/gunnerish because you are going to a t3

add a 0 to your guess and you will know exactly where I am going.

[APHill]

I doubt your co-workers would get wind of it, because I would contact a recruiter, not an employee.

I have bought all the books for first semester (the books which will actually be used in my sections) and have covered 300 pages already, so thank you for the 0L prep hint.

I have an OL prep hint, work on your grammar.

What part of grammar, in particular? If you are tlaking about "a"and "the" then I really dont care.

[blsingindisguise]

I doubt your co-workers would get wind of it, because I would contact a recruiter, not an employee.

I have bought all the books for first semester (the books which will actually be used in my sections) and have covered 300 pages already, so thank you for the 0L prep hint.

300 pages of a single book or combined from different books? How are you reading? Are you taking notes? Do you look up anything that you don't know what it is? Do you understand the court system, how summary judgment works, what a motion to dismiss is? Do you know what different appellate standards of review mean? "Reading the textbook" the way you'd read a history or psych textbook is useless without the right approach.

[Mattalones]

i bet your insecure/gunnerish because you are going to a t3

add a 0 to your guess and you will know exactly where I am going.

Go Fordham!

[superserial]

I doubt your co-workers would get wind of it, because I would contact a recruiter, not an employee.

I have bought all the books for first semester (the books which will actually be used in my sections) and have covered 300 pages already, so thank you for the 0L prep hint.

300 pages of a single book or combined from different books? How are you reading? Are you taking notes? Do you look up anything that you don't know what it is? Do you understand the court system, how summary judgment works, what a motion to dismiss is? Do you know what different appellate standards of review mean? "Reading the textbook" the way you'd read a history or psych textbook is useless without the right approach.

does he understand how (relatively) useless textbooks are?

[APHill]

300 pages from several textbooks. I am not taking notes (very good memory), but am looking up terms, e.g. interlocutory, etc. and I have a twinkle of what many legal terms mean, as I have Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies - took Civ Pro, Legal Writing 1 and 2, Contracts 1 and 2, Torts, Evidence, etc. It is probab;y not the same level of rigor as a T30 law school (or so they say?!), but definitely a good base. Teachers at community college were all lawyers and they modelled their classes and exams after law school a lot. I actually ended up getting award for highest grade in several classes and overall 4.0 in my degree. It might mean that I will get 2.5 GPA in law school, but I will try my hardest, as usual, and we will see....

[Mattalones]

300 pages from several textbooks. I am not taking notes (very good memory), but am looking up terms, e.g. interlocutory, etc. and I have a twinkle of what many legal terms mean, as I have Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies - took Civ Pro, Legal Writing 1 and 2, Contracts 1 and 2, Torts, Evidence, etc. It is probab;y not the same level of rigor as a T30 law school (or so they say?!), but definitely a good base. Teachers at community college were all lawyers and they modelled their classes and exams after law school a lot. I actually ended up getting award for highest grade in several classes and overall 4.0 in my degree. It might mean that I will get 2.5 GPA in law school, but I will try my hardest, as usual, and we will see....

I can already predict all of the people making the obvious point that Community College is not law school, which is harder ... yada, yada, yada.

Anyway, I think you have a positive attitude ... Do everything you can and don't worry what they say.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV-HPOHu8mY

[umichgrad]

The really important question here is where EXACTLY is OP going to law school, because I'm going to make him my outlining buddy.

just kidding.

sorta

[APHill]

That question will remain unanswered as I do not want gunner fame in my school. Unless it is anonymous TLS fame, lol. When I say T30 I do not mean ls ranked #30, so it is not fordham or gw.

[Z3RO]

Thank you for this thread.

[patrickd139]

A.P. Hill?

Yes, I love that guy, he is my hero.

Hmm...turns out A.P. Hill graduated just above the median in his class at West Point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._P._Hill

[APHill]

Did not prevent him from kicking his classmates' behinds in the Civil War.

[ixkofm]

If you want to contact this firm as an 0L there are some things you should first consider, most notably this:

What exactly do you want from them? There is a big difference between saying "Hello my name is Wesley Snipes, I am starting law school this year and just wanted to let you know that I think your firm is neat and eventually I'd like to work here" and "Hello my name is Wesley Snipes, I am interested in any opportunities you may have for me to come in and intern for you, so I can learn and get a basic understanding of what it means to be an attorney"

I'm also a 0L, but after my freshman year of undergrad I did just what you did and contacted a small firm (5 attorneys) in Manhattan and gave them the second of my 2 scenarios. I ended up working there for 2 summers and actually getting paid $10 an hour. With that experience after I graduated I was able to land an internship for the past year at a slightly bigger firm (12 attorneys) where I have been doing research once a week for free.

Basically, I'm trying to say it is possible to get law firm experience as an 0L, but you have to be willing to be flexible, work for free, and have realistic goals (learning, not getting a step up on the hiring process). Regardless of what you choose to do good luck.

[sapp]

Tagging my question on to this thread because it’s a similar topic…

In my work experience I have made several contacts with lawyers and firms that happen to be in the area of where I’ll be going to school. A few that I’ve worked with extensively have repeatedly said “make sure you contact us when you get in the area.”

Would doing so be breaking the rules of not contacting firms as a 1L? Even though I’d be contacting people I already know?

(Sorry if this seems like a stupid/paranoid question – just don’t want to do anything that I view as innocent enough but could be a legal faux pas.)

[Z3RO]

Tagging my question on to this thread because it’s a similar topic…

In my work experience I have made several contacts with lawyers and firms that happen to be in the area of where I’ll be going to school. A few that I’ve worked with extensively have repeatedly said “make sure you contact us when you get in the area.”

Would doing so be breaking the rules of not contacting firms as a 1L? Even though I’d be contacting people I already know?

(Sorry if this seems like a stupid/paranoid question – just don’t want to do anything that I view as innocent enough but could be a legal faux pas.)

I would err on the side of not breaking rules that might ruin your career.

I'm an 0L myself, so what do I know?

[wired]

I just sent out four letters to attorneys who attended the law school I will go to and are currently practicing in government agencies I am interested in working for. I feel no shame.

[Z3RO]

I just sent out four letters to attorneys who attended the law school I will go to and are currently practicing in government agencies I am interested in working for. I feel no shame.

Now that's actually not a bad idea. You're networking. I wish that I had an acceptance, so that I could do the same thing; ask to take them out for lunch and talk about the profession.

[sapp]

Tagging my question on to this thread because it’s a similar topic…

In my work experience I have made several contacts with lawyers and firms that happen to be in the area of where I’ll be going to school. A few that I’ve worked with extensively have repeatedly said “make sure you contact us when you get in the area.”

Would doing so be breaking the rules of not contacting firms as a 1L? Even though I’d be contacting people I already know?

(Sorry if this seems like a stupid/paranoid question – just don’t want to do anything that I view as innocent enough but could be a legal faux pas.)

I would err on the side of not breaking rules that might ruin your career.

I'm an 0L myself, so what do I know?

I just sent out four letters to attorneys who attended the law school I will go to and are currently practicing in government agencies I am interested in working for. I feel no shame.

Now that's actually not a bad idea. You're networking. I wish that I had an acceptance, so that I could do the same thing; ask to take them out for lunch and talk about the profession.

Can't the situation I posed be viewed as simply networking too? I didn't say that they said "contact us and we'll hire you." Just to contact them once in the area.

[APHill]

I know what I am looking for now actually...After you read 10-11 cases on out-of-state defendant jurisdiction you pretty much memorize the central jurisdiction determination rule that they are all repeating over and over again.