Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
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Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Just wondering.
- Helmholtz
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
OnePostWonder wrote:Just wondering.
There was a guy at CCN who was doing a JD/MBA. Was #1 in his class at the law school and the business school after the first year. Turned down law review because he said "he didn't need it anyway," and ended up having a blast for the next two years. Got a very prestigious clerkship after law school and is now working for one of the most prestigious boutiques in the country. Looks like he didn't actually need it.
- philly_law
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Dunno, but man I often wish I had. After striking out at OCI, doing the bs work for LR is unbearable.
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Helmholtz wrote:OnePostWonder wrote:Just wondering.
There was a guy at CCN who was doing a JD/MBA. Was #1 in his class at the law school and the business school after the first year. Turned down law review because he said "he didn't need it anyway," and ended up having a blast for the next two years. Got a very prestigious clerkship after law school and is now working for one of the most prestigious boutiques in the country. Looks like he didn't actually need it.
I'm pretty skeptical that LR really helps for most jobs. Especially since it doesn't seem to help people who wrote on all that much.
- MrKappus
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Desert Fox wrote:Helmholtz wrote:OnePostWonder wrote:Just wondering.
There was a guy at CCN who was doing a JD/MBA. Was #1 in his class at the law school and the business school after the first year. Turned down law review because he said "he didn't need it anyway," and ended up having a blast for the next two years. Got a very prestigious clerkship after law school and is now working for one of the most prestigious boutiques in the country. Looks like he didn't actually need it.
I'm pretty skeptical that LR really helps for most jobs. Especially since it doesn't seem to help people who wrote on all that much.
I think this might go a little too far in the other direction. LR certainly doesn't guarantee you a job, but of course it helps. It's probably like softs in admissions. It'll never stand alone, but helps if you have the numbers.
Last edited by MrKappus on Sun Jan 22, 2012 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- IAFG
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
G. T. L. Rev. wrote:Desert Fox wrote:
I'm pretty skeptical that LR really helps for most jobs. Especially since it doesn't seem to help people who wrote on all that much.
I cannot speak to biglaw or other types of hiring -- the effect of LR there is probably an easily-answered empirical question -- but in clerkship hiring LR makes a difference for lots of judges. Thus, if OP wants to clerk, s/he should consider that reality as part of the overall picture. If all you want is biglaw, and you have awesome grades, then foregoing LR seems completely rational to me.
And if you miss biglaw, you are gonna want that clerkship bump real bad... but are judges going to seriously look at a write-on kid?
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
IAFG wrote:G. T. L. Rev. wrote:Desert Fox wrote:
I'm pretty skeptical that LR really helps for most jobs. Especially since it doesn't seem to help people who wrote on all that much.
I cannot speak to biglaw or other types of hiring -- the effect of LR there is probably an easily-answered empirical question -- but in clerkship hiring LR makes a difference for lots of judges. Thus, if OP wants to clerk, s/he should consider that reality as part of the overall picture. If all you want is biglaw, and you have awesome grades, then foregoing LR seems completely rational to me.
And if you miss biglaw, you are gonna want that clerkship bump real bad... but are judges going to seriously look at a write-on kid?
Going the clerkship route also requires having an interest in Con law, right?
- MrKappus
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Important to note too that when a write-on member writes on, she only has 1/3 of her grades. If she dramatically improved over 2L/3L, she could still have a clerkship-worthy transcript.
- IAFG
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
MrKappus wrote:Important to note too that when a write-on member writes on, she only has 1/3 of her grades. If she dramatically improved over 2L/3L, she could still have a clerkship-worthy transcript.
Don't judges already decide well before 3L grades come in?
- Helmholtz
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
IAFG wrote:MrKappus wrote:Important to note too that when a write-on member writes on, she only has 1/3 of her grades. If she dramatically improved over 2L/3L, she could still have a clerkship-worthy transcript.
Don't judges already decide well before 3L grades come in?
Hell, some judges hire before even a single 2L grade comes out. Then again, a fair number of people clerk after a couple years of working, so the judge would see every grade.
- IAFG
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Helmholtz wrote:IAFG wrote:MrKappus wrote:Important to note too that when a write-on member writes on, she only has 1/3 of her grades. If she dramatically improved over 2L/3L, she could still have a clerkship-worthy transcript.
Don't judges already decide well before 3L grades come in?
Hell, some judges hire before even a single 2L grade comes out. Then again, a fair number of people clerk after a couple years of working, so the judge would see every grade.
But, if you're an unemployed write-on kid...
- MrKappus
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
MrKappus wrote:Important to note too that when a write-on member writes on, she only has1/31/2 of her grades that are relevant to clerkships. If she dramatically improved over 2L/3L, she could still have a clerkship-worthy transcript.
Good points above.
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Desert Fox wrote:Helmholtz wrote:OnePostWonder wrote:Just wondering.
There was a guy at CCN who was doing a JD/MBA. Was #1 in his class at the law school and the business school after the first year. Turned down law review because he said "he didn't need it anyway," and ended up having a blast for the next two years. Got a very prestigious clerkship after law school and is now working for one of the most prestigious boutiques in the country. Looks like he didn't actually need it.
I'm pretty skeptical that LR really helps for most jobs. Especially since it doesn't seem to help people who wrote on all that much.
Eh, we talked about it in every interview and I feel it was the sole relating factor i had to several of my interviewers. A few firms have only ever hired LR people from my school. One of my callbacks even scheduled interviewers who shared an interest with my note topic. Hard to believe it had no impact.
- Helmholtz
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
G. T. L. Rev. wrote:Helmholtz wrote:IAFG wrote:MrKappus wrote:Important to note too that when a write-on member writes on, she only has 1/3 of her grades. If she dramatically improved over 2L/3L, she could still have a clerkship-worthy transcript.
Don't judges already decide well before 3L grades come in?
Hell, some judges hire before even a single 2L grade comes out. Then again, a fair number of people clerk after a couple years of working, so the judge would see every grade.
Clerking does not require an interest in conlaw. Lots of the material you encounter as a federal clerk arises under statutes or the common law, rather than the Constitution.
As for the above, I am unaware of any judge who hires "before even a single 2L grade comes out." Any chance you are willing to share who these judges are?
I believe that a certain judge on the Ninth Circuit will snap up some people more than a month before they sit down for their first 2L exam

- thesealocust
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
G. T. L. Rev. wrote:Helmholtz wrote:I believe that a certain judge on the Ninth Circuit will snap up some people more than a month before they sit down for their first 2L exam
In prior years, said judge waited until second semester. My application year (spring/summer 2009), the judge in question waited until spring!
This is madness. If anyone else has credible, specific reports of hiring before second semester of 2L year, please let me know. I promise to keep the specific judge names & courts confidential.
I'm pretty sure both Wilkinson and Kozinski hire that early whenever they feel like doing so (and don't when they don't?)
- DrGuano
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Desert Fox wrote:Helmholtz wrote:OnePostWonder wrote:Just wondering.
There was a guy at CCN who was doing a JD/MBA. Was #1 in his class at the law school and the business school after the first year. Turned down law review because he said "he didn't need it anyway," and ended up having a blast for the next two years. Got a very prestigious clerkship after law school and is now working for one of the most prestigious boutiques in the country. Looks like he didn't actually need it.
I'm pretty skeptical that LR really helps for most jobs. Especially since it doesn't seem to help people who wrote on all that much.
at fordham it helps big time. outside the t14 i imagine its super important. fordham takes the top 25 students as grade ons and another 30+ as write ons. write ons can be in the top 33%. so basically everyone after the 6% percentile up to the 33rd % or so that is on lr has a HUGE advantage over other non-lr students considering fordham OCIs at around 25%.
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
I did(effectively). Best decision I made in law school. Never affected me negatively in the slightest(although I never wanted to clerk).
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Not many, but many later wish they did.
- Always Credited
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
I turned it down. Don't want to clerk and don't want biglaw.
- Guchster
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
thesealocust wrote:G. T. L. Rev. wrote:Helmholtz wrote:I believe that a certain judge on the Ninth Circuit will snap up some people more than a month before they sit down for their first 2L exam
In prior years, said judge waited until second semester. My application year (spring/summer 2009), the judge in question waited until spring!
This is madness. If anyone else has credible, specific reports of hiring before second semester of 2L year, please let me know. I promise to keep the specific judge names & courts confidential.
I'm pretty sure both Wilkinson and Kozinski hire that early whenever they feel like doing so (and don't when they don't?)
Lol at kozinski.
He trolled my contracts class.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdjCdbGucCU
Apparently my professor clerked with him so he stopped by to harass us when he came to visit my LS. He's even more hardcore in person.
- Helmholtz
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Helmholtz wrote:OnePostWonder wrote:Just wondering.
There was a guy at CCN who was doing a JD/MBA. Was #1 in his class at the law school and the business school after the first year. Turned down law review because he said "he didn't need it anyway," and ended up having a blast for the next two years. Got a very prestigious clerkship after law school and is now working for one of the most prestigious boutiques in the country. Looks like he didn't actually need it.
I decided to look up this guy again. Seems that the "very prestigious clerkship" I alluded to was actually a SCOTUS clerkship (for some reason, I had thought he only did COA).
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
Know some people with the grades who never did the write on - didn't want it.
- kalvano
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Re: Does anyone who is not transferring turn down law review?
I tried to turn down Law Review, but those jackasses never gave me the chance to.
I'm looking at you, Betasteve.
I'm looking at you, Betasteve.
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