Top Law Schools

-3L
-T30
-Bottom 10 percent of class
-No debt at all and don't mind working 10-15 dollars/hour for a year or two out of graduation. Looking for a job with upward mobility where I can hit 100K+ in 5-7 years or so after graduation
-Shooting for private practice small shitlaw firms that do trusts wills, entertainment/sports, PI, criminal defense, family law...etc

1. Should I focus my attention on just bar exam and finding employment as opposed to trying to salvage my grades(which seems unlikely to even get out of bottom quarter)? I don't think I'm going to attend any classes this semester and just hope I don't fail anything. I believe my efforts will be better served on trying to pass the bar the first time(already submitted full tuition to BARBRI and started studying). NO harm in starting bar prep now? Any tips on finding employment as well would be greatly appreciated.

Job search like mad.

Don't worry about bar till after graduation.

Ahh ok thanks. I definitely need to work on networking.

try talking to your careers office and ask if they can set you up for informational interviews with recent grads in your desired fields. It's going to take a ton of networking to land something at a small firm in family law or estate planning.

btw I think you should pick something specific and go with it. "generalist" practitioners are going the way of the dodo. do you have any summer work experience in one or more of these fields?

The bar is months away. I highly doubt you'll remember anything from what you study now. If you got into a T30 you had to have a decent LSAT score (mid to high 160s I'm guessing) so that shows you are capable of performing well on high-pressured tests, so even though you are in the bottom of your class, which increases your chances of failing, I still wouldn't be THAT worried about the bar (I'd be way more worried abt employment). Actually though what is the cause of your low law school grades if you have a sense of it? Obviously you do want to think about how to mitigate its impact (if it is something fixable like anxiety during the test or lack of prep or whatever).

I think the best thing for your job search now will be going to bar events, CLEs, Inns of Court events (look into it if you haven heard of it....good NWing opp that most law students don't know about), etc and try to meet people in your practice areas of interest and ask them for coffee or an informational interview (also work the alum angle through OCS). The key on these coffees and interviews is not to ask for a job right off the bat. Wait until they ask you about your plans and casually tell them you are still looking and would appreciate any guidance they have. Use your judgment about whether to ask outright for them to send your resume around. Also listen to the advice they give you about the job hunt! Some of it may be boomed drivel about your degree being versatile but there should.be some nuggets in there. Afterward email them and thank them for their time and advice. Good luck!

Like the above guy said, go to Inns of Court, bar events, etc. Join local organizations, participate in pro bono events, etc. You'd be surprised how quickly you can grow your network. Best of luck.

LOL where was this work ethic when you were supposed to be doing law school? Starting the bar in Feb. LOL.

OP this thread could help. http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 0&t=204704

Desert Fox wrote:OP this thread could help. http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 0&t=204704

naw no debt...I'm chillin lol

I can actually afford to work for free for a couple of years, but getting paid would be nice.

AntiHuman wrote:
I can actually afford to work for free for a couple of years, but getting paid would be nice.

minimum wage makes this illegal.

I wouldn't be too open about offering your services for free or very cheaply. the stingiest firms are often the worst places to work. you attended a decent school, just because your grades suck doesn't mean you should be slaving away under extreme stress for $20/hour. try to get something decent, and if that fails, then fall back on your "work for free" plans.

Male or female? My answer depends on your response.

shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars

Male

I think I'm just gonna do the Barbri early start program where we just review the multistate subjects. Then focus HARD on employment starting early March. Gonna skip 90 percent of classes and just study a few days before each exam and hope I don't fail.

AntiHuman wrote:Male

I think I'm just gonna do the Barbri early start program where we just review the multistate subjects. Then focus HARD on employment starting early March. Gonna skip 90 percent of classes and just study a few days before each exam and hope I don't fail.

network like crazy. You're not out yet.

BCLS wrote:

AntiHuman wrote:Male

I think I'm just gonna do the Barbri early start program where we just review the multistate subjects. Then focus HARD on employment starting early March. Gonna skip 90 percent of classes and just study a few days before each exam and hope I don't fail.

network like crazy. You're not out yet.

This... people like OP are ridiculous. Yep, your professional career is over before it started because you got poor grades. No one has ever done that before!

You need to talk to someone and get your attitude adjusted (wow... that is something my mother would say), because no one is going to want to hire some negative nancy, woe is me type like you appear to be. If you think you are worthless, others will too.