EIC worth it after getting a COA clerkship? Forum

[Anonymous User]

If I have a COA clerkship and a biglaw firm I am happy with, what benefits does EIC of Law Review play? Why would the EIC position be worth all the work if I have those two things lined up. If it makes a difference, non T20 school.

[Anonymous User]

If I have a COA clerkship and a biglaw firm I am happy with, what benefits does EIC of Law Review play? Why would the EIC position be worth all the work if I have those two things lined up. If it makes a difference, non T20 school.

Good god, NO. I was EIC of my journal and I regret doing it. You have a COA and big law - you are essentially set for life. EIC would just be for the resume line, and I assure you it confers no real benefits aside from getting the kind of jobs you've already got lined up (I don't count knowing the Bluebook to be a real benefit).

[seizmaar]

Would you be willing to work biglaw hours for no tangible benefit?

[baal hadad]

Eic is just eating other peoples shit

Don't do it u have Coa already

[lawschoolftw]

Unequivocally, no. While your friends are out celebrating the last year of law school you'll be spending all of your time unitalicizing commas.

[drs36]

No, no, no. As everyone else has stated, you've already obtained all the benefits that an EIC resume line will give you. Find the board/staff position that requires the least amount of work and do that.

[Anonymous User]

So it contains no significant long term career benefits? Only thought is that since I don't go to a top 14/20 school, it is not like every door is open to me.

[lawschoolftw]

No. It's good for big-firms and clerking, both of which you have. No one will care out in practice that you were EIC at one point. Be a Notes Editor or something easier and far less time consuming.

[Anonymous User]

Related question: is EIC worth it if we don't have a clerkship lined up yet? With my grades at my T20 I can likely get a COA, so the only benefit I see would getting a more prestigious judge or court, but I don't know if it's worth it. I'm thinking about just being an articles editor and forgetting about the e-board altogether.

[Elston Gunn]

Related question: is EIC worth it if we don't have a clerkship lined up yet? With my grades at my T20 I can likely get a COA, so the only benefit I see would getting a more prestigious judge or court, but I don't know if it's worth it. I'm thinking about just being an articles editor and forgetting about the e-board altogether.

Other journals may be different, but on my journal you don't *just* be an articles editor--it's an absolutely killer time commitment. Like basically a full time job for the first semester when you're getting a lot of submissions.

[Anonymous User]

No. It's good for big-firms and clerking, both of which you have. No one will care out in practice that you were EIC at one point. Be a Notes Editor or something easier and far less time consuming.

So something like BigFed or other firms later on wont care?

[Anonymous User]

Related question: is EIC worth it if we don't have a clerkship lined up yet? With my grades at my T20 I can likely get a COA, so the only benefit I see would getting a more prestigious judge or court, but I don't know if it's worth it. I'm thinking about just being an articles editor and forgetting about the e-board altogether.

Other journals may be different, but on my journal you don't *just* be an articles editor--it's an absolutely killer time commitment. Like basically a full time job for the first semester when you're getting a lot of submissions.

+1 to everyone above who said no to being EIC with big law/clerkship already lined up.

Also +1 to the quoted. Articles Editor is a huge time suck. Do Notes Editor.

[Anonymous User]

Also +1 to the quoted. Articles Editor is a huge time suck. Do Notes Editor.

So's Executive Editor, especially if you participate in article and note selection.

[Elston Gunn]

Also +1 to the quoted. Articles Editor is a huge time suck. Do Notes Editor.

So's Executive Editor, especially if you participate in article and note selection.

Er, doesn't everyone know going in that Executive Editor is a crazy time suck?

[Anonymous User]

(Not OP)

DISAGREE with the others in this thread. I have a COA clerkship and a biglaw firm job as well. I made the decision to go for, and I obtained, EIC. I go to a tier 2 school.

Yes, it's a lot of work. As someone mentioned, I spend lots of time unitalicizing commas. It's long hours and tiring. Summer blew when I was working 12–15 hr days and also doing LR. Winter break is also going to blow (but less, thankfully).

So should you do it? OF COURSE YOU SHOULD FUCKING DO IT. The other people in this thread don't get it because they go to fancy top 20 schools or are just naive. You aren't "good" just because you have a clerkship and a job lined up. You are only "good" AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING AND HAVE PAID OFF ALL THOSE LOANS AND ARE NO LONGER AN INEXPERIENCED 20-SOMETHING YEAR OLD.

Until you have job experience, you are at risk. Yes, EIC will suck. But you need to KEEP HUSTLING 100%. Don't relax. Even if there's only a 0.1% you will get fucked (losing your job, for example), do you really want to take that risk? Oh I don't know, it's only your financial stability and life I guess.

Bottom line: Keep gunning and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Your school name is going to bring you down. You need as much as you can to lock in that secure future.


- Final note: EIC actually teaches you many skills besides just the bluebook. You learn how to manage people. You learn to think like a manager. I interact much better with the partners at my firm because I can understand them. EIC is a life long skill.

[fats provolone]

- Final note: EIC actually teaches you many skills beside just the bluebook. You learn how to manage people. You learn to think like a manager. I interact much better with the partners at my firm because I can understand them. EIC is a life long skill.

i was going to make fun of this but i realized you're probably right, though not in the way you intended.

[Jchance]

Bottom line: Keep gunning and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Gunner is going to gun.

Personally, I agree with this poster.

[Anonymous User]

Bottom line: Keep gunning and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Gunner is going to gun.

Personally, I agree with this poster.

(OP) I was really hoping for a universal answer and of course, there wasn't one... But I did think some of the same thoughts, since I'm not at a high ranked school. Although I will have a negligible amount of debt, so I'm not concerned with that aspect.

[Desert Fox]

Get Eic and then delegate all your work. Literally all of it.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

I would do EIC if I were you. On a similar note, I think it is worth it for people who are at top of class(top 5%) to gun for #1 as 3Ls rather than relaxing because you never know what will happen, and it makes sense to have every accolade. I really doubt in the future you will regret this choice. Remember that if you are fired from Big law you may be unemployed for months, and "EIC" on any resume will get a little more attention. Also, I would not be surprised if former EICs think that this is a big deal in terms of selecting people to interview/hire.

[GOATlawman]

do you guys think the calculus would be the same for secondary journals?

IMHO, it seems like the "prestige" is gone if it's not LR... so...

I always wondered why people POSSIBLY chose to do EIC of BS secondary journals... I mean, half the editors don't even do anything so that job must be fucking terrible

and I have never heard anyone at a firm mention journal, ever, unless asked about it by a summer, so....like...why?

[Anonymous User]

I would do EIC if I were you. On a similar note, I think it is worth it for people who are at top of class(top 5%) to gun for #1 as 3Ls rather than relaxing because you never know what will happen, and it makes sense to have every accolade. I really doubt in the future you will regret this choice. Remember that if you are fired from Big law you may be unemployed for months, and "EIC" on any resume will get a little more attention. Also, I would not be surprised if former EICs think that this is a big deal in terms of selecting people to interview/hire.

To combine your two notions, it seems like doing EIC would reduce the chance of going from top 5% to #1. So there has to be some priority of one over the other. If all things were equal, EIC seems like it would not be as important long term as saying you're number 1 (considering you have BigLaw and COA clerkship prior to LR ed board elections).

[Anonymous User]

Related question: is EIC worth it if we don't have a clerkship lined up yet? With my grades at my T20 I can likely get a COA, so the only benefit I see would getting a more prestigious judge or court, but I don't know if it's worth it. I'm thinking about just being an articles editor and forgetting about the e-board altogether.

Other journals may be different, but on my journal you don't *just* be an articles editor--it's an absolutely killer time commitment. Like basically a full time job for the first semester when you're getting a lot of submissions.

+1 to everyone above who said no to being EIC with big law/clerkship already lined up.

Also +1 to the quoted. Articles Editor is a huge time suck. Do Notes Editor.

I'm the T20 person. The reason I was thinking articles was because I would probably like it better than notes, and being responsible for 2Ls cite-checking sounds like hell on earth. Another reason is that I've had at least one judge tell me that it's the most favorably looked on committee if one isn't on the e-board.

Finally, I'm honestly not convinced that I could get EIC even if I gunned hard for it. There's at least a couple other people who would do as well or better at the job than I would and are generally more well-liked than I am by most of the 2L staff and e-board. I'm pretty sure at least one of them will be interested in the job. I could probably land some e-board position, but I'm not sure the title is worth doing the work.

[Elston Gunn]

Related question: is EIC worth it if we don't have a clerkship lined up yet? With my grades at my T20 I can likely get a COA, so the only benefit I see would getting a more prestigious judge or court, but I don't know if it's worth it. I'm thinking about just being an articles editor and forgetting about the e-board altogether.

Other journals may be different, but on my journal you don't *just* be an articles editor--it's an absolutely killer time commitment. Like basically a full time job for the first semester when you're getting a lot of submissions.

+1 to everyone above who said no to being EIC with big law/clerkship already lined up.

Also +1 to the quoted. Articles Editor is a huge time suck. Do Notes Editor.

I'm the T20 person. The reason I was thinking articles was because I would probably like it better than notes, and being responsible for 2Ls cite-checking sounds like hell on earth. Another reason is that I've had at least one judge tell me that it's the most favorably looked on committee if one isn't on the e-board.

Finally, I'm honestly not convinced that I could get EIC even if I gunned hard for it. There's at least a couple other people who would do as well or better at the job than I would and are generally more well-liked than I am by most of the 2L staff and e-board. I'm pretty sure at least one of them will be interested in the job. I could probably land some e-board position, but I'm not sure the title is worth doing the work.

I don't think the difference in workload between articles and ed board is that high. And it's probably true that judges prefer articles editors (I've heard this elsewhere too), who cares? Don't you already have a COA clerkship lined up?

[Anonymous User]

I don't think the difference in workload between articles and ed board is that high. And it's probably true that judges prefer articles editors (I've heard this elsewhere too), who cares? Don't you already have a COA clerkship lined up?[/quote]

No, not OP. I probably won't have any more interviews until Fall grades come out.

Is the articles workload really that high? I don't really mind it if it is, but I was thinking there would be a noticeable difference given how much work our e-board puts in.