S.Lee2018 wrote:MyNameIsFlynn! wrote:
What more are you looking for? Three credible posters all said the same thing (and for what it's worth, they're right).
I am wondering how this could possibly comply with the dec 1st rule. Are we allowed to do it? Or is it in fact a violation of the rule, just going unpunished?
The rule is "Prospective employers and first year law students should not initiate contact with one another and employers should not interview or make offers to first year students before December 1." And yes, often students and firms fail to adhere to it. Here are few things to keep in mind:
Fist, membership in NALP (and by extension, compliance with NALP rules) is not compulsory. At least in Texas, most smaller/midsize firms are not members of NALP, and so aren't bound by the Dec 1st rule. This is "at-will" employment we're talking about here; if a firm wants to interview in August then they can do that. However, because HLS essentially requires EIP employers to adhere to the NALP guidelines (or else be banned from EIP), employers for whom that incentive is compelling will still tend to follow the Dec. 1 rule, at least theoretically.
Second, you're not going to get in trouble for sending your materials early. Prior to November would seem a bit odd to me, but anytime within that month should be fine. Maybe you don't need to advertise what you're doing to OCS or to your classmates, but then again I've never heard of anyone getting in trouble for sending apps early.
Third, there are four general types of people who get 1L firm jobs:
-Texans (in Texas)
-URM/minorities (this includes diversity positions)
-People with solid financial/accounting/consulting/biotech experience
-People with family connections
Almost very person I know who had a 1L job fit into at least one of these categories. If you fit one of these descriptions, then you should be looking for advice primarily from people who had 1L firm jobs and fit the same description. If you're not trying to get to Texas, then hearing advice from Joe Texan about how to get a 1L firm job is not going to be very useful to you. There are general tips, to be sure, but you should be looking for advice from someone who went through the same process as you're intending to.
Each category hires differently. For example, as I understand it, the URM/diversity positions stick pretty rigidly to the formal NALP schedule. On other end of the spectrum you have the family connection people, who often have 1L firm jobs lined up prior to beginning orientation. The other two categories fall somewhere in between. In any case, it doesn't hurt to send out apps early.
If none of these categories describes you, then you're probably not getting a firm job as a 1L. You might, but you probably won't. One exception may be that the firms that come to interview 1Ls during Spring might be looking for people with really good grades, but I'm not certain grades alone are going to get you an opportunity that you wouldn't have otherwise be competitive for.
I did the Texas thing, so my advice is generally limited to that domain. Be sure to get other opinions.
