Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges Forum

[cookiejar1]

Sweet. Told Redish my class schedule, and he basically said I wasn't taking an substantive classes by taking BA and Tax. Told me to take Fed Jur...

Are you an AJD? If so, you're going to start the Fall as a 2L - right? I'm interested in taking Fed Jur but I think the credited advice here is to stay that until 3L year. If you're interested in taking more "substantive" classes for the next fall semester I'd recommend Evidence + Admin Law.

Edit: I'm a rising 2L so blind leading the blind etc.

[09042014]

Sweet. Told Redish my class schedule, and he basically said I wasn't taking an substantive classes by taking BA and Tax. Told me to take Fed Jur...

Never trust a legal academic. They don't know what they are talking about.

[mirroroferised7]

Sweet. Told Redish my class schedule, and he basically said I wasn't taking an substantive classes by taking BA and Tax. Told me to take Fed Jur...

Are you an AJD? If you're interested in taking more "substantive" classes for the next fall semester I'd recommend Evidence + Admin Law.

Edit: I'm a rising 2L so blind leading the blind etc.

Yes, AJD. Was looking into Evidence, but idk if I can take conlaw as a co-req with Admin Law. We'll see.

It's hard to take transactional law classes because transactional lawyers aren't real lawyers.

Joking aside, structured transactions course is the right answer. Business planning was pretty good too. International business transactions and project finance are pretty decent, and they are like auto A classes with a final project instead of exam.

EVERYONE should take those classes if they are uncurved.

You are a god among men.

[09042014]

Sweet. Told Redish my class schedule, and he basically said I wasn't taking an substantive classes by taking BA and Tax. Told me to take Fed Jur...

Are you an AJD? If you're interested in taking more "substantive" classes for the next fall semester I'd recommend Evidence + Admin Law.

Edit: I'm a rising 2L so blind leading the blind etc.

Yes, AJD. Was looking into Evidence, but idk if I can take conlaw as a co-req with Admin Law. We'll see.

It's hard to take transactional law classes because transactional lawyers aren't real lawyers.

Joking aside, structured transactions course is the right answer. Business planning was pretty good too. International business transactions and project finance are pretty decent, and they are like auto A classes with a final project instead of exam.

EVERYONE should take those classes if they are uncurved.

You are a god among men.

They also end well before finals. They are best courses at NU for these reasons. A slackers wet dream. Fuck man, I got an A and I'm still not sure what Project Finance. I gave DELG's part of our presenation without even reading it first because a babby fell out of her that day.

[star fox]

What do people usually do 1L summer and when should we start thinking about that?

[09042014]

What do people usually do 1L summer and when should we start thinking about that?

Thinking about in November, start job hunting on Dec. 1.

[Holly Golightly]

What do people usually do 1L summer and when should we start thinking about that?

Thinking about in November, start job hunting on Dec. 1.

I had no interest in being at a firm 1L summer so I didn't start applying until sometime in January. Ended up getting exactly what I wanted.

Most people do judicial externships/government/PI.

[GoCats56]

What do people usually do 1L summer and when should we start thinking about that?

Thinking about in November, start job hunting on Dec. 1.

Your goal should be to shotgun out apps the day fall semester grades get released (Mid-January). Some people are less intense and start hunting earlier, some people cram it all into a few weeks. Do what works for you, it's the time you're ready to apply to stuff that matters.

At the same time, I don't want to overstate the importance of hitting that deadline. There are plenty of jobs where the timeline is slower, so don't freak out if you aren't quite that on top of things, BUT certain positions (some government ones in particular, think USAOs, the SEC and so forth) will require you to move very quickly once grades are out. If I recall, the deadline for the USAO in N.D. Ill. was actually before grades came out.

Also, the more apps you blast out faster, the sooner you'll get something and be able to stop worrying about it.

[Micdiddy]

What do people usually do 1L summer and when should we start thinking about that?

Thinking about in November, start job hunting on Dec. 1.

Your goal should be to shotgun out apps the day fall semester grades get released (Mid-January). Some people are less intense and start hunting earlier, some people cram it all into a few weeks. Do what works for you, it's the time you're ready to apply to stuff that matters.

At the same time, I don't want to overstate the importance of hitting that deadline. There are plenty of jobs where the timeline is slower, so don't freak out if you aren't quite that on top of things, BUT certain positions (some government ones in particular, think USAOs, the SEC and so forth) will require you to move very quickly once grades are out. If I recall, the deadline for the USAO in N.D. Ill. was actually before grades came out.

Also, the more apps you blast out faster, the sooner you'll get something and be able to stop worrying about it.

If you want a 1L SA blast out apps on Dec. 1 on the dot. Everything else you can prob wait for grades, but yes once grades are out have everything else ready to go.

[GoCats56]

What do people usually do 1L summer and when should we start thinking about that?

Thinking about in November, start job hunting on Dec. 1.

Your goal should be to shotgun out apps the day fall semester grades get released (Mid-January). Some people are less intense and start hunting earlier, some people cram it all into a few weeks. Do what works for you, it's the time you're ready to apply to stuff that matters.

At the same time, I don't want to overstate the importance of hitting that deadline. There are plenty of jobs where the timeline is slower, so don't freak out if you aren't quite that on top of things, BUT certain positions (some government ones in particular, think USAOs, the SEC and so forth) will require you to move very quickly once grades are out. If I recall, the deadline for the USAO in N.D. Ill. was actually before grades came out.

Also, the more apps you blast out faster, the sooner you'll get something and be able to stop worrying about it.

If you want a 1L SA blast out apps on Dec. 1 on the dot. Everything else you can prob wait for grades, but yes once grades are out have everything else ready to go.

Above poster is absolutely right about 1L SA positions. There are more of them out there than CSO tells you about (particularly for diverse students). They're attainable if you hustle for them, and you do have to hustle.

For almost every other job you will be ahead of the curve if you get them out on grades day or shortly thereafter.

That said, I worked in government this summer and had a really, really good experience. Even if you are 100% dead set on getting a firm job post-graduation (I certainly am) you should really consider doing something a little different your 1L summer. Firms for OCI won't give a shit so long as you did something substantive/legal.

[Dr. Filth]

I don't understand the if you want to do big law post grad don't do it first summer advice. Yeah just do get paid 10$/hr for the sake of variety instead.

[slexisl1024]

Hey all, incoming 1L here. On the topic of 1L summer: I am K-JD but do have full-time work experience during college and in the summers, but my work experience is super public-interesty and only with non-profits. If I were to do government/PI work my 1L summer would firms at OCI be concerned about this? I definitely want to work in the private sector after law school, most likely big law.

[Holly Golightly]

I don't understand the if you want to do big law post grad don't do it first summer advice. Yeah just do get paid 10$/hr for the sake of variety instead.

There are people who value experience over money. And also people who don't want to waste days of first semester finals sending out apps to firms.

[LRGhost]

Hey all, incoming 1L here. On the topic of 1L summer: I am K-JD but do have full-time work experience during college and in the summers, but my work experience is super public-interesty and only with non-profits. If I were to do government/PI work my 1L summer would firms at OCI be concerned about this? I definitely want to work in the private sector after law school, most likely big law.

I think a lot of people in LS have very PI focused resumes. Don't worry.

[Snape]

I don't understand the if you want to do big law post grad don't do it first summer advice. Yeah just do get paid 10$/hr for the sake of variety instead.

There are people who value experience over money. And also people who don't want to waste days of first semester finals sending out apps to firms.

You don't get it because its BS and makes no sense, nothing more than a cop out excuse for those that either didn't try or struck out and want to somehow feel fetter about themselves. Unless you are some super rich kid with nothing but money, if you want to work Big Law after graduation and have a $3,100 paying per week job between 1L and 2L as a full time student you would be absolutely nuts and crazy to not take such an opportunity….and for any claim of "experience," laughable at best, do you really think you would get a better "experience" with some judge 35 hours a week or anywhere as a 1L for that matter? LOL!

[Holly Golightly]

In my experience, a judicial externship is much better experience than a biglaw SA, as far as actually getting to do real things goes. But you won't be doing real work your first several years in biglawl anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter for that career path anyway.

[Micdiddy]

In my experience, a judicial externship is much better experience than a biglaw SA, as far as actually getting to do real things goes. But you won't be doing real work your first several years in biglawl anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter for that career path anyway.

Obviously I cannot speak for your experience, but in my experience a judicial externship this summer was literally the biggest waste of time. I think some of my friends had better experiences of course, but I agree with above it's borderline insanity not to take a 1L SA if you can get it (unless you are a millionaire AND don't want to do Biglaw...even then it probably looks the best on your resume).

[Holly Golightly]

It doesn't look better on your resume if you want PI. Some government positions, maybe.

And obviously the type of experience you get at a judicial externship depends a lot on the judge and probably his/her clerks. But I had a great experience at my externship, and the judge I clerk for likes to treat externs like mini-clerks and give them opinions to write, etc.

[franklyscarlet]

If you want to do transactional,In house for 1L summer is a good gig if you can get it- nice hours, you get paid, and you get to see things from the client side.

[Dr. Filth]

In my experience, a judicial externship is much better experience than a biglaw SA, as far as actually getting to do real things goes. But you won't be doing real work your first several years in biglawl anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter for that career path anyway.

Obviously I cannot speak for your experience, but in my experience a judicial externship this summer was literally the biggest waste of time. I think some of my friends had better experiences of course, but I agree with above it's borderline insanity not to take a 1L SA if you can get it (unless you are a millionaire AND don't want to do Biglaw...even then it probably looks the best on your resume).

My prestigious externship was a valuable experience I wouldn't trade for 3100 x 10.

[Holly Golightly]

Never said my externship was prestigious, bro. And I turned down biglawl for PI. So yes, I would skip over those fat rolls of cash for things that matter more to me.

[Micdiddy]

Never said my externship was prestigious, bro. And I turned down biglawl for PI. So yes, I would skip over those fat rolls of cash for things that matter more to me.

I don't think this was ever meant to be personal against you or anything. Certainly lots of people turn down Biglaw for pi, in fact many people settle for Biglaw if they can't get pi (like, some pi). But that's different than turning down a 1L SA for basically anything else that summer.
Anyway, I'm sure everyone's heard both sides now so future 1L's can make their own decision.

[Dr. Filth]

Never said my externship was prestigious, bro. And I turned down biglawl for PI. So yes, I would skip over those fat rolls of cash for things that matter more to me.

Oh sorry. Wasn't making fun of you. Micdiddy has heard me complain about how much I hated my job about 1000 times irl.

And yeah I totally get why you wouldn't want to do biglawl if you weren't planning on doing it postgrad, but I heard a some people say how great it was to RA and extern 1L and how they wouldn't trade wouldn't trade it for anything. And then the next sentence was about how they were excited to be going to [fill in huge firm]. It just never made sense to me.

[Snape]

Like said above, people can convince themselves of anything to feel better about a situation and thats great….but nobody actually choses crappy RA and externship over big law 1L gig….its easy to say "i wouldn't have traded my RA / Crapternship gig over a V-10 1L SA" when it was never an option….and like you said, most often those same people were gunning nervous wrecks come 2L OCI. To each his own, but 99% of the time any person saying they wouldn't trade his/her 1L gig for a 1L big law SA is blowing smoke where the son don't shine.

[Charger]

Can the same class be used to satisfy a 1-draft and the perspective elective?