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

[lgleye]

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[fishfry111]

S?

[Kikero]

Sorry if this is a basic question, but I think I recall reading somewhere in these threads that, once you get out into the real world, people don’t refer to Vault ranks as much or not all all. I also heard this at a cocktail party, but didn’t have a chance to talk to that person more. I’m sure that doesn’t mean that people think that all firms are equal, so what measure or ranking term do they use?

This might be a better question for itbdvorm's thread here:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=163550

My understanding (which is almost certainly flawed) just from reading around on TLS and talking to people is that there is a more nuanced approach than simply looking at Vault. Firms have their strong and weak areas, and reputations are built more on impressions people get from working with or against each other than from a list online. I've heard that Chambers bands are fairly accurate when it comes to evaluating firms' strengths in different areas, but it's not perfect either

[LRGhost]

My understanding is that Vault is really good at ranking transactional firms focused on NYC BigLaw. Beyond that, Chambers and speaking with lawyers would be a better way to get a feel for strengths and weaknesses.

But this also sort of raises the question as to what 'metric' you would use to 'rank' different firms even within similar practice areas.

[dagny05]

Do many 2Ls/3Ls work during the school year for pay at local firms? It would be a nice way to get some experience and cash -- I was wondering how realistic it is.

[californiauser]

For all current students, how much is a Nortwestern Law degree worth to you, personally?

[bdubs]

Do many 2Ls/3Ls work during the school year for pay at local firms? It would be a nice way to get some experience and cash -- I was wondering how realistic it is.

It happens for a few people, but I wouldn't count on it. If you are really motivated to find something that pays during the school year I think you'd have moderate success, but not necessarily at really high $/hr. The number of big firms that hire their SAs part-time as 3Ls is pretty small.

[Flips88]

For all current students, how much is a Nortwestern Law degree worth to you, personally?

The federal government tells me about $250,000.

[Dr. Filth]

For all current students, how much is a Nortwestern Law degree worth to you, personally?

The federal government tells me about $250,000.

paye tells me less!

[splitsplat]

For all current students, how much is a Nortwestern Law degree worth to you, personally?

dunno, where the hell is nortwestern

[Kellanj]

Is work experience still almost always a prerequisite to getting accepted or getting financial help?

[rinkrat19]

Is work experience still almost always a prerequisite to getting accepted or getting financial help?

I think the percentage of people with WE has fallen a bit each year for the last couple of years (98% to 95% to 90% or something like that) as they try to maintain the medians, but I'm pretty sure it's still pretty high (like >80%).

I don't think WE really has anything to do with financial aid, though. Although someone who's been working in ibanking is probably less likely to get a scholarship than someone who's been doing TFA, all other things being equal (since presumably the ibanker is less broke).

[Kellanj]

Thanks for the quick response! Would you say someone coming in without any work experience would be looked down upon? Also do you have any idea how many California firms come to OCI and how well the school places on the west coast? Thanks.

[bjsesq]

Current students: I am a sexually active young men with a fetish for tall bois. Anyone know anyone they can introduce me to when I arrive at NU?

[lgleye]

.

[homestyle28]

Current students: I am a sexually active young men with a fetish for tall bois. Anyone know anyone they can introduce me to when I arrive at NU?

I knew a guy who graduated last year, he was down on his luck for a while, so would do just about anything if the price was right, pretty sure he moved to bigsky country though.

[bjsesq]

Current students: I am a sexually active young men with a fetish for tall bois. Anyone know anyone they can introduce me to when I arrive at NU?

I knew a guy who graduated last year, he was down on his luck for a while, so would do just about anything if the price was right, pretty sure he moved to bigsky country though.

Biglaw>bigsky

[homestyle28]

Current students: I am a sexually active young men with a fetish for tall bois. Anyone know anyone they can introduce me to when I arrive at NU?

I knew a guy who graduated last year, he was down on his luck for a while, so would do just about anything if the price was right, pretty sure he moved to bigsky country though.

Biglaw>bigsky

If I've learned anything from Ted Turner it's make enough money to buy your own western state, that's my 1 goal in life.

[crumpetsandtea]

Does anyone have a good Friedman Insurance Law outline, by any chance? I will compensate you with baked goods!

[mirroroferised7]

So, I was clicking around, checking out my top choices' ratings on LST.

Northwestern had the highest alumni and student rating for practicality of the classes and coursework required.

Do you guys feel like the work you're doing in the classroom is actually useful in practical application (externships, SA positions, etc.)? NU has a reputation of being a law school run like a business school (ie giving presentations, etc.), and I kind of like the idea of that.

[jn7]

So, I was clicking around, checking out my top choices' ratings on LST.

Northwestern had the highest alumni and student rating for practicality of the classes and coursework required.

Do you guys feel like the work you're doing in the classroom is actually useful in practical application (externships, SA positions, etc.)? NU has a reputation of being a law school run like a business school (ie giving presentations, etc.), and I kind of like the idea of that.

As a 1L, I don't think any of our doctrinal classes are any different than other school's, but others would be able to comment on higher level classes and clinical experiences where I think NU differentiates itself.

[starz]

Anyone know when the writing competition usually is? I need to give a start/end date for my summer position?
Also, when does OCI usually start?

Thanks so much!

[rinkrat19]

Anyone know when the writing competition usually is? I need to give a start/end date for my summer position?
Also, when does OCI usually start?

Thanks so much!

Assuming that last year was typical, you can pick up the writing competition packet after the boat cruise on the last day of exams (so May 8 this year), and it was due a week later. I, like many people, picked up the packet the next day.

OCI was two weeks long and there was a week between it and the start of classes (1L orientation week). Classes start Sept 2 next fall.

[Solistus]

On a scale of 1 to fucked, how fucked am I in the 1L job hunt if I've only applied to a few Symplicity listings so far? What should my top priorities be to reduce my degree of fuckedness, aside from continuing to apply to Symplicity listings? It's 1L work so I really just want anything law-related that I can talk about at OCI, no strong preferences (although for unpaid work, being in Chicago or LA would make summer funding much less problematic). Good first semester GPA, but nothing else about my resume is particularly impressive. Career Services told me about a bunch of different ways to search for a bunch of different kinds of legal jobs by a bunch of different search criteria... But I don't really know where to start looking for jobs that would be open to 1Ls, and CS didn't seem to know of any tools other than Symplicity that clearly indicate which jobs are 1L-friendly.

TL;DR: clueless 1L, behind on job search, halp?

[rinkrat19]

On a scale of 1 to fucked, how fucked am I in the 1L job hunt if I've only applied to a few Symplicity listings so far? What should my top priorities be to reduce my degree of fuckedness, aside from continuing to apply to Symplicity listings? It's 1L work so I really just want anything law-related that I can talk about at OCI, no strong preferences (although for unpaid work, being in Chicago or LA would make summer funding much less problematic). Good first semester GPA, but nothing else about my resume is particularly impressive. Career Services told me about a bunch of different ways to search for a bunch of different kinds of legal jobs by a bunch of different search criteria... But I don't really know where to start looking for jobs that would be open to 1Ls, and CS didn't seem to know of any tools other than Symplicity that clearly indicate which jobs are 1L-friendly.

TL;DR: clueless 1L, behind on job search, halp?

Look up government departments/nonprofits. Find internships on career page. Apply.

Here's a searchable directory of PI shit. You just search/browse it for ideas and then go look up the entity on your own; you don't apply through this site. http://www.psjd.org/

There are 285 Employer results for Chicago. Not all of them will be relevant/be hiring summer people, but some will. Have fun.