Notre Dame Student(s) Taking Questions Forum

[andythefir]

As to the Philly question, I interviewed with several firms from there in OCI. I struck out, but did not expect anything else considering ND was the furthest east I'd ever been. I also know a friend from my class, 2014, is currently working in the DAs office there.

How helpful is the OCIP in nyc/dc/cali? And does anybody know the success rate in 1L SA positions for ND students relative to the past couple years?

How competitive is the DC program? Is it mostly catered towards students who want fed work or rather those who are targeting big law?

This question is kinda scattershot, but I'll try to answer it the best I can. OCIP: I know a few people who got jobs this way, but my class was the first one coming out of the woods (the employment #s skyrocketed between 2013 to 2014, it went from around 30% fed clerkships + biglaw to more like 60%). It wouldn't surprise me if these became more successful as more firms took more people. Still, it's a way to go to a great school in Indiana and still get your face in front of more huge firms.

1L SA success rate: NDLS is a powerhouse in 2 realms-"conservative" federal judge clerkships and placing people in the biggest firm in a medium-sized town. I know lots of people who got 1L SA spots in medium-sized towns where they're from (Grand Rapids, Albuquerque, Sandusky). More people are getting jobs in bigger firms now that CDO has gotten much better, but those will still be the school's best bets. I'm sure some people with connections got biglaw 1L SA spots, but I don't think you should bet on it from any school. Besides, I think it can be better to get some diversity in experience your 1L summer.

DC program: I don't think this program is "competitive" in the sense that you need to be at the top of your class. They have meetings for this, Chicago, London, and wherever else you can do an externship. You go to the meetings, you sign up, they start looking for placements. I don't think it's a terribly big deal.

[Moneytrees]

Do most first years live in student housing? 600 a month seems pretty affordable.

[Moneytrees]

Also, do law school students have easy access to Fightin Irish football tickets?

[pamphleteer]

the employment #s skyrocketed between 2013 to 2014, it went from around 30% fed clerkships + biglaw to more like 60%

Wait, seriously? Those are T14 numbers.

[Wingtip88]

the employment #s skyrocketed between 2013 to 2014, it went from around 30% fed clerkships + biglaw to more like 60%

Wait, seriously? Those are T14 numbers.

If this is true, I wonder if the resultant effect will be larger numbers of people taking NDLS up on being accepted (and perhaps taking on larger debt.)

[andythefir]

the employment #s skyrocketed between 2013 to 2014, it went from around 30% fed clerkships + biglaw to more like 60%

Wait, seriously? Those are T14 numbers.

That figure is probably a result of over-representative peer sharing, it's probably lower. I was also subconsciously counting people who work in the biggest firms in non-major cities even if they don't count the usual definition of biglaw. I am consistently stunned when I go on Linkedin, though, how many knuckleheads are with major firms. Let me revise the traditional definition of biglaw/fed clerkships to closer to 40-50%

[TirantMartorell]

Also, do law school students have easy access to Fightin Irish football tickets?

About half of 1Ls live on campus.

All law students can purchase student tickets and most do. They usually go for about $250 a season. Law students sit in the grad school section, which is right between the sophomore sand juniors.

[Moneytrees]

Thanks for the info.

[UOI4430]

How much does Notre Dame's Catholic ideology permeate the law school and law school curriculum?

[andythefir]

How much does Notre Dame's Catholic ideology permeate the law school and law school curriculum?

I've answered this question a couple times on this site, but apparently not in this specific thread. As someone who is Catholic, I was amped to go after doing undergrad in a hysterically anti-religious huge state school. ND sent me several promotional materials playing up the Catholic angle, but the first thing real students said when you asked them was that it wasn't that religious. There are some aspects of it you can't avoid, like the crucifixes on the walls and they will pay volunteers in a pro-life organization but not a pro-choice one, for example. You certainly won't get kicked out for volunteering at a pro-choice organization, they just won't give you their cash to keep you afloat. There is an active ACLU chapter and most students are almost entirely secular in their law school careers. I had 1 professor pray before class, but it was really more of a mindfulness experience. There is absolutely nothing remotely religious required to graduate (except for maybe some subjects in Jurisprudence, depending on how the prof teaches it).

If you seek out the religious experience, there is a lot available. There's mass every day in the building. The professors are, in my humble opinion, some of the most amazing religious legal people in the entire world that are eager to serve as mentors. There are some throwaway religious classes, but one of the top natural law theorists in the world (John Finnis) is on the faculty and teaches very intense classes.

[UOI4430]

^^^ Thanks for the information andy