UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[Br3v]

How hard is it to get a job out west from UVA? Do many California or mountain-west firms recruit there? People I've talked to said it's possible, but it takes a little more effort than landing somewhere out east.

We try to show a strong force with West Coast Wahoos, and I think it works. Everyone (handful) I know who wanted to work out west had the opportunity to I believe

[Yardbird]

How hard is it to get a job out west from UVA? Do many California or mountain-west firms recruit there? People I've talked to said it's possible, but it takes a little more effort than landing somewhere out east.

Haven't gone through OCI yet, but my impression is that it isn't that much harder. There is a pretty good (and growing) support network for people going out West but the overall emphasis of firms that visit and have receptions are Richmond/DC/NYC.

The last part about receptions is true for the earlier part of the year. HOWEVER, more firms, including Cali firms, will host receptions during the spring semester as well as during the summer in cities (with invitations sent to UVA students). There actually aren't that many firms that hold receptions overall though.

That being said, I believe most West Coast biglaw firms come to our OGI. I personally don't know anyone in my year (current 2Ls) that I know wanted California (LA, SF, SD, PA) and didn't get an offer or have an opportunity to work there (I know many who are doing public service in Cali as well who didn't have trouble finding jobs). This extends to Denver, Salt Lake, and Seattle as well; my knowledge of other West Coast cities is limited. If you have the ties and the grades, you're just as likely to get west coast. Grades will be important though, as you will be competing mostly with CA area schools (Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, USC) and upper T14 (HY, CN, MVP) for those biglaw west coast spots (and since they prefer ties, USC and UCLA can be weighted just as high as the T14 schools).

TL;DR: If you have ties and get good grades, west coast will be open. Receptions won't be limited to only Richmond/DC/NYC firms.

[CvilleRunner]

How hard is it to get a job out west from UVA? Do many California or mountain-west firms recruit there? People I've talked to said it's possible, but it takes a little more effort than landing somewhere out east.

Haven't gone through OCI yet, but my impression is that it isn't that much harder. There is a pretty good (and growing) support network for people going out West but the overall emphasis of firms that visit and have receptions are Richmond/DC/NYC.

The last part about receptions is true for the earlier part of the year. HOWEVER, more firms, including Cali firms, will host receptions during the spring semester as well as during the summer in cities (with invitations sent to UVA students). There actually aren't that many firms that hold receptions overall though.

That being said, I believe most West Coast biglaw firms come to our OGI. I personally don't know anyone in my year (current 2Ls) that I know wanted California (LA, SF, SD, PA) and didn't get an offer or have an opportunity to work there (I know many who are doing public service in Cali as well who didn't have trouble finding jobs). This extends to Denver, Salt Lake, and Seattle as well; my knowledge of other West Coast cities is limited. If you have the ties and the grades, you're just as likely to get west coast. Grades will be important though, as you will be competing mostly with CA area schools (Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, USC) and upper T14 (HY, CN, MVP) for those biglaw west coast spots (and since they prefer ties, USC and UCLA can be weighted just as high as the T14 schools).

TL;DR: If you have ties and get good grades, west coast will be open. Receptions won't be limited to only Richmond/DC/NYC firms.

I completely agree that a lot of firms do interview for their west coast offices during OGI but I also guarantee that they will ask you why you want to go to that city, which is something that people who are on the west coast don't have to deal with. However, I found that as long as you have something concrete and don't sound like you just want to spend your summer at the beach, they are understanding. (I think a lot of Californians love California so much that their reaction is usually - of course you want to live in California!)

I am going to a smaller market out west and I will say that I definitely had to hustle a bit during the summer, including making a trip out there to talk to firms that are not coming to OGI. I know some people who were hoping for west coast and I think they did the OTIP program for California. I think if you can get out there for your 1L summer you won't have a problem showing ties or interviewing with firms that aren't coming to OGI. If you aren't in the city you hope to go to, you need to really hustle your 1L summer.

0L here with a question: do you feel like it makes a big difference living really close to the school? If you live further away, do you feel like you've missed anything? FWIW I'll be living with my spouse- anyone married/living with SO care to share thoughts?

I moved here with my significant other and we lived close to the law school our first year and we moved a little bit farther away for 2L year. I generally think it is helpful to be close to school 1L year because there are a lot of activities that you might want to make sure you can easily get to campus for (receptions, student activity meetings, hanging out with friends, meeting with a professor, meeting with a study group, pre-games, etc.) and if you can get into Jeffersonian or Arlington Park Townhomes, then I think it's also affordable. Pavilion is also a nice option, but you can read about the strong opinions on where you should live close to campus earlier in this thread.

Living farther away definitely got me more bang for my buck, but having to drive to and from school, sometimes more than once a day, can get a little tiring. I also think that if you are planning to do a lot of socializing with your section, then living close by is helpful - a lot of nights start out at the pavilion so I think you might feel like you missed out on that if you live farther away. If you aren't planning on socializing as much because you'll be with your spouse, then it's more about priorities - do you want to live super close to school and be able to get up there quickly? Do you want to live a little bit outside the law school bubble and have a nicer place? Do you want to live downtown and take advantage of Charlottesville?

Hope that is helpful, feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

[Tiny Dancer]

Hi. I am a UChicago student, and I'm considering taking a Business Organization class with Geis next quarter. Would anyone be comfortable sharing thoughts on his teaching style?

Also, I'd really appreciate it if someone would PM me a few Geis Business Organization/Associations or Corporations exams if there is no rule against sharing with other schools at UVA.

Thanks!

[anon sequitur]

Hi. I am a UChicago student, and I'm considering taking a Business Organization class with Geis next quarter. Would anyone be comfortable sharing thoughts on his teaching style?

Also, I'd really appreciate it if someone would PM me a few Geis Business Organization/Associations or Corporations exams if there is no rule against sharing with other schools at UVA.

Thanks!

Geis is awesome, one of the top 3-4 profs I had in law school. Only drawback is he gave us 2-3 group work assignments that I hated. Each one only took 2-3 hours, they were case studies designed to give us a chance to analyze current issues in corporate law. The assignments were cool, I just fucking hate group work. His exam was very fair and straightforward test of what he emphasized in class.

Is he teaching at Chicago this semester? Is he leaving or something?

[Tiny Dancer]

Hi. I am a UChicago student, and I'm considering taking a Business Organization class with Geis next quarter. Would anyone be comfortable sharing thoughts on his teaching style?

Also, I'd really appreciate it if someone would PM me a few Geis Business Organization/Associations or Corporations exams if there is no rule against sharing with other schools at UVA.

Thanks!

Geis is awesome, one of the top 3-4 profs I had in law school. Only drawback is he gave us 2-3 group work assignments that I hated. Each one only took 2-3 hours, they were case studies designed to give us a chance to analyze current issues in corporate law. The assignments were cool, I just fucking hate group work. His exam was very fair and straightforward test of what he emphasized in class.

Is he teaching at Chicago this semester? Is he leaving or something?

He's a visiting professor teaching Business Organizations from March to May (Spring Quarter).

I despise group work too, so hopefully he won't add that element to the class. Thanks for the info!

[whats an updog]

Has anyone here ever RA'd for Professor Nelson before or know if he accepts RAs or what kind of grade you would have had to get in his class for him to consider you? Safe to assume that his RA spots are pretty competitive and are already gone?

I should probably just go ask him, but wanted to see if there was any common knowledge

[Hootimestwo]

Back with another 0L question (thanks in advance!): what events on Thursday of ASW are worth going to? The barbecue seems like an obvious yes, but what about the Monticello tour or bowling party? Anything else going on that night that would take priority if I'm not a huge bowler? Anything you wish you knew before your ASW?

[envisciguy]

Back with another 0L question (thanks in advance!): what events on Thursday of ASW are worth going to? The barbecue seems like an obvious yes, but what about the Monticello tour or bowling party? Anything else going on that night that would take priority if I'm not a huge bowler? Anything you wish you knew before your ASW?

BBQ is definitely worth going to, as is Monticello. Monticello is a beautiful place full of history, and the law school rents it out, so it should only be admitted students on the tour. Speaking of tours, I'd also suggest going on one of the student-led tours before the BBQ starts.

[swampman]

Back with another 0L question (thanks in advance!): what events on Thursday of ASW are worth going to? The barbecue seems like an obvious yes, but what about the Monticello tour or bowling party? Anything else going on that night that would take priority if I'm not a huge bowler? Anything you wish you knew before your ASW?

If you were undecided I might recommend skipping the bowling party and going to bar review to talk to some current students, but since it looks like you're decided already I would go to everything. Should be fun and you'll get to meet some of your classmates.

[Gooner91]

Is it a really bad idea to not do journal tryouts? From what I have heard being on a journal does not sound interesting or fun.

[First Offense]

Is it a really bad idea to not do journal tryouts? From what I have heard being on a journal does not sound interesting or fun.

The general consensus is not having a journal on your resume may look odd to some interviewers at OGI, so most people don't risk it and try out anyway. With the exception of VLR, international law journal, and maybe law and politics, it's not like most journals are a huge time sink, so you might as well do it.

[Br3v]

Is it a really bad idea to not do journal tryouts? From what I have heard being on a journal does not sound interesting or fun.

Don't give employers a reason to not pick you, do a journal.

[anon sequitur]

anyone else not gotten a j-term grade back yet?

[Hootimestwo]

BBQ is definitely worth going to, as is Monticello. Monticello is a beautiful place full of history, and the law school rents it out, so it should only be admitted students on the tour. Speaking of tours, I'd also suggest going on one of the student-led tours before the BBQ starts.

Didn't think about the fact that Monticello tour is after-hours. Been up there a few times and evening is definitely the best- looking forward to that.

If you were undecided I might recommend skipping the bowling party and going to bar review to talk to some current students, but since it looks like you're decided already I would go to everything. Should be fun and you'll get to meet some of your classmates.

Yeah I got accepted ED some I'll def. be here- pretty pumped about coming back to Cville. When I asked I was thinking whether bar review would be better use of Thursday night to get a feel for the social scene, but since I'll here in the fall regardless, I see the advantage in trying to meet as many classmates as possible.

Does anyone do bar review on Friday?

Speaking of bar review, I'm curious: what bars are the law school favorites? Do people go downtown or stick to the corner?

[swampman]

Does anyone do bar review on Friday?

Speaking of bar review, I'm curious: what bars are the law school favorites? Do people go downtown or stick to the corner?

So "bar review" is an organized event on Thursdays with drink specials, usually at Biltmore. People definitely go out friday and saturday too though, mix of house parties and the corner.

[uvheylaw]

Only one person didn't do journal tryouts last year. Don't be that guy. It's a box employers check at OGI. Does not matter which journal and everyone gets a journal eventually, so just do it

[Yardbird]

Only one person didn't do journal tryouts last year. Don't be that guy. It's a box employers check at OGI. Does not matter which journal and everyone gets a journal eventually, so just do it

You shouldn't really generalize like that. I know a lot of people (more than 10) who didn't do journal tryouts (and didn't grade onto law review) and did perfectly fine in the firm and public service OGIs. Journals are generally a plus, but not having one can be viewed as a minus IF you don't have other things to make you an attractive candidate. You'll probably be asked why you didn't do the tryout, but as long as you have a solid reason you should be fine (reasons I have heard include: family death, wedding, JD/MBA, not really looking at legal jobs).

[anon sequitur]

I have no idea how many people didn't do journals last year, but I know it was at least 5-6 personally who didn't from my class (2015). Lack of secondary journal might look weird for firms who interview at UVA because they may be aware that almost everyone does one (I don't really know, just saying maybe). But if you're interviewing for government/pi positions, they're not really keyed in on that.

Having said that, if I wanted a firm job, I'd do one. Risk aversion and all that.

[180kickflip]

How difficult is it to get in-state status after 1L year for someone who was never in Virginia prior to that year?

Is there anything that can be done prior to enrolling that could make it easier to be reclassified as in-state?

Thanks for answering questions!

[anon sequitur]

Marry a Virginian-er. Otherwise, I'm told it's super difficult. This is a thing with Virginia public universities, not UVA law specifically. Some states it's almost automatic.

[First Offense]

How difficult is it to get in-state status after 1L year for someone who was never in Virginia prior to that year?

Is there anything that can be done prior to enrolling that could make it easier to be reclassified as in-state?

Thanks for answering questions!

Not gonna happen. VA is really hard to get residency in.

[swampman]

How difficult is it to get in-state status after 1L year for someone who was never in Virginia prior to that year?

Is there anything that can be done prior to enrolling that could make it easier to be reclassified as in-state?

Thanks for answering questions!

Not gonna happen. VA is really hard to get residency in.

Yeah, a friend of mine moved to VA a full year before starting school, worked full time, changed her drivers license, voter registration etc. They still initially refused her in-state tuition because they thought she moved here just for school. She got it after an appeals process, but they aren't messing around.

[Yardbird]

How difficult is it to get in-state status after 1L year for someone who was never in Virginia prior to that year?

Is there anything that can be done prior to enrolling that could make it easier to be reclassified as in-state?

Thanks for answering questions!

Not gonna happen. VA is really hard to get residency in.

Yeah, a friend of mine moved to VA a full year before starting school, worked full time, changed her drivers license, voter registration etc. They still initially refused her in-state tuition because they thought she moved here just for school. She got it after an appeals process, but they aren't messing around.

I know of one person who moved to VA with his wife and kids and was able to get VA tuition for 2L since his wife worked full time in VA, he owns a house in VA now, and his kids go to school in the county. He had to wait a year though.

[olive16]

How difficult is it to get in-state status after 1L year for someone who was never in Virginia prior to that year?

Impossible (and that's only kind of an exaggeration).