Will bad undergraduate GPA haunt me forever? Forum

[cccZillo]

I have a bad undergrad GPA but still got into some good schools thanks to a solid LSAT. But now I’m starting to think that GPA isn’t quite behind me yet.

Perusing the NALP directory, I noticed that a lot of firms list “undergraduate performance” as one of their hiring criteria. I’ll have had four years between graduating and starting law school, but will employers even care? I like to think this is less of a problem come OCI, when actual law school grades take precedence, but am I sadly mistaken?

Also kind of on that note: When applying for 1L summer jobs early (December 1), what are the criteria that employers look at, being that there are no grades yet. I know the responses probably aren’t “yes we’ll hire you” and more likely “send us your grades when they come out,” but how does an applicant even get to that point. I’m guessing undergraduate performance is a part of it.

[Cupidity]

Before 2l OCI do research, some firms care about undergrad GPA when hiring and not just for 1L jobs.

[Adjudicator]

If any firms seriously care about undergraduate performance, then I am screwed.

[2011Law]

wow, I'm a 0L and have always heard that once you're in law school your UG performance will never matter again, which makes sense because (I presume) even if you go straight from UG to law school the law school performance should be a better indicator of your ability as a lawyer than whatever happened in UG (barring some crazy crisis that some unlucky bastard faces in 1L).

What would be the reason for a firm or whoever looking at someone's UG gpa?

Now it got me thinking, anyone know if a low (not horrific) ug gpa would hurt trying to go into legal academia? That's where I imagine it might hurt the most, though I still think it would be dumb if it was a real factor (though I may be biased).

[Adjudicator]

wow, I'm a 0L and have always heard that once you're in law school your UG performance will never matter again, which makes sense because (I presume) even if you go straight from UG to law school the law school performance should be a better indicator of your ability as a lawyer than whatever happened in UG (barring some crazy crisis that some unlucky bastard faces in 1L).

What would be the reason for a firm or whoever looking at someone's UG gpa?

Now it got me thinking, anyone know if a low (not horrific) ug gpa would hurt trying to go into legal academia? That's where I imagine it might hurt the most, though I still think it would be dumb if it was a real factor (though I may be biased).

I don't have any evidence but this makes sense to me too.

[VictoryFord]

only one law firm cared about UG gpa at my oci, and it wasn't Vault 100. It doesn't matter.

I also don't know about academia, but I can't imagine it outweighing the usual academic credentials (t6/COA or SCOTUS clerkship).

[TTH]

some firms might care, and that will bone you for 1L summer, but a strong first-year will erase any UG stink.