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Simply put, what kind of work experience will serve you best at OCI? Assuming you are someone who takes at least 1 gap year.

The type of work experience that you're actually passionate about/interested in.

The only non law work experience I've seen have pull at OCI was finance/investment banking. My classmates who had that from before law school landed SA gigs doing corporate work at big firms. Other than that, doesn't matter. Do a job you like.

Morpheus wrote:Simply put, what kind of work experience will serve you best at OCI? Assuming you are someone who takes at least 1 gap year.

1L applying to SAs so not OCI but, I worked on political campaigns and the type of work (long hours, tight deadlines, research and analytical skills), gives me something to talk about. I am always asked about it so it gives me a chance to play up my strengths.

Something related to the job you're interviewing for. Most applicants with WE have retail or secretarial work on their resume. Anything more that that will stick out to varying degrees.

totesTheGoat wrote:Something related to the job you're interviewing for. Most applicants with WE have retail or secretarial work on their resume. Anything more that that will stick out to varying degrees.

Literally anything is related to the law if you know how to talk about your experiences correctly. And I guarantee that the interviewee who spent three years working as a clown in a refugee camp is going to be more interesting than the interviewee who spent three years as an office manager.

Do. Something. You. Want. To. Do.

i has STEM experience and had to field a bunch of "why law" questions

cavalier1138 wrote: Literally anything is related to the law if you know how to talk about your experiences correctly.

I agree, but I think you have to be smart about it. It's really transparent when you try to tell the interviewer how well your stint at Starbucks prepared you for being a lawyer. It's okay to spin your work experience as developing more foundational skills like working with a group to meet a deadline, taking responsibility for your work product, developing career skills, etc. It's also okay to tell interviewers that you're shifting gears and trying to start a new career path.

pancakes3 wrote:i has STEM experience and had to field a bunch of "why law" questions

Yup, same here (mainly from the interviewers who had zero exposure to IP). Some people see law school as a jobs program for underemployed humanities majors, and can't fathom why anybody else would bother becoming a lawyer.

totesTheGoat wrote:Yup, same here (mainly from the interviewers who had zero exposure to IP). Some people see law school as a jobs program for underemployed humanities majors, and can't fathom why anybody else would bother becoming a lawyer.

I mean, are they really that off-base?

Morpheus wrote:Simply put, what kind of work experience will serve you best at OCI? Assuming you are someone who takes at least 1 gap year.

In roughly descending order:


1) Being famous for prior work (Famous startup founder, movie star, best selling author, sports star, etc.)
2) Position of prominence at a major client with significant connections
3) Position of prominence at potential client with relevant experience (i.e.: iBanking, PE, Oil & Gas)
4) Good professional entry level job (large consulting firm, engineer, big4, ibanking analyst, etc.)
5) Random post BA college-required job or legal assistant gig, charity work (elite NGO may have more juice depending on role)
6) Traveling abroad with some decent stories to tell
7) Burger flipper
8 ) Living in parents' basement doing nothing without extenuating circumstances

It's not a big deal if you don't have great work experience- they mostly care about school/grades. It's a lot like soft factors for law school application. It mostly matters for outlier applicants.

1) Being famous for prior work (Famous startup founder, movie star, best selling author, sports star, etc.)
2) Position of prominence at a major client with significant connections
3) Position of prominence at potential client with relevant experience (i.e.: iBanking, PE, Oil & Gas)
4) Good professional entry level job (large consulting firm, engineer, big4, ibanking analyst, etc.)
5) Random post BA college-required job or legal assistant gig, charity work (elite NGO may have more juice depending on role)
6) Traveling abroad with some decent stories to tell
7) Burger flipper
8 ) Living in parents' basement doing nothing without extenuating circumstances

prior military officer is at least 3.5 on this list, maybe 2.5 or 1.5.

mckinsey/bain/bcg consulting
bulge bracket investment banking
big 4 accounting

I'd say any type of managerial work that exposes you to regulatory compliance. Freshly minted lawyers have VERY LITTLE understanding of broker-dealing requirements, the U4 process, etc. having that type of experience at a financial firm OR the equivalent at a different type of business is going to result in a more substantive interview where you can talk about real world problems that you helped solve and not just your academic goals.

Welp, unthinkingly signed my name on a post like it was an email and I don't think we can delete posts anymore on TLS. RIP

pancakes3 wrote:i has STEM experience and had to field a bunch of "why law" questions

I had a similar experience but then again I was only interested in IP so it worked out. so I guess to answer op's question, I found that having research experience was very helpful in getting a summer job at an IP firm during 1L, but I haven't been through oci yet so I can't speak to that

This is going to sound weird, but especially if you are young (e.g. law school right out of undergrad or shortly thereafter), list restaurant server experience. Multiple BigLaw attorneys (partners and associates alike) at our school's practice interview evening urged my friends and I--all of whom have been working at law firms or in-house legal departments for several years--to add our server experience to our resumes, if only in the additional info field. To a person they said it shows you have the tools needed for client service.

Told you it would sound weird.