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I'm a 3L at UCH and I've had a great experience. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about the school.

Do you have a job set up for after graduation?

ilovesf wrote:Do you have a job set up for after graduation?

Unfortunately not, which is the sad case for many 3Ls at all schools right now.

UCH3L! wrote:Unfortunately not, which is the sad case for many 3Ls at all schools right now.

/thread

how difficult is it to obtain clerkships or work with the da/pd at the courts nearby? I ask because one of the biggest pulls Hastings has for me is the proximity to the court. can students not in the top 10% still get something?

Thanks for answering! I'll 99% be attending next year so I guess I have a lot of questions. I'm putting my seat deposit down after the ASD this weekend. How accessible are the professors? Do you feel like you formed good relationships with them? What was your favorite class and who was your favorite professor? Is there anything you regret not doing (ie taking a certain class, not trying out for moot court, etc)?

What sort of internships have you had at UCH and what field are you looking for employment at? How many of your peers do you think have jobs at graduation?

UCH3L! wrote:

ilovesf wrote:Do you have a job set up for after graduation?

Unfortunately not, which is the sad case for many 3Ls at all schools right now.

I'm sorry to hear this. What types of employers were you targeting? What's your approximate class rank, and is landing a decent to good job out of Hastings pretty much all about class rank these days? Did you ever think about taking a leave of absence during your years at Hastings to wait for the econ and legal hiring to recover? What are your plans now?

Thanks for answering questions!

spicymeatball111 wrote:how difficult is it to obtain clerkships or work with the da/pd at the courts nearby? I ask because one of the biggest pulls Hastings has for me is the proximity to the court. can students not in the top 10% still get something?

I have friends who do both and are not in the top 10%. A large majority of students here get Judicial Externships in their 2L and 3L years. Since many judges in SF went to Hastings themselves, there are MANY alumni networking opportunities and students find it fairly easy to get Externships with those judges.

UCH3L! wrote:Unfortunately not, which is the sad case for many 3Ls at all schools right now.

Does not having a job yet worry you?

How long do you think it will take you to get a job?

Do you think the job you get will make your debt repayments manageable?

ilovesf wrote:Thanks for answering! I'll 99% be attending next year so I guess I have a lot of questions. I'm putting my seat deposit down after the ASD this weekend. How accessible are the professors? Do you feel like you formed good relationships with them? What was your favorite class and who was your favorite professor? Is there anything you regret not doing (ie taking a certain class, not trying out for moot court, etc)?

Awesome congratulations! Professors are, for the most part, extremely accessible. The profs here have a wide variety of personality...we have a few dinosaurs who like to do things old school (these are rare), one true conservative prof, and a lot of quirky profs who are entertaining to say the least. Either way, they're all brilliant and I've had my fair share of great ones. My favorite bar classes were Crim Law (because of Professor Diamond), Con Law I, and Wills & Trusts. Oddly enough I did the best in Torts, which I hated all around. I learned the most from my practical classes (like 1L moot court, Negotiations, Pretrial Practice, and the Mediation Clinic). My advice to you is to take as many practical classes as possible and do Clinics! Hastings has a great selection of these courses so take advantage of them.

I regret not trying out for moot court. I did a journal and didn't like it very much. One of my best friends did moot court and loved it.

drdolittle wrote:

UCH3L! wrote:

ilovesf wrote:Do you have a job set up for after graduation?

Unfortunately not, which is the sad case for many 3Ls at all schools right now.

I'm sorry to hear this. What types of employers were you targeting? What's your approximate class rank, and is landing a decent to good job out of Hastings pretty much all about class rank these days? Did you ever think about taking a leave of absence during your years at Hastings to wait for the econ and legal hiring to recover? What are your plans now?

Thanks for answering questions!

I'm targeting small firms, which is a bit more difficult and requires more research on my part. I'm in the top 50% of my class. Landing a job out of Hastings really doesn't have much to do with class rank - it has more to do with experience and practice area interests. I mean, the top 10% of the class has the Big Firm jobs, but other than that it's not super relevant. A friend of mine has a very good job lined up with a mid-sized firm and he's not in the top 10%. Of course, it also helps to know people especially in this job market.

I never considered a leave of absence, but I have considered being more creative with my law degree (like not becoming a practicing attorney). We'll see how things go. At this point my focus is bar prep and taking the bar in July while keeping my eyes and ears open for opportunities.