How important are the firms that go to OCI? Forum

[Generally]

I am still trying to choose between Michigan and Vandy, both at pretty much ~100k coa. Goal is biglaw in the south, specifically Atlanta and Nashville. I noticed that Vanderbilt has around 15 of the top firms in Atlanta and all of the top firms in Nashville at their oci. Michigan has one firm from Atlanta and none from Nashville. I assume this means I would need to mass mail if I went to Michigan and wanted those cities, but I feel like mass mailing is not nearly as effective as having oci from firms at the cities you want. Does this mean going to Vanderbilt would give me a better shot at biglaw in these places? I was under the assumption that firms get most their associates from oci.

[krads153]

This is purely anecdotal since I don't have statistics to make a statement one way or the other - I went to a Northern T-14 and my strategy was to bid NYC, then mass mail West Coast (where I have ties) and mail/resume drop the South (where I had pseudo ties). I ended up getting multiple offers - more offers outside of OCI than in OCI. (I was one of the "lost" classes who got super f'd by the economy though so maybe my experience would be different now.) I started mailing before OCI and resume dropped before and during OCI.

The biggest thing about secondary markets is emphasizing your ties - that was like 80% of the interviews for secondary markets. I even got asked why California, even though that's my home state where like 90% of my family lives...it was kind of stupid.

[wolfie_m.]

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[Generally]

Simple answer: At roughly equal COA, you should probably choose Michigan over Vandy.

In-depth answer:

So one thing I've noticed about firm hiring that doesn't get discussed here on TLS is the importance of schools having developed a relationship with certain firms. Those relationships are most often cultivated by partners who are alums of a particular school. And those relationships translate into whether a firm will show up to a school's OCI or not. Realistically speaking, Vandy probably has a stronger relationship with the firms in Nashville (and probably Atlanta) than Michigan.

But the counter to that is prestige. The T14 don't need the kind of relationships with firms that, say, T20 schools do because of T14 schools' longstanding reputations as strong, national schools. So Michigan is looked upon more favorably everywhere (like you were told in your other thread) than Vandy is.

Nashville and Atlanta firms don't come to Michigan OCI probably because Michigan students don't target those markets. I'd bet that maybe a handful of students do, but someone from Michigan can correct me if I'm wrong. But with your ties to the South and a decent 1L GPA, I highly doubt that Nashville and Atlanta firms would refuse to interview you from Michigan. In other words, Michigan probably will afford you better and more opportunities (especially at lower GPA levels), even in the markets you're targeting, than Vandy will, in spite of those firms not showing up to Michigan's OCI.

In addition:
1. Nashville firms see a glut of Vanderbilt applications each year. I would assume Atlanta firms do as well. So you may have an "exotic" edge coming from Michigan.
2. Nashville is a difficult market. Atlanta is less so than Nashville IMO, but it's also a secondary. Michigan will provide you with more opportunities outside of those markets, and is likely a better choice as a result.
3. There are some attorneys at Nashville firms who graduated from Michigan. I strongly suggest you reach out to them, ask them to coffee, and see what they think.

Thanks for the post, this is extremely helpful. I don't understanding biglaw hiring practices obviously, so I was unsure how much a disadvantage it was not having those firms at OCI. This makes me feel better about Mich.