Post Your Bidlists Here for Critique, Consolation & Caveats Forum

[Anonymous User]

1H, 9P at HLS (which is apparently like bottom 30%?). Tried to focus on large class sizes as well as those that have an international focus. Also, I speak Spanish- any idea what firms might particularly value this?

Sidley Austin
Debevoise
Gibson Dunn
Paul Hastings
Fried Frank
Milbank
Caldwader
Jones Day
White & Case
Ropes & Gray
Shearman
Linklaters
Dewey & Leboeuf
Allen & Overy
clifford chance
Freshfields
Proskauer Rose
Dechert
Cahill
Schulte
Hughes Hubbard
Strook
Patterson Beklnap
Willkie Farr
Kaye Scholar
Kramer
Chadbourne
dla piper

Note: not in any order yet

[Anonymous User]

Same HYS 30-35% poster looking at LA. Updated bid list given feedback in this thread, thoughts?


1. Gibson Dunn
2. MoFo
3. O’Melveny LA
4. Paul Hastings
5. Quinn
6. Latham
7. MoFo SD
8. Cooley SD
9. Shepard Mullin LA
10. Munger Tolles
11. Sidley
12. Irell
13. Bingham
14. Winston & Strawn
15. O’Melveny CC
16. Kirkland
17. Skadden
18. Latham SD
19. Jones Day
20. Sheppard Mullin CC
21. Arnold & Porter
22. Mayer Brown
23. Jenner & Block
24. WilmerHale
25. McDermott Will
26. Orrick
27. Proskauer Rose
28. Akin Gump
29. Foley & Lardner
30. Bryan Cave


mail: Allen Matkins LA; Greenberg Traurig SM; Manatt Phelps LA; McKenna Long LA; Morgan Lewis LA; Nixon Peabody LA; Reed Smith LA; White & Case LA.

[Anonymous User]

Michigan - 3.27 (~median)
Strong ties to Chicago

1. Cadwalader NY
2. Dechert NY
3. Dewey & LeBoeuf NY
4. Millbank Tweed NY
5. Linklaters NY
6. Katten Muchin Chi
7. Jones Day NY
8. Paul Hastings NY
9. dla piper NY
10. Morgan Lewis & Bockius NY
11. Kasowitz NY
12. OMM NY
13. Kramer Levin NY
14. Schulte Roth NY
15. Sheppard Mullin NY
16. Sidley NY
17. Orrick Herrington NY
18. Weil NY
19. White & Case NY
20. McDermott Chi
21. SNR Denton Chi
22. Schiff Hardin Chi
23. Chapman & Cutler Chi
24. Drinker Biddle Chi
25. Shearman NY
26. clifford chance
27. Seward & Kissel NY
28. Chadbourne & Parke NY
29. Pillsbury NY
30. Mayer Brown NY

Kind of hastily reorganized after talking to career services and some friends. I realize that the ranking needs some work. Thanks for the help!

[Anonymous User]

Same HYS 30-35% poster looking at LA. Updated bid list given feedback in this thread, thoughts?


1. Gibson Dunn
2. MoFo
3. O’Melveny LA
4. Paul Hastings
5. Quinn
6. Latham
7. MoFo SD
8. Cooley SD
9. Shepard Mullin LA
10. Munger Tolles
11. Sidley
12. Irell
13. Bingham
14. Winston & Strawn
15. O’Melveny CC
16. Kirkland
17. Skadden
18. Latham SD
19. Jones Day
20. Sheppard Mullin CC
21. Arnold & Porter
22. Mayer Brown
23. Jenner & Block
24. WilmerHale
25. McDermott Will
26. Orrick
27. Proskauer Rose
28. Akin Gump
29. Foley & Lardner
30. Bryan Cave


mail: Allen Matkins LA; Greenberg Traurig SM; Manatt Phelps LA; McKenna Long LA; Morgan Lewis LA; Nixon Peabody LA; Reed Smith LA; White & Case LA.

If you're interested in entertainment, you should also add Mitchell Silberberg and Greenberg Glusker. Both firms interviewed at HLS last year and have entertainment practices (but also both do litigation).

I'd also add Stroock, Loeb & Loeb and Allen Matkins via mail if you are interested in those firms. hogan lovells has an LA office as well (not sure if they're interviewing for that office at EIP). Ditto with Simpson Thacher.

[logan]

Michigan - 3.27 (~median)
Strong ties to Chicago

1. Cadwalader NY
2. Dechert NY
3. Dewey & LeBoeuf NY
4. Millbank Tweed NY
5. Linklaters NY
6. Katten Muchin Chi
7. Jones Day NY
8. Paul Hastings NY
9. DLA Piper NY
10. Morgan Lewis & Bockius NY
11. Kasowitz NY
12. OMM NY
13. Kramer Levin NY
14. Schulte Roth NY
15. Sheppard Mullin NY
16. Sidley NY
17. Orrick Herrington NY
18. Weil NY
19. White & Case NY
20. McDermott Chi
21. SNR Denton Chi
22. Schiff Hardin Chi
23. Chapman & Cutler Chi
24. Drinker Biddle Chi
25. Shearman NY
26. Clifford Chance
27. Seward & Kissel NY
28. Chadbourne & Parke NY
29. Pillsbury NY
30. Mayer Brown NY

Kind of hastily reorganized after talking to career services and some friends. I realize that the ranking needs some work. Thanks for the help!

Where exactly do you see that Sheppard Mullen NY is coming? Also, two other points. First, do you have an idea what practice area you want? Firms like Schulte are fairly specific in what they do, and McDermott requires you to bid on specific practice groups. Second, some of the firms toward the bottom of your list are likely wasted bids. They're on the lower end GPA-wise and will probably be over-bid. (I'm thinking your final four in particular.) Just my two cents.

[Anonymous User]

I'm at around a top 15 school. Just made the top 30 percent of my class, entering a commercial law program.

I'm wondering what the highest ranked/biggest firms I should apply to should be, and what level I should put my top bids at.

[Anonymous User]

Columbia 3.5x, somewhere between top 15-20% ... should I bother bidding on Wachtell? Strong summer position.

[GeePee]

1H, 9P at HLS (which is apparently like bottom 30%?). Tried to focus on large class sizes as well as those that have an international focus. Also, I speak Spanish- any idea what firms might particularly value this?

Sidley Austin
Debevoise
Gibson Dunn
Paul Hastings
Fried Frank
Milbank
Caldwader
Jones Day
White & Case
Ropes & Gray
Shearman
Linklaters
Dewey & Leboeuf
Allen & Overy
Clifford Chance
Freshfields
Proskauer Rose
Dechert
Cahill
Schulte
Hughes Hubbard
Strook
Patterson Beklnap
Willkie Farr
Kaye Scholar
Kramer
Chadbourne
DLA Piper

Note: not in any order yet

Try running a search for "Chambers Latin American Practice" on Google; firms usually will say if they've been ranked. That will be your best bet if you're interested in putting your Spanish skills to work in a corporate practice. It also happens to be a relatively small (but growing) field, which often involves capital markets work.

Overall this is a pretty decent list. Your few reaches make sense given your stated goals.

[Anonymous User]

Median at SLS. Waiting to hear back on LR but on exec board of secondary journal. I'm interested only in DC and want to do litigation. Do folks have recommendations for firms?

[sundance1988]

3.72 UCLA, secondary journal. Looking to practice in securities (no litigation). Worked in-house at CA's largest mutual fund 1L summer. From NY but dad lives in CA and I am a CA resident.

1. Skadden LA
2. S&C NY
3. L&W LA
4. Gibson Dunn LA
5. O'Melveny LA
6. Cleary NY
7. Morrison LA
9. Davis Polk NY
10. Simpson Thacher NY

[Anonymous User]

Weil, Gotshal & Manges (New York, NY)
Davis Polk & Wardwell (New York, NY)
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (New York, NY)
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (New York, NY
Debevoise & Plimpton (New York, NY)
Latham & Watkins (New York, NY)
Arnold & Porter (Washington, DC
hogan lovells US LLP (Washington, DC
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (Washington, DC)
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton (New York, NY)
Kirkland & Ellis (Washington, DC)
Latham & Watkins (Washington, DC)
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (Washington, DC)
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (New York, NY)
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (Washington, DC)
White & Case (New York, NY)
Sullivan & Cromwell (New York, NY)
Cravath Swaine & Moore (New York, NY)
WilmerHale (Washington, DC)
Kirkland & Ellis (New York, NY)
Ropes & Gray (New York, NY)
Shearman & Sterling (New York, NY)
Covington & Burling LLP (Washington, DC)
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton (Washington, DC)
Dewey & LeBoeuf (New York, NY)
WilmerHale (New York, NY)
clifford chance (New York, NY)
Cahill, Gordon & Reindel (New York, NY)
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (New York, NY)
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (New York, NY)
Sidley Austin (Washington, DC)
freshfields bruckhaus deringer (New York, NY)
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (New York, NY)
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy (New York, NY)
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld (New York, NY)
Sidley Austin (New York, NY)
Jones Day (Washington, DC)
Jones Day (New York, NY)
O'Melveny & Myers (Washington, DC)
Williams & Connolly (Washington, DC)
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (Washington, DC)
Linklaters (New York, NY)
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (Washington, DC)
Allen & Overy (New York, NY)
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker (New York, NY)
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft (New York, NY)
Ropes & Gray (Washington, DC)
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (New York, NY)
Willkie Farr & Gallagher (New York, NY)
Crowell & Moring (Washington, DC)


Top 15-20% UVA. Thoughts? Want transactional, really slight preference for DC over NY but most important is a solid transactional practice

I was hoping to get some “strategic advice” about whether it is smart to bid some of the firms I did in my top 10-15, such as some of the V5-10's that are probably slight to large reaches.

Also, I think it is way too aggressive and wanted advice on that too..

[thesealocust]

Bid list

Top 15-20% UVA. Thoughts? Want transactional, really slight preference for DC over NY but most important is a solid transactional practice

I was hoping to get some “strategic advice” about whether it is smart to bid some of the firms I did in my top 10-15, such as some of the V5-10's that are probably slight to large reaches.

Also, I think it is way too aggressive and wanted advice on that too..

Your firms are OK, but your order is out of wack. The more interviews a firm does, the less highly you need to rank it to score an interview. The top of your lists is full of firms that interview dozens and dozens of students, when your grades would likely secure interviews with them much further down your list.

Those big NYC firms are definitely not huge reaches. Especially if hiring picks up at all. Not everyone in the top 15-20% can expect a V10 firm in NYC if the try, but you don't have to be at the top of the class either.

[Anonymous User]

I am not sure where I am in my class at a T10, I am guessing top 1/3 (first semester 2P's & 1H, second semester 3HH's and 1P). From the bay area, attended college and law school in the bay area and only want to apply to the bay area, is that too risky?
Secondary journal, clinic. I was thinking of applying to some LA firms directly, b/c I really don't want to use any bids on them.

I am leaning towards corporate, possibly tax. Not in order so far, just narrowed it down to those with a decent sized corporate practice.

Gibson Dunn
Wilson Sonsini
Sidley Austin
Skadden Arps
Ropes & Gray
Pillsbury Winthrop
Perkins Coie
Paul Hastings
Orrick Sutcliff
Morrison & Foerster
Kirkland & Ellis
Goodwin Proctor
Fenwick & West
dla piper
Dechert
Cooley
Davis Polk
Bingham McCutchen
Baker & McKenzie
Baker Botts
Covington & Burlington
Dewey & LeBeouf
Greenburg Taurig
hogan lovells
K&L Gates
King & Spaulding
Jones Day,
Latham & Watkins

[Anonymous User]

Thanks a lot sealocust, I will revise it and re-post. I figured I was going to need to adjust it based on how many interviews they grant. I'm just glad to know that it didn't seem too ridiculous.

It just feels very counter-intuitive to bid some firms I really want really low and firms that I don't want nearly as much in my top 5... but I suppose that is how this works.

[thesealocust]

Thanks a lot sealocust, I will revise it and re-post. I figured I was going to need to adjust it based on how many interviews they grant. I'm just glad to know that it didn't seem too ridiculous.

It just feels very counter-intuitive to bid some firms I really want really low and firms that I don't want nearly as much in my top 5... but I suppose that is how this works.

Yeah, I felt the same way. My top 5 bids were extremely oddball firms - I think they each was doing the minimum 20 interviews and I wanted to maximize my chance of getting them.

[Anonymous User]

3L (struck out at 2L OCI) top-40, top 10%. LR, working this summer in-house for a mid-sized company.

Here is where I would like to be: (all in AZ)

Snell and Wilmer
Lewis and Roca
Bryan Cave
Fennemore Craig
Squire, Sanders, and Dempsey
Steptoe Johnson
Greenberg Traurig
Quarles and Brady
Ballard Spahr
Polsinelli Shughart
Jennings, Strouss, & Salmon

A short list I know but I really think my success will come from mass mailing since 3L OCI success is practically unheard of. Thoughts?

[Anonymous User]

YHSCCN top 30-40%, looking for LA/SF/SV IP litigation. Strong California ties + engineering/science background.

LA:
MTO
Gibson Dunn
Latham
OMM
Quinn
Irell
Sullivan Cromwell
Skadden
Simpson Thacher
Kirkland & Ellis

SF/SV:
MoFo
Orrick
Wilson Sonsini
Quinn
Latham
Covington
Skadden
Davis Polk
Simpson Thacher
Weil Gotshal
Kirkland & Ellis
Wilmer Hale
Finnegan
Keker

AIming too high I imagine?

[GeePee]

YHSCCN top 30-40%, looking for LA/SF/SV IP litigation. Strong California ties + engineering/science background.

LA:
MTO
Gibson Dunn
Latham
OMM
Quinn
Irell
Sullivan Cromwell
Skadden
Simpson Thacher
Kirkland & Ellis

SF/SV:
MoFo
Orrick
Wilson Sonsini
Quinn
Latham
Covington
Skadden
Davis Polk
Simpson Thacher
Weil Gotshal
Kirkland & Ellis
Wilmer Hale
Finnegan
Keker

AIming too high I imagine?

Your list has like 2 non-reaches

[Anonymous User]

YHSCCN top 30-40%, looking for LA/SF/SV IP litigation. Strong California ties + engineering/science background.

LA:
MTO
Gibson Dunn
Latham
OMM
Quinn
Irell
Sullivan Cromwell
Skadden
Simpson Thacher
Kirkland & Ellis

SF/SV:
MoFo
Orrick
Wilson Sonsini
Quinn
Latham
Covington
Skadden
Davis Polk
Simpson Thacher
Weil Gotshal
Kirkland & Ellis
Wilmer Hale
Finnegan
Keker

AIming too high I imagine?

Your list has like 2 non-reaches

Depends on his school. If s/he's at Stanford, MoFo, Latham, DPW, Simpson and Wilmer are all targets (Simpson gave offers to 17 of 17 CBs last year at SLS, according to OCS data). If he's at NYU, a good chunk of these are reaches even with SF ties.

Top 1/3 at any of these schools, you'll get at least several on your list, provided you aren't a wholly inept interviewer.

[vamedic03]

YHSCCN top 30-40%, looking for LA/SF/SV IP litigation. Strong California ties + engineering/science background.

LA:
MTO
Gibson Dunn
Latham
OMM
Quinn
Irell
Sullivan Cromwell
Skadden
Simpson Thacher
Kirkland & Ellis

SF/SV:
MoFo
Orrick
Wilson Sonsini
Quinn
Latham
Covington
Skadden
Davis Polk
Simpson Thacher
Weil Gotshal
Kirkland & Ellis
Wilmer Hale
Finnegan
Keker

AIming too high I imagine?

You got to narrow your school. YHS does not equal CCN.

[Anonymous User]

You got to narrow your school. YHS does not equal CCN.

Yeah, but since they have included Keker, unless this is egregious Boalt trolling, they are at YHS.

[Anonymous User]

ill try here.
fordham top 6%.
60/40 system.
is my bidlist too aggressive?

1. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
2. Simpson Thacher & bartlett llp.
3. Dais, Polk & Wardwell LLP.
4. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
5. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.
6. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP
7. Cravath Swaine & Moore
8. Sullivan & Cromwell.
9. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
10. Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
11. Latham & Watkins LLP (New York).
12. edit.
13. Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
14. Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler LLP.
15. Wilmerhale.
16. Weil , Gotshal & Manges LLP.
17. White & Case LLP.
18. Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP.
19. sidley austin llp
20. Ropes & Gray LLP.
21. Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP.
22. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
23. Jones Day.
24. Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP.
25. Kramer Levin, Naftalis & Frankel.
26. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
27. O’Melveny & Meyers LLP.
28. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.
29. Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP.
30. Alston & Bird LLP.
31. Allen & Overy.
32. Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.
33. Dewey & Leboeuf.
34. DLA Pipers.
35. Winston & Strawn LLP.

[berkeleykel06]

Thanks a lot sealocust, I will revise it and re-post. I figured I was going to need to adjust it based on how many interviews they grant. I'm just glad to know that it didn't seem too ridiculous.

It just feels very counter-intuitive to bid some firms I really want really low and firms that I don't want nearly as much in my top 5... but I suppose that is how this works.

Yeah, I felt the same way. My top 5 bids were extremely oddball firms - I think they each was doing the minimum 20 interviews and I wanted to maximize my chance of getting them.

Is there a way for us to tell how many interviews each firm is doing? I haven't been able to figure this out...

[Anonymous User]

Mich, top 20%, want Chicago but I have no ties, waiting to be sure about journals. I've redacted three firms from secondary markets where I have ties to keep some pretense of anonymity, so these are all Chicago. Unsure about lit vs. transactional; most of what I'm doing this summer is real estate-ish, which is also interesting. This is based mostly on class sizes and places I think I'd like to work based on ATL & what I've heard elsewhere; I'm going to go back through and take note of how they do practice groups for summers since I think a rotational system would be good for me at this point, so if anyone has thoughts along those lines I'd appreciate it.

1.Kirkland & Ellis
2.Jenner & Block
3.Mayer Brown
4.Skadden Arps
5.Winston & Strawn
6.Katten Muchin Rosenman
7.Sidley Austin
8.[redacted]
9.Greenberg Traurig
10. Schiff Hardin
11.Bryan Cave
12.[redacted]
13.Chapman & Cutler
14.K&L Gates
15.Ropes & Gray
16.Neal Gerber & Eisenberg
17.Paul Hastings
18.Wildman Harrold
19.Morgan Lewis
20.Jones Day
21.McDermott Will & Emery - I'm leaning towards bidding on their Transactions but I'm really not sure.
22.DLA Piper
23.Drinker Biddle & Reath
24.Quarles & Brady
25.Latham & Watkins
26.Foley & Lardner
27.McGuireWoods
28.Dykema Gossett
29. [redacted]

Thanks!

[GeePee]

YHSCCN top 30-40%, looking for LA/SF/SV IP litigation. Strong California ties + engineering/science background.

LA:
MTO
Gibson Dunn
Latham
OMM
Quinn
Irell
Sullivan Cromwell
Skadden
Simpson Thacher
Kirkland & Ellis

SF/SV:
MoFo
Orrick
Wilson Sonsini
Quinn
Latham
Covington
Skadden
Davis Polk
Simpson Thacher
Weil Gotshal
Kirkland & Ellis
Wilmer Hale
Finnegan
Keker

AIming too high I imagine?

Your list has like 2 non-reaches

Depends on his school. If s/he's at Stanford, MoFo, Latham, DPW, Simpson and Wilmer are all targets (Simpson gave offers to 17 of 17 CBs last year at SLS, according to OCS data). If he's at NYU, a good chunk of these are reaches even with SF ties.

Top 1/3 at any of these schools, you'll get at least several on your list, provided you aren't a wholly inept interviewer.

This is true. I was sort of assuming that OP was at CCN due to his listing of a T6, but I agree that if he's at S, then some of those firms are a bit more realistic.