West Virginia Legal Market Forum

[Anonymous User]

Interviewed at Steptoe a 1 1/2 weeks ago and Spilman just over a week ago through 1L OCI. Heard 1L OCI is basically a joke. If Steptoe's already done callbacks and I haven't heard anything yet I'm guessing that's a bad sign? Non-WVU.

1L OCI at WVU tends to net top WVU students firm jobs, so 1L OCI there isn't necessarily a joke. At other schools, I'd agree.

And I would say not hearing back isn't a horrible sign yet. Steptoe tends to send out rejections quite fast. Keep your head up. They likely want to get the WV students in first.

I know Steptoe has interviewed at some schools in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Do they really prefer WVU students that much? What chance do students at other schools they interviewed at have?

Also, I should have mentioned -- if you have ties and you are at the other schools, you should be pretty good to go in the same manner as if you went to WVU.

[BlueLotus]

In a conversation today re: the WV legal market, my friend referred to WV as "Appalachia", just like you guys warned people wanting to work there against doing. He also completely flipped out at me when I suggested that start sending job apps out ASAP, spring break at the latest. I think he hates Career Services because they tell him the plain truth that he doesn't want to hear (i.e. that it's going to be an uphill battle w/o ties). I'm through with trying to save him from his own bad decision-making.

[Anonymous User]

In a conversation today re: the WV legal market, my friend referred to WV as "Appalachia", just like you guys warned people wanting to work there against doing. He also completely flipped out at me when I suggested that start sending job apps out ASAP, spring break at the latest. I think he hates Career Services because they tell him the plain truth that he doesn't want to hear (i.e. that it's going to be an uphill battle w/o ties). I'm through with trying to save him from his own bad decision-making.

You can't save everyone.

Unfortunate that he is not listening, but he should take your advice. It's solid advice for sure.

[BlueLotus]

In a conversation today re: the WV legal market, my friend referred to WV as "Appalachia", just like you guys warned people wanting to work there against doing. He also completely flipped out at me when I suggested that start sending job apps out ASAP, spring break at the latest. I think he hates Career Services because they tell him the plain truth that he doesn't want to hear (i.e. that it's going to be an uphill battle w/o ties). I'm through with trying to save him from his own bad decision-making.

You can't save everyone.

Unfortunate that he is not listening, but he should take your advice. It's solid advice for sure.

Thanks, haha. I can't tell him what to do or even make suggestions. He just marches to the beat of his own drum. I wish him the best in his crazy endeavor.

[BlueLotus]

Just bothers me that he is so fixated in WV as a place that's uniquely in need of indigent legal aid. Before law school, I used to work at MA's statewide DV hotline, and got tons of horrific calls from survivors in the boonies of rural MA, towns like the one he's from. More than 50% of the time, all of the shelter spaces in the entire state were full. Pretty much all had unmet legal issues. So much need right at his front door, yet he wants to go to some far-flung state he has no connection at all to?

[Anonymous User]

Just bothers me that he is so fixated in WV as a place that's uniquely in need of indigent legal aid. Before law school, I used to work at MA's statewide DV hotline, and got tons of horrific calls from survivors in the boonies of rural MA, towns like the one he's from. More than 50% of the time, all of the shelter spaces in the entire state were full. Pretty much all had unmet legal issues. So much need right at his front door, yet he wants to go to some far-flung state he has no connection at all to?

Yeah, doesn't make much sense to me. He needs to diversify his bonds, yo.

[BlueLotus]

So bummed that there's no Tudors in the part of WV I'll be visiting this summer (Moundsville area)--you guys talked about those biscuits like they were heavenly, lol.

[Anonymous User]

So bummed that there's no Tudors in the part of WV I'll be visiting this summer (Moundsville area)--you guys talked about those biscuits like they were heavenly, lol.

Closest one is about an hour away

It's worth it to drive one weekend.

[BlueLotus]

So bummed that there's no Tudors in the part of WV I'll be visiting this summer (Moundsville area)--you guys talked about those biscuits like they were heavenly, lol.

Closest one is about an hour away

It's worth it to drive one weekend.

Lol, 2 hours round-trip for a biscuit? Any places to eat/drink/go in the Moundsville area that you would recommend? I'm planning to hit up the penitentiary, the Native American mounds, and New Vrindaban.

[Anonymous User]

CB today from Steptoe (Charleston)! OCI screener about 3 weeks ago. Sent a letter to the interviewer about a week after and heard nothing in return until the call back to set up a second round of interviews. Are these second round interviews pretty competitive with a lot of cuts or are they mostly to make sure you get along well with other people in the firm?

[Anonymous User]

Just got dinged by Steptoe today. Good luck to everyone else!

[Anonymous User]

Just got dinged by Steptoe today. Good luck to everyone else!

Did you have an interview or mail?

[Anonymous User]

CB today from Steptoe (Charleston)! OCI screener about 3 weeks ago. Sent a letter to the interviewer about a week after and heard nothing in return until the call back to set up a second round of interviews. Are these second round interviews pretty competitive with a lot of cuts or are they mostly to make sure you get along well with other people in the firm?

The offer is yours to lose.

[Anonymous User]

CB today from Steptoe (Charleston)! OCI screener about 3 weeks ago. Sent a letter to the interviewer about a week after and heard nothing in return until the call back to set up a second round of interviews. Are these second round interviews pretty competitive with a lot of cuts or are they mostly to make sure you get along well with other people in the firm?

I would say that when I was interviewing with them during WVU OCI, they seemed to bring in few people for callbacks. The people that got the callbacks tended to get an offer.

[Anonymous User]

CB today from Steptoe (Charleston)! OCI screener about 3 weeks ago. Sent a letter to the interviewer about a week after and heard nothing in return until the call back to set up a second round of interviews. Are these second round interviews pretty competitive with a lot of cuts or are they mostly to make sure you get along well with other people in the firm?

The offer is yours to lose.

What do you mean by this?

[Anonymous User]

CB today from Steptoe (Charleston)! OCI screener about 3 weeks ago. Sent a letter to the interviewer about a week after and heard nothing in return until the call back to set up a second round of interviews. Are these second round interviews pretty competitive with a lot of cuts or are they mostly to make sure you get along well with other people in the firm?

The offer is yours to lose.

What do you mean by this?

The callback to offer ratio seems to be high from anecdotal evidence. The firm does not bring back a lot of people for callbacks.

[Anonymous User]

CB today from Steptoe (Charleston)! OCI screener about 3 weeks ago. Sent a letter to the interviewer about a week after and heard nothing in return until the call back to set up a second round of interviews. Are these second round interviews pretty competitive with a lot of cuts or are they mostly to make sure you get along well with other people in the firm?

The offer is yours to lose.

What do you mean by this?

I mean, absent any antisocial behavior, you should get the offer. S&J is very good in this respect.

[Anonymous User]

CB today from Steptoe (Charleston)! OCI screener about 3 weeks ago. Sent a letter to the interviewer about a week after and heard nothing in return until the call back to set up a second round of interviews. Are these second round interviews pretty competitive with a lot of cuts or are they mostly to make sure you get along well with other people in the firm?

The offer is yours to lose.

What do you mean by this?

I mean, absent any antisocial behavior, you should get the offer. S&J is very good in this respect.

Yep. Just don't go in full retard and you should be OK. Steptoe sometimes takes a while to send out rejections solely because they are so into getting the "right" people in for callbacks (they will bring in 3 or so people for callbacks expecting all 3 to get an offer and will only send out rejections if they do get offers).

[Anonymous User]

Wow, good to hear. Guess I'll just do the basic research and make sure I don't sulk in the corner. Thanks for the heads up!

[Anonymous User]

Is Steptoe good about giving out offers (absent the anti-social behavior noted above) to callbacks for 1Ls and 2Ls? I'm assuming its the same, but that most people would be speaking from a 2L perspective.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of any W. Va. firms looking to hire entry-level associates for the fall?

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of any W. Va. firms looking to hire entry-level associates for the fall?

I don't know of any specific firms. I would advise you to take an interest in oil and gas. Like in all states, most of the bigger WV firms hire solely from their pool of summer associates, but firms occasionally find themselves needing to hire additional associates if business picks up at an unexpected rate. This seems to happen mostly in the oil and gas practice area. Some firms hire entry level associates as glorified title searchers. Not surprisingly, many of these JD's eventually become full fledged associates as they learn how to write title opinions. You should look into this as a way to get your foot in the door at a good firm.

[cdelgado]

What are the chances that a 1L SA has of receiving return employment (2L, permanent) from Steptoe?

[Anonymous User]

What are the chances that a 1L SA has of receiving return employment (2L, permanent) from Steptoe?

Excellent.

[TTH]

What are the chances that a 1L SA has of receiving return employment (2L, permanent) from Steptoe?

Excellent.

Yep. Would say this is true for all of the Big 4 as long as you don't screw up in the summer.