1L summer job application apathy/encouragement thread Forum

[traehekat]

I was poking around symplicity today and stumbled upon a law clerk position specializing in energy transactions. I nearly wet my pants until I read the next sentence: Top 5% required.

My heart sank a little bit.

good god. i haven't seen a TON of symplicity postings but i've never seen any requiring better than top 20%.

[Holly Golightly]

Ugh, jobs.

[of Benito Cereno]

I was poking around symplicity today and stumbled upon a law clerk position specializing in energy transactions. I nearly wet my pants until I read the next sentence: Top 5% required.

My heart sank a little bit.

cravath wants top 15% for 1Ls. no big shock.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

I have no grades and thus no writing sample, STILL. What the fuck, this is the worst. I'd love to sit here and crank out a bunch of applications, but I can't... sorta.

Question: would working for a governmental agency in my desired "specialty" for 1L be better than working at a firm? EPA is the agency, and I want to do environmental law (and have an interview for a 1L SA position with a firm during spring OCI - also have a "connection" to the firm, which is what got me the interview, sorta).

Did you do a practice memo in your LRW class? I spent some time correcting and proof-reading a previous practice memo since I didn't have my final memo back. I used that as my writing sample and was fortunate enough to get a judicial internship.

[Bustang]

I was poking around symplicity today and stumbled upon a law clerk position specializing in energy transactions. I nearly wet my pants until I read the next sentence: Top 5% required.

My heart sank a little bit.

cravath wants top 15% for 1Ls. no big shock.

That's actually quite reasonable. Is this for T14 or for the rest of us?

[keg411]

I was poking around symplicity today and stumbled upon a law clerk position specializing in energy transactions. I nearly wet my pants until I read the next sentence: Top 5% required.

My heart sank a little bit.

cravath wants top 15% for 1Ls. no big shock.

That's actually quite reasonable. Is this for T14 or for the rest of us?

That's what I was wondering .

[Anastasia Dee Dualla]

How many jobz are y'all applying for?

Fifty so far....sigh. Must get the monies...

[traehekat]

How many jobz are y'all applying for?

Fifty so far....sigh. Must get the monies...

Man... I feel so far behind. I've bid on a few interviews with PI firms and I'm about to send out 7 or 8 applications today to some firms in my school's market, but that is about it.

I still don't know what to do with the question of how wide a net I should cast. I just want a job - I honestly think I'd be happy doing a lot of things (and if I wouldn't be happy, I don't see how I could really know that right now). I feel like I should be sending things out to judges, government agencies, more firms, and more PI organizations.

[Geist13]

How many jobz are y'all applying for?

Fifty so far....sigh. Must get the monies...

Man... I feel so far behind. I've bid on a few interviews with PI firms and I'm about to send out 7 or 8 applications today to some firms in my school's market, but that is about it.

eh, you're not really behind. The number of applications is usually misleading. For instance, technically I've applied for almost 90 jobs. However, 77 of those were judges which I did not tailor to the specific judge, just tailored to the state the judge was in, highlighting my connections to the state. So its really like 3 different judge applications sent to a number of judges and then a few firms and 1 USAO. Career services adviser said I was pretty far ahead of the majority of the other 1Ls she's met with.

[Gatriel]

I'm completely screwed. 150 resumes out and only 4 "lets see your grades first." I'm median. FML

[keg411]

How many jobz are y'all applying for?

Fifty so far....sigh. Must get the monies...

Man... I feel so far behind. I've bid on a few interviews with PI firms and I'm about to send out 7 or 8 applications today to some firms in my school's market, but that is about it.

I still don't know what to do with the question of how wide a net I should cast. I just want a job - I honestly think I'd be happy doing a lot of things (and if I wouldn't be happy, I don't see how I could really know that right now). I feel like I should be sending things out to judges, government agencies, more firms, and more PI organizations.

You aren't far behind at all. Especially with how good your grades are. Part of me almost wishes I held off because I'm going to take the state judge internship that I interviewed for if I get it... but I would have loved to have the opportunity to try for federal judicial internships (which all requested grades; whereas the interview I had I managed to get with just my resume/cover letter) or the USAO (which I didn't apply to because I thought my grades would be bad).

I now see why people want to turn down judges . But I would never do that because I know it's awful etiquette no matter how much I want to try for some more "prestigious" 1L jobs.

So I think it's good that you waited, because now you are competitive for firms, prestigious PI, federal judicial internships, USAO, AG's offices, etc.

[savagecheater]

How many jobz are y'all applying for?

Fifty so far....sigh. Must get the monies...

Man... I feel so far behind. I've bid on a few interviews with PI firms and I'm about to send out 7 or 8 applications today to some firms in my school's market, but that is about it.

eh, you're not really behind. The number of applications is usually misleading. For instance, technically I've applied for almost 90 jobs. However, 77 of those were judges which I did not tailor to the specific judge, just tailored to the state the judge was in, highlighting my connections to the state. So its really like 3 different judge applications sent to a number of judges and then a few firms and 1 USAO. Career services adviser said I was pretty far ahead of the majority of the other 1Ls she's met with.

District or state?

How do you apply to judges en masse like that? Really interested in this.

[Bustang]

For those who've applied to 50+, where are you finding the postings/what are you doing? I haven't been able to find 10 jobs that they're accepting 1L applications to, let alone 50!

[phonepro]

For those who've applied to 50+, where are you finding the postings/what are you doing? I haven't been able to find 10 jobs that they're accepting 1L applications to, let alone 50!

I have no idea how to find firms that hire 1Ls, "prestigious" PI, or any of the other jobs everyone is applying for, besides judges

[DoubleChecks]

For those who've applied to 50+, where are you finding the postings/what are you doing? I haven't been able to find 10 jobs that they're accepting 1L applications to, let alone 50!

I have no idea how to find firms that hire 1Ls, "prestigious" PI, or any of the other jobs everyone is applying for, besides judges

nalpdirectory.com

[keg411]

For those who've applied to 50+, where are you finding the postings/what are you doing? I haven't been able to find 10 jobs that they're accepting 1L applications to, let alone 50!

Depends on what types of jobs you are looking at. It's pretty easy to do a giant mass-mailing for judges; especially if your CSO provides you with the spreadsheets (what I did).

If you're trying to do firms, go through the NALP directory in your targeted state(s) and look for firms that hire 1L's. Most of them will say explicitly whether they do or not (if they don't, you're not getting a 1L SA there unless you know someone). Do not count on these jobs. If you want small firms, try running a Martindale search.

If you want PI/gov't, google things you might be interested (i.e. Attorney General's Office in your target state/region; prosecutor or public defender offices in your state/region, USAO's, etc.). City Law Departments are another good place to look/apply (i.e. NY Law Dept, Philadelphia Law Department, etc.).

[Bustang]

Thanks a bunch guys. There's a huge listing of clerkships on Symplicity that allow me to add my resume, so I guess I'll do a mass mailing. Im sure these big firms that accept 1L applications is a waste of time, but I'll give it a try.

[Bustang]

are you all cold mailing these firms or did you find them through connections, symplicity, other research etc.

+1. Especially for the judges.

[uwb09]

anyone considering screwing the whole process and doing study/internship package abroad?

[beach_terror]

anyone considering screwing the whole process and doing study/internship package abroad?

Not gonna lie, doing that is still much more enticing than continuing to write cover letters.

[phonepro]

to those mass mailing law firms. do you tailor your cover letter to the particular law firm? or swap names.

[phonepro]

also how do you send grades, we dont have transcripts yet?

[as stars burn]

I've already had two interviews with 4 more to go. Granted only two of them are paid, but I've sort of given up on trying to find a paid 1L position. I've already been offered a law clerk position and legal intern position, both unpaid, for the spring semester. I have a few days to think about it, but I may take one of them for the spring, and that'll leave my summer open still for something possibly paid. For the legal intern position I only need to commit to 1 or 2 days. I'm also volunteering 6 hours a week with two separate PI organizations. It's going to be a busy, busy semester.

[Grizz]

to those mass mailing law firms. do you tailor your cover letter to the particular law firm? or swap names.

Tailored. Sometimes to specific people that I or someone that I knew knew (Ex. sent it to a family friend)

[Geist13]

ugh. So far 12/16 responses from judges are: "I am not taking interns this summer." Anyone else getting similar responses from judges?