1L Summer Associate Positions for URMs Forum

[Anonymous User]

AA Male t30 School

Top 1/3 rank

10 OCI Interviews

2 offers

1 call back

0 rejections so far


p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

[Herb Watchfell]

p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

and if you're active, get tested!

[Joga Bonito]

p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

and if you're active, get tested!

+1

[Joga Bonito]

AA Male t30 School

Top 1/3 rank

10 OCI Interviews

2 offers

1 call back

0 rejections so far


p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

Is this for 1L SA, 2L SA? Just to be clear. If so, this is encouraging.

[Hiei]

AA Male t30 School

Top 1/3 rank

10 OCI Interviews

2 offers

1 call back

0 rejections so far


p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

Is this for 1L SA, 2L SA? Just to be clear. If so, this is encouraging.

I know a URM male with no ties to the Texas region, and well below median, at one of MBVP who got a 1L positon there.

[Joga Bonito]

AA Male t30 School

Top 1/3 rank

10 OCI Interviews

2 offers

1 call back

0 rejections so far


p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

Is this for 1L SA, 2L SA? Just to be clear. If so, this is encouraging.

I know a URM male with no ties to the Texas region, and well below median, at one of MBVP who got a 1L positon there.

Hmm wonder why, I would like to think it wasn't just random. Was it a biglaw SA?

[Anonymous User]

AA Male t30 School

Top 1/3 rank

10 OCI Interviews

2 offers

1 call back

0 rejections so far


p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

^ This is me:

I'm a 1L. Out of state student, no prior connection to this region. All my firms pay market for the state/region. I have some work experience, but the things that helped most were definitely interviewing well and connections. I reached out to a lot of attorney's in the state very early on and it paid off big time. I got interviews with a few places solely because I did lunch with someone enough times that they could be comfortable saying we're friendly. Those people then walked my resume over to the recruiting director, and in some cases advocated on my behalf.

Unless youre someone important's kid etc..., you wont get a job solely because you know someone. What you will get through your connections is interviews; at that point it's on you. I'm sure someone will ask for tips on interviewing well; the only one I can really offer is this: BE YOURSELF. Only one of the interviews I've had was a "real interview." (meaning asking actual questions) Most were just behavioral, lots of bs'ing and shooting the breeze. The approach I took was to just be myself and not care about the fact that a job is potentially on the line. Firms are looking for people who fit in their office, if they don't like you when youre being yourself it's probably not a place you want to be anyway.


All that said, I definitely feel blessed to have gotten these opportunities. There are URMs ranked higher than me in the class who have nothing, and I know several students in the top 20 (not %, top 20 students) who have nothing. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK, then be unique but genuine.

[conn09]

AA Male t30 School

Top 1/3 rank

10 OCI Interviews

2 offers

1 call back

0 rejections so far


p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

^ This is me:

I'm a 1L. Out of state student, no prior connection to this region. All my firms pay market for the state/region. I have some work experience, but the things that helped most were definitely interviewing well and connections. I reached out to a lot of attorney's in the state very early on and it paid off big time. I got interviews with a few places solely because I did lunch with someone enough times that they could be comfortable saying we're friendly. Those people then walked my resume over to the recruiting director, and in some cases advocated on my behalf.

Unless youre someone important's kid etc..., you wont get a job solely because you know someone. What you will get through your connections is interviews; at that point it's on you. I'm sure someone will ask for tips on interviewing well; the only one I can really offer is this: BE YOURSELF. Only one of the interviews I've had was a "real interview." (meaning asking actual questions) Most were just behavioral, lots of bs'ing and shooting the breeze. The approach I took was to just be myself and not care about the fact that a job is potentially on the line. Firms are looking for people who fit in their office, if they don't like you when youre being yourself it's probably not a place you want to be anyway.


All that said, I definitely feel blessed to have gotten these opportunities. There are URMs ranked higher than me in the class who have nothing, and I know several students in the top 20 (not %, top 20 students) who have nothing. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK, then be unique but genuine.

How in the hell did you get 10 OCI interviews as a 1L?

[Anonymous User]

AA Male t30 School

Top 1/3 rank

10 OCI Interviews

2 offers

1 call back

0 rejections so far


p.s. IMO it is pretty despicable to join an organization just so you can put it on your resume. If youre gonna join, be active.

^ This is me:

I'm a 1L. Out of state student, no prior connection to this region. All my firms pay market for the state/region. I have some work experience, but the things that helped most were definitely interviewing well and connections. I reached out to a lot of attorney's in the state very early on and it paid off big time. I got interviews with a few places solely because I did lunch with someone enough times that they could be comfortable saying we're friendly. Those people then walked my resume over to the recruiting director, and in some cases advocated on my behalf.

Unless youre someone important's kid etc..., you wont get a job solely because you know someone. What you will get through your connections is interviews; at that point it's on you. I'm sure someone will ask for tips on interviewing well; the only one I can really offer is this: BE YOURSELF. Only one of the interviews I've had was a "real interview." (meaning asking actual questions) Most were just behavioral, lots of bs'ing and shooting the breeze. The approach I took was to just be myself and not care about the fact that a job is potentially on the line. Firms are looking for people who fit in their office, if they don't like you when youre being yourself it's probably not a place you want to be anyway.


All that said, I definitely feel blessed to have gotten these opportunities. There are URMs ranked higher than me in the class who have nothing, and I know several students in the top 20 (not %, top 20 students) who have nothing. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK, then be unique but genuine.

How in the hell did you get 10 OCI interviews as a 1L?

I'm just that good

[270910]

I hear there is actually a high demand for Patent Lawyers....so if you have an engineering/science background and you are an URM your chances for a summer job just went through the roof....

hahahaha, nope.

[Anonymous User]

How in the hell did you get 10 OCI interviews as a 1L?

I'm just that good

^ that wasn't me...(mods out this idiot)

My school has had about 30 or so firms from in-state and out interview during OCI, and you have an unlimited number of bids. 10 really isn't that many; I know a guy who had 22. It seems the people who had the most success with getting interviews 1) bid on everything (like I did) 2) had work experience.

[Anonymous User]

Caveat: I'm not a URM but I go to a top 20 with median grades and no work experience. I have had no problem getting interviews or offers for this summer both here and abroad and neither has any of my classmates. Everyone knows that you can't send out a mass mail merge to do this but need to work angles. To wait this long to find a job, and then cry that you can't get an interview after sending 300+ letters, is simply a frown on yourself.

[Kohinoor]

Caveat: I'm not a URM but I go to a top 20 with median grades and no work experience. I have had no problem getting interviews or offers for this summer both here and abroad and neither has any of my classmates. Everyone knows that you can't send out a mass mail merge to do this but need to work angles. To wait this long to find a job, and then cry that you can't get an interview after sending 300+ letters, is simply a frown on yourself.

You had no problem getting a summer associate position?

[Joga Bonito]

Caveat: I'm not a URM but I go to a top 20 with median grades and no work experience. I have had no problem getting interviews or offers for this summer both here and abroad and neither has any of my classmates. Everyone knows that you can't send out a mass mail merge to do this but need to work angles. To wait this long to find a job, and then cry that you can't get an interview after sending 300+ letters, is simply a frown on yourself.

You had no problem getting a summer associate position?

Yeah seriously, also what T20, you can tell us since your anonymous.

[Anonymous User]

1L URM (AA Male) from Harvard

This year has been a bitch. I mass e-mailed a bunch of firms in January and February. As it stands now I have about 55 rejection letters and only 1 interview with a firm, and another with an in house counsel.

I applied to 13 firms in my home market, which is a mid sized city, most of those firms basically called and said, we can't afford this summer, but for the love of god next year please apply.

I was 0 for 20 in DC
0 for 12 in SF
1 for 9 in Va (no NoVa)
1 for 12 in ATL

and a few others, but with that said, I know other URM's at Watchell, Cravath and Jones Day. They all had work experience and went to big schools for undergrad i.e Yale, G-Town, Harvard.

So from my experience, its still a crap shoot, with slightly better odds.


oh and to answer another question in the first post; I joined the black student association and put that on my resume' as well

Update:

I got an offer for an in house corporation

[conn09]

How in the hell did you get 10 OCI interviews as a 1L?

I'm just that good

^ that wasn't me...(mods out this idiot)

My school has had about 30 or so firms from in-state and out interview during OCI, and you have an unlimited number of bids. 10 really isn't that many; I know a guy who had 22. It seems the people who had the most success with getting interviews 1) bid on everything (like I did) 2) had work experience.

That makes sense, we were only allowed 10 OCI bids total

[Anonymous User]

Caveat: I'm not a URM but I go to a top 20 with median grades and no work experience. I have had no problem getting interviews or offers for this summer both here and abroad and neither has any of my classmates. Everyone knows that you can't send out a mass mail merge to do this but need to work angles. To wait this long to find a job, and then cry that you can't get an interview after sending 300+ letters, is simply a frown on yourself.

You had no problem getting a summer associate position?

Yeah seriously, also what T20, you can tell us since your anonymous.

Didn't have an issue, neither did most people.

[Renzo]

Caveat: I'm not a URM but I go to a top 20 with median grades and no work experience. I have had no problem getting interviews or offers for this summer both here and abroad and neither has any of my classmates. Everyone knows that you can't send out a mass mail merge to do this but need to work angles. To wait this long to find a job, and then cry that you can't get an interview after sending 300+ letters, is simply a frown on yourself.

You had no problem getting a summer associate position?

Yeah seriously, also what T20, you can tell us since your anonymous.

Didn't have an issue, neither did most people.

I'm not sure we're all speaking the same language. Are you saying that most of the people in your T20 class had "no issue" getting jobs with firms that pay more than a nominal amount (lets arbitrarily say $20/hr)?

[Anonymous User]

I'm not sure we're all speaking the same language. Are you saying that most of the people in your T20 class had "no issue" getting jobs with firms that pay more than a nominal amount (lets arbitrarily say $20/hr)?

It does appear that we have begun to differ in our definition. To be clear, yes there are less firm PAYING jobs this year than 3 or 4 years ago. That being said, I am in the middle of my class and got a firm to pay me $1500 a week for 6 weeks just by sending a targeted unsolicited email. Now, while there are less firm paying jobs, there are literally TONS of non-paying jobs, government, abroad opportunities, public interest, etc. I have friends working for US attorney's, State Dept, WIPO, UN, District Courts, State Supreme Courts, EPA, DOJ, White House, and a few others. Bottom line is there are jobs out there and getting paid is great but I would probably take some of those other non paying jobs over my paying one.

[Renzo]

I'm not sure we're all speaking the same language. Are you saying that most of the people in your T20 class had "no issue" getting jobs with firms that pay more than a nominal amount (lets arbitrarily say $20/hr)?

It does appear that we have begun to differ in our definition. To be clear, yes there are less firm PAYING jobs this year than 3 or 4 years ago. That being said, I am in the middle of my class and got a firm to pay me $1500 a week for 6 weeks just by sending a targeted unsolicited email. Now, while there are less firm paying jobs, there are literally TONS of non-paying jobs, government, abroad opportunities, public interest, etc. I have friends working for US attorney's, State Dept, WIPO, UN, District Courts, State Supreme Courts, EPA, DOJ, White House, and a few others. Bottom line is there are jobs out there and getting paid is great but I would probably take some of those other non paying jobs over my paying one.

Yeah, here's the breakdown. There are plenty of internships and summer clerk spots to go around, but the reason you are getting so many incredulous responses is because most people mean "paying law firm job" when they say "summer associate"