1L Job Prep During 0L summer Forum

[Aeroplane]

you probably need to make an honest assessment of whether or not you are a good candidate for a firm job. if you aren't, it may be better to just target judges and PI from the start.

And keep in mind this is hard to do.

The people I know who got summer jobs combined most - but never all - of the following attributes:

*Strong law school
*Strong first semester grades
*Strong connections to the location of the firm
*The firm's location was NOT a major legal market
*Strong pre-law school experience (UG, UG grades, relevant work experience, etc.)
*Strong personal connections to the firm
*The candidate was an under represented minority in firm hiring

Actually, of those 7 criteria, I think every 1L I know who got a firm job met exactly 5 Go figure.

In my non-major legal market, any student who meets the 3 bolded criteria has a decent shot at a 1L SA before the release of grades, and an even better shot after grades if they're high. I think anyone who's at a T14 and has a strong connection to a non-major market should make a serious effort at applying to firm jobs in 1L (if interested in one of course). By serious effort I mean tailor cover letters to each firm, have CSO review your resume & cover letter template a couple times, and send out early in Dec to aim for interviews over break.

[toaster2]

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[ggocat]

It is also particularly useful to be prepared for the November/December application frenzy if you would like to work in a different city/state during the summer (so your potential employers receive the application in time for you to interview during winter break).

[Aeroplane]

there is a big difference between writing cover letters this summer and doing it before 12/1. you're not going to have anything valuable to say before you even start school, before you have had a chance to participate in law-related activities, and before you've been exposed to at least some law/legal issues.

I strongly urge you to refrain from writing about law and legal issues in your cover letter. Areas of law you're interested in, sure. But I can't imagine how substantive legal discussion would ever belong in a cover letter.

[270910]

there is a big difference between writing cover letters this summer and doing it before 12/1. you're not going to have anything valuable to say before you even start school, before you have had a chance to participate in law-related activities, and before you've been exposed to at least some law/legal issues.

I checked your posts and couldn't figure out if you're a law student or not.

Anyway, I am, and I've conducted an exhaustive 1L job search. I never wrote a single fucking line that had ANY relation to what I had done or learned in law school.

"Dear Judge ______,

At first, I thought I wanted to do coroporate law - but after Palsgraff I realized I want to work with a judge this summer - YEAHAHHH

Yours in loving affection,

~Law student with 3 months of experience"

I literally could have done the entire job search 3 months before I started law school if anybody would have taken me seriously at that point. You really don't need to have any legal experience to ask a judge, firm, etc. to be an intern for the summer.

[D Brooks]

Tagged.

[toaster2]

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[BetterCallSaul]

there is a big difference between writing cover letters this summer and doing it before 12/1. you're not going to have anything valuable to say before you even start school, before you have had a chance to participate in law-related activities, and before you've been exposed to at least some law/legal issues.

I checked your posts and couldn't figure out if you're a law student or not.

Anyway, I am, and I've conducted an exhaustive 1L job search. I never wrote a single fucking line that had ANY relation to what I had done or learned in law school.

"Dear Judge ______,

At first, I thought I wanted to do coroporate law - but after Palsgraff I realized I want to work with a judge this summer - YEAHAHHH

Yours in loving affection,

~Law student with 3 months of experience"

I literally could have done the entire job search 3 months before I started law school if anybody would have taken me seriously at that point. You really don't need to have any legal experience to ask a judge, firm, etc. to be an intern for the summer.

Disco is totally right on this--there is nothing about your cover letter that 3 months of law school will change.

That said, I think mail merge is a massive waste of energy, paper and postage for just about every 1L (and pretty much everyone else too).

[T14_Scholly]

there is a big difference between writing cover letters this summer and doing it before 12/1. you're not going to have anything valuable to say before you even start school, before you have had a chance to participate in law-related activities, and before you've been exposed to at least some law/legal issues.

I checked your posts and couldn't figure out if you're a law student or not.

Anyway, I am, and I've conducted an exhaustive 1L job search. I never wrote a single fucking line that had ANY relation to what I had done or learned in law school.

"Dear Judge ______,

At first, I thought I wanted to do coroporate law - but after Palsgraff I realized I want to work with a judge this summer - YEAHAHHH

Yours in loving affection,

~Law student with 3 months of experience"

I literally could have done the entire job search 3 months before I started law school if anybody would have taken me seriously at that point. You really don't need to have any legal experience to ask a judge, firm, etc. to be an intern for the summer.

There's still the issue of whether you can do it before 12/1.

[wiseowl]

I ended up having exactly two sentences in my cover letters that were post-enrollment; a description of my pro bono placement and a quick blurb about one of my classes.

That still leaves about 5/6 of a page you can write now.

[Aeroplane]

i'm not saying anyone should include legal substance in their cover letter, but i'd hope they would have something different, and perhaps more relevant, to say in a cover letter after a few months of school and some consideration of your experience there (and before) and how it relates to a particular job, than before school. factor in any name-dropping you might choose to do because of networking you've done during the fall, and to me, at least, it doesn't look like the most productive investment of one's time.

IME the bolded wasn't true. The name dropping thing would be a simple modification to make to your already done cover letter. Doing job search stuff over summer isn't essential, and I didn't do it myself, but I think it's a great idea if someone's got some free time. I definitely could've and should've done it then.

[groundkontrol]

I ended up having exactly two sentences in my cover letters that were post-enrollment; a description of my pro bono placement and a quick blurb about one of my classes.

That still leaves about 5/6 of a page you can write now.

You said that you didn't change much of your resume between 0L summer and December. I'm coming straight from undergrad and I had a lot of leadership roles in extracurricular activities. My responsibilities and leadership experience takes up a decent amount of my resume. Is this something I should leave on or take off?

[wiseowl]

I ended up having exactly two sentences in my cover letters that were post-enrollment; a description of my pro bono placement and a quick blurb about one of my classes.

That still leaves about 5/6 of a page you can write now.

You said that you didn't change much of your resume between 0L summer and December. I'm coming straight from undergrad and I had a lot of leadership roles in extracurricular activities. My responsibilities and leadership experience takes up a decent amount of my resume. Is this something I should leave on or take off?

no, my resume DRASTICALLY changed. i said that the one in my app looked nothing like the one now, and its true.
you'll want to keep a lot of your best leadership positions, but keep in mind you're going to be adding law things as well. if you're coming straight from undergrad keep it one page.

[toaster2]

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[BriaTharen]

Tagged

[legalnoeagle]

Any of the earlier posters successful in landing 1L summer employment? If so, please describe.

[D Brooks]

Where would I go to learn how to do a mail merge? Or if it's fairly simple, would someone mind PM'ing me?

[ggocat]

Where would I go to learn how to do a mail merge?

Google.

[bees]

Thank to everyone who has contributed so far, this has all been very helpful.

[agentzer0]

mf'ing tagged

[Anonymous User]

there is a big difference between writing cover letters this summer and doing it before 12/1. you're not going to have anything valuable to say before you even start school, before you have had a chance to participate in law-related activities, and before you've been exposed to at least some law/legal issues.

I checked your posts and couldn't figure out if you're a law student or not.

Anyway, I am, and I've conducted an exhaustive 1L job search. I never wrote a single fucking line that had ANY relation to what I had done or learned in law school.

"Dear Judge ______,

At first, I thought I wanted to do coroporate law - but after Palsgraff I realized I want to work with a judge this summer - YEAHAHHH

Yours in loving affection,

~Law student with 3 months of experience"

I literally could have done the entire job search 3 months before I started law school if anybody would have taken me seriously at that point. You really don't need to have any legal experience to ask a judge, firm, etc. to be an intern for the summer.

There's still the issue of whether you can do it before 12/1.

Where's this 12/1 rule coming from, is it written somewhere? I wouldn't think it is "illegal" to apply for a job for the summer if you send your stuff out before that date.... or is it? I couldn't possibly imagine a firm being so strict and saying "Applicant X applied before this 12/1 date for the summer, forget him/her"

lol, sry i dont know and just wanted some reasoning!

[acdisagod]

Thanks for the info guys, great thread. I wanted to know if you guys think it is worth me trying to mass mail firms for a paid 1L SA job. I'm going to be a 1L at Cornell next year but I'm coming straight from undergrad and I am a non-science major. The only plus side is I will be working at a law firm this summer (I know a very small plus). Assuming I finish top third or top half, would it be worth it to mass mail these firms or would it be a complete waste of time? I finished top 3 percent in a top law school abroad so I feel like my grades will probably be solid but of course nothing is a given.

[270910]

Where's this 12/1 rule coming from, is it written somewhere? I wouldn't think it is "illegal" to apply for a job for the summer if you send your stuff out before that date.... or is it? I couldn't possibly imagine a firm being so strict and saying "Applicant X applied before this 12/1 date for the summer, forget him/her"

lol, sry i dont know and just wanted some reasoning!

LOL YOU GOT US, WE WERE KIDDING ALL AL-

oh, wait

D. Summer Employment Provisions for First Year Students
1. Law schools should not offer career services to first-semester first year law students prior to November 1 except in the case of part-time students who may be given assistance in seeking positions during the school term.
2. Prospective employers and first year law students should not initiate contact with one another and employers should not interview or make offers to first year students before December 1.
3. All offers to first year students for summer employment should remain open for at least two weeks after the date made.

http://www.nalp.org/fulltextofnalpprinc ... dstandards