Post Your Bidlists Here for Critique, Consolation & Caveats Forum

[Anonymous User]

OK I am trying this again. My list was ripped apart last time which was good because it made me reevaluate. Top ~20% at CLS, 1L SA & significant work experience.

1 Gibson Dunn
2 Skadden
3 Crowell Morring
4 Weil
5 Sidley Austin

6 Linklaters
7 White and Case
8 Ropes
9 Debevoise
10 Hughes hubbard
11 Kramer Levin
12 Fried Frank
13 Latham
14 Paul Weiss
15 Morrison and Foster

16 Arnold Porter DC
17 Williams and Connolly
18 SulCrom
19 Dechert
20 Willkie
21 Cleary
22 Simpson Thacher
23 Akin
24 clifford chance
25 Milibank
26 Cahill
27 Cravath
28 Davis Polk
29 Wachtell
30 Seward

[Anonymous User]

No need to think too deeply about this for me. At a 100% preselect school with no bid limits, I will just submit my resume to every single firm coming and see how many screening interviews I can schedule in 3 days.

Done and done.

I wish we had at least some preselects. Total lottery is absurd imo.

[Anonymous User]

URM @ WUSTL/UIUC/ND
Slightly below median grades

Bid on every firm I could for OCI
Signed up for every job fair, even ones with conflicting dates and will go to the ones I get interviews(or the most interviews at)
Mass Mailing like a mofo as well.

[Anonymous User]

CLS, below median, but not quite bottom third--at least i hope not: 3.13, with work experience...
Thoughts? I realize there are a few absolute longshots, but is this list overly optimistic?

1. Proskauer Rose
2. Kirkland & Ellis
3. Quinn Emmanuel
4. Dewey & LeBouef
5. Sidley Austin
6. Latham & Watkins
7. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
8. Linklaters
9. White & Case
10. Ropes & Gray
11. Akin Gump
12. Paul Hastings
13. Stroock Stroock & Lavan
14. Jones Day
15. Debevoise & Plimpton
16. Hughes Hubbard & Reed
17. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
18. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
19. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
20. Schulte Roth & Zabel
21. Dechert
22. Chadbourne & Parke
23. Paul Weiss
24. Cleary Gotlieb Steen & Hamilton
25. Winston & Strawn
26. clifford chance
27. O’Melveny & Myers (LA Office—will probably move up or simply remove)
28. Vinson & Elkins
29. Cahill Gordon & Reindel
30. Brown Rudnick

[Grizz]

URM @ WUSTL/UIUC/ND
Slightly below median grades

Bid on every firm I could for OCI
Signed up for every job fair, even ones with conflicting dates and will go to the ones I get interviews(or the most interviews at)
Mass Mailing like a mofo as well.

Make sure that getting the interviews at the job fairs does not obligate you to actually go the them. Our NYC fair makes it obligatory. I'm not sure how this would be enforced at your school, but your CSO might screw with you somehow.

[quakeroats]

CLS, below median, but not quite bottom third--at least i hope not: 3.13, with work experience...
Thoughts? I realize there are a few absolute longshots, but is this list overly optimistic?

1. Proskauer Rose
2. Kirkland & Ellis
3. Quinn Emmanuel
4. Dewey & LeBouef
5. Sidley Austin
6. Latham & Watkins
7. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
8. Linklaters
9. White & Case
10. Ropes & Gray
11. Akin Gump
12. Paul Hastings
13. Stroock Stroock & Lavan
14. Jones Day
15. Debevoise & Plimpton
16. Hughes Hubbard & Reed
17. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
18. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
19. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
20. Schulte Roth & Zabel
21. Dechert
22. Chadbourne & Parke
23. Paul Weiss
24. Cleary Gotlieb Steen & Hamilton
25. Winston & Strawn
26. Clifford Chance
27. O’Melveny & Myers (LA Office—will probably move up or simply remove)
28. Vinson & Elkins
29. Cahill Gordon & Reindel
30. Brown Rudnick

K&E, Quinn, Paul Weiss, and Cleary should go. You're missing a lot of firms that hire below median.

[Anonymous User]

URM @ WUSTL/UIUC/ND
Slightly below median grades

Bid on every firm I could for OCI
Signed up for every job fair, even ones with conflicting dates and will go to the ones I get interviews(or the most interviews at)
Mass Mailing like a mofo as well.

Make sure that getting the interviews at the job fairs does not obligate you to actually go the them. Our NYC fair makes it obligatory. I'm not sure how this would be enforced at your school, but your CSO might screw with you somehow.

Yeah, only my schools programs require attendance, most third party fairs allow to you cancel.

[Anonymous User]

CLS, below median, but not quite bottom third--at least i hope not: 3.13, with work experience...
Thoughts? I realize there are a few absolute longshots, but is this list overly optimistic?

1. Proskauer Rose
2. Kirkland & Ellis
3. Quinn Emmanuel
4. Dewey & LeBouef
5. Sidley Austin
6. Latham & Watkins
7. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
8. Linklaters
9. White & Case
10. Ropes & Gray
11. Akin Gump
12. Paul Hastings
13. Stroock Stroock & Lavan
14. Jones Day
15. Debevoise & Plimpton
16. Hughes Hubbard & Reed
17. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
18. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
19. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
20. Schulte Roth & Zabel
21. Dechert
22. Chadbourne & Parke
23. Paul Weiss
24. Cleary Gotlieb Steen & Hamilton
25. Winston & Strawn
26. Clifford Chance
27. O’Melveny & Myers (LA Office—will probably move up or simply remove)
28. Vinson & Elkins
29. Cahill Gordon & Reindel
30. Brown Rudnick

K&E, Quinn, Paul Weiss, and Cleary should go. You're missing a lot of firms that hire below median.

Thanks. Any specific firms you think I should add? I realize there are a bunch that hire below median that are not on this list, but I'm also trying to balance the size of the potential SA class. If someone dips below median, but only took on 3 or 4 people last year, I don't know that they're a good use of a bid.

[Anonymous User]

Reworked list a bit

Cornell ~3.5 top 35-40? we don't get ranks

What do y'all think?

August 8

1. White & Case
2. Schulte Roth & Zabel
3. Strook & Strook & Lavan
4. Allen & Overy
5. Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP
6. Seward & Kissel LLP
7. Proskauer Rose
8. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
9. Winston & Strawn
10. Morrison & Foerester
11. Holland & Knight
12. Carter, Ledyard & Milburn LLP
13. Latham & Watkins LLP
14. Foley & Lardner LLP

August 9

1. brown rudnick llp
2. Crowell & Moring LLP
3. freshfields bruckhaus deringer LLP
4. Willkie Farr & Ghallager
5. Bryan Cave LLP
6. clifford chance
7. Dechert LLP
8. Dewey & LeBoeuf
9. Shearman & Sterling
10. sidley austin llp
11. Alston & Bird LLP
12. Ropes & Gray LLP
13. O'Melveny & MyersJones Day
14. hogan lovells LLP
15. Hahn & Hessen LLP
16. goodwin procter llp
17. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
18. Arnold & Porter LLP
19. Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP

August 10

1. Linklaters
2. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
3. Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP
4. Chadbourne & Parke LLP


5. Kaye Scholer LLP
6. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
7. Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
8. Perkins Coie LLP
9. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP
10. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
11. Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
12. blank rome llp
13. Vinson & Elkins LLP
14. Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
15. Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky
16. Reed Smith LLP
17. fox rothschild llp
18. Sutherland LLP
19. cooley llp

[Anonymous User]

CLS, below median, but not quite bottom third--at least i hope not: 3.13, with work experience...
Thoughts? I realize there are a few absolute longshots, but is this list overly optimistic?

1. Proskauer Rose
2. Kirkland & Ellis
3. Quinn Emmanuel
4. Dewey & LeBouef
5. Sidley Austin
6. Latham & Watkins
7. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
8. Linklaters
9. White & Case
10. Ropes & Gray
11. Akin Gump
12. Paul Hastings
13. Stroock Stroock & Lavan
14. Jones Day
15. Debevoise & Plimpton
16. Hughes Hubbard & Reed
17. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
18. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
19. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
20. Schulte Roth & Zabel
21. Dechert
22. Chadbourne & Parke
23. Paul Weiss
24. Cleary Gotlieb Steen & Hamilton
25. Winston & Strawn
26. Clifford Chance
27. O’Melveny & Myers (LA Office—will probably move up or simply remove)
28. Vinson & Elkins
29. Cahill Gordon & Reindel
30. Brown Rudnick

I doubt you'll get OMM LA. They'd rather hire top of the class kids from Loyola than below median CLSers. Paul Weiss, Cleary, Quinn, and K&E seem like huge reaches. Ropes would also rather hire top of the class kids from Fordham than below median from CLS (at least, that's what I gathered from looking at their summer associate directory from last year).

[swc65]

CLS, below median, but not quite bottom third--at least i hope not: 3.13, with work experience...
Thoughts? I realize there are a few absolute longshots, but is this list overly optimistic?

1. Proskauer Rose
2. Kirkland & Ellis
3. Quinn Emmanuel
4. Dewey & LeBouef
5. Sidley Austin
6. Latham & Watkins
7. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
8. Linklaters
9. White & Case
10. Ropes & Gray
11. Akin Gump
12. Paul Hastings
13. Stroock Stroock & Lavan
14. Jones Day
15. Debevoise & Plimpton
16. Hughes Hubbard & Reed
17. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
18. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
19. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
20. Schulte Roth & Zabel
21. Dechert
22. Chadbourne & Parke
23. Paul Weiss
24. Cleary Gotlieb Steen & Hamilton
25. Winston & Strawn
26. Clifford Chance
27. O’Melveny & Myers (LA Office—will probably move up or simply remove)
28. Vinson & Elkins
29. Cahill Gordon & Reindel
30. Brown Rudnick

I doubt you'll get OMM LA. They'd rather hire top of the class kids from Loyola than below median CLSers. Paul Weiss, Cleary, Quinn, and K&E seem like huge reaches. Ropes would also rather hire top of the class kids from Fordham than below median from CLS (at least, that's what I gathered from looking at their summer associate directory from last year).

I am fairly certain 3.13 is bottom third at CLS. To me, this list is way too aggressive. QE is not even worth a bid. They pulled out calculators and told median+ students that their GPA was just not good enough last year. KE/PW/Cleary and all of thoss just do not seem worth bids. You should be focusing on much, much less selective firms. All of this is, of course, IMHUO.

[Anonymous User]

CLS, below median, but not quite bottom third--at least i hope not: 3.13, with work experience...
Thoughts? I realize there are a few absolute longshots, but is this list overly optimistic?

1. Proskauer Rose
2. Kirkland & Ellis
3. Quinn Emmanuel
4. Dewey & LeBouef
5. Sidley Austin
6. Latham & Watkins
7. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft
8. Linklaters
9. White & Case
10. Ropes & Gray
11. Akin Gump
12. Paul Hastings
13. Stroock Stroock & Lavan
14. Jones Day
15. Debevoise & Plimpton
16. Hughes Hubbard & Reed
17. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
18. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel
19. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
20. Schulte Roth & Zabel
21. Dechert
22. Chadbourne & Parke
23. Paul Weiss
24. Cleary Gotlieb Steen & Hamilton
25. Winston & Strawn
26. Clifford Chance
27. O’Melveny & Myers (LA Office—will probably move up or simply remove)
28. Vinson & Elkins
29. Cahill Gordon & Reindel
30. Brown Rudnick

I doubt you'll get OMM LA. They'd rather hire top of the class kids from Loyola than below median CLSers. Paul Weiss, Cleary, Quinn, and K&E seem like huge reaches. Ropes would also rather hire top of the class kids from Fordham than below median from CLS (at least, that's what I gathered from looking at their summer associate directory from last year).

I am fairly certain 3.13 is bottom third at CLS. To me, this list is way too aggressive. QE is not even worth a bid. They pulled out calculators and told median+ students that their GPA was just not good enough last year. KE/PW/Cleary and all of thoss just do not seem worth bids. You should be focusing on much, much less selective firms. All of this is, of course, IMHUO.

I am in a similar position to OP. Which firms fall into the "much, much less selective" category? Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

Reworked list a bit

Cornell ~3.5 top 35-40? we don't get ranks

What do y'all think?

August 8

1. White & Case
2. Schulte Roth & Zabel
3. Strook & Strook & Lavan
4. Allen & Overy
5. Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP
6. Seward & Kissel LLP
7. Proskauer Rose
8. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
9. Winston & Strawn
10. Morrison & Foerester
11. Holland & Knight
12. Carter, Ledyard & Milburn LLP
13. Latham & Watkins LLP
14. Foley & Lardner LLP

August 9

1. Brown Rudnick LLP
2. Crowell & Moring LLP
3. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
4. Willkie Farr & Ghallager
5. Bryan Cave LLP
6. Clifford chance
7. Dechert LLP
8. Dewey & LeBoeuf
9. Shearman & Sterling
10. Sidley Austin LLP
11. Alston & Bird LLP
12. Ropes & Gray LLP
13. O'Melveny & MyersJones Day
14. Hogan Lovells LLP
15. Hahn & Hessen LLP
16. Goodwin Procter LLP
17. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
18. Arnold & Porter LLP
19. Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP

August 10

1. Linklaters
2. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
3. Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP
4. Chadbourne & Parke LLP


5. Kaye Scholer LLP
6. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
7. Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
8. Perkins Coie LLP
9. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP
10. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
11. Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
12. Blank Rome LLP
13. Vinson & Elkins LLP
14. Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
15. Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky
16. Reed Smith LLP
17. Fox Rothschild LLP
18. Sutherland LLP
19. Cooley LLP

(1) 13. O'Melveny & MyersJones Day ?
(2) For top 40%ish at Cornell, I wouldn't even bother wasting my time with Cleary if I were you

[GeePee]

Reworked list a bit

Cornell ~3.5 top 35-40? we don't get ranks

What do y'all think?

August 8

1. White & Case
2. Schulte Roth & Zabel
3. Strook & Strook & Lavan
4. Allen & Overy
5. Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman LLP
6. Seward & Kissel LLP
7. Proskauer Rose
8. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
9. Winston & Strawn
10. Morrison & Foerester
11. Holland & Knight
12. Carter, Ledyard & Milburn LLP
13. Latham & Watkins LLP
14. Foley & Lardner LLP

August 9

1. Brown Rudnick LLP
2. Crowell & Moring LLP
3. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
4. Willkie Farr & Ghallager
5. Bryan Cave LLP
6. Clifford chance
7. Dechert LLP
8. Dewey & LeBoeuf
9. Shearman & Sterling
10. Sidley Austin LLP
11. Alston & Bird LLP
12. Ropes & Gray LLP
13. O'Melveny & MyersJones Day
14. Hogan Lovells LLP
15. Hahn & Hessen LLP
16. Goodwin Procter LLP
17. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
18. Arnold & Porter LLP
19. Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP

August 10

1. Linklaters
2. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
3. Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP
4. Chadbourne & Parke LLP


5. Kaye Scholer LLP
6. Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
7. Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
8. Perkins Coie LLP
9. Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP
10. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
11. Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
12. Blank Rome LLP
13. Vinson & Elkins LLP
14. Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
15. Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky
16. Reed Smith LLP
17. Fox Rothschild LLP
18. Sutherland LLP
19. Cooley LLP

(1) 13. O'Melveny & MyersJones Day ?
(2) For top 40%ish at Cornell, I wouldn't even bother wasting my time with Cleary if I were you

I find it hard to believe that 3.5 is only top 40% at Cornell. Plus, he/she actually has a pretty conservative list. I think that Cleary is worth a bid.

[Anonymous User]

I find it hard to believe that 3.5 is only top 40% at Cornell. Plus, he actually has a pretty conservative list. I think that Cleary is worth a bid.

I thought that Cornell had a much more inflated curve than most other schools

edit: I should also add that I know a recruiter who works with Cleary. Cleary might be fine on the bid list I guess, provided there aren't more viable firms not being listed due to its presence. Probably no reason to get any hopes up, though.

[Anonymous User]

School: UVA Law
GPA: 3.1

Other - Solid UG and work experience

1. Willkie Farr
2. Cahill Gordan
3. LinkLaters
4. WilmerHale NY
5. White & Case
6. Curtis Mallet-Prevost
7. Sewerd & Kissel
8. Brown Rudnick
9. Orrick Herrington
10. Kasowitz Benson
11. Chadbourne Park
12. Cozen O'Connor (PHILLY)
13. WilmerHale (Boston)
14. Ropes & Gray (Boston)
15. Morgan Lewis (PHilly)

Just using top 15 because after this lottery is unlikely...hows this list look?

[Anonymous User]

School: UVA Law
GPA: 3.1

Other - Solid UG and work experience

1. Willkie Farr
2. Cahill Gordan
3. LinkLaters
4. WilmerHale NY
5. White & Case
6. Curtis Mallet-Prevost
7. Sewerd & Kissel
8. Brown Rudnick
9. Orrick Herrington
10. Kasowitz Benson
11. Chadbourne Park
12. Cozen O'Connor (PHILLY)
13. WilmerHale (Boston)
14. Ropes & Gray (Boston)
15. Morgan Lewis (PHilly)

Just using top 15 because after this lottery is unlikely...hows this list look?

I'd say maybe remove White & Case and Wilmerhale.
I don't go to UVA, but what does the GPA/grade info you have indicate about the grade selectiveness of Linklaters, Brown, and Curtis? My T10 has no info on 'em.

[Anonymous User]

Attempt #2
GULC
Top 7-8%
Want D.C. securities reg/lit or NY corporate. Prefer D.C. practice strongly, but want a market paying job.

1 Arnold & Porter DC
2 Sidley DC
3 WilmerHale DC
4 Hogan & Lovells DC
5 Jones Day DC
6 Skadden NY
7 Gibson Dunn DC
8 Latham DC
9 Cleary NY
10 Dewey & Leboeuf NY
11 Weil Gotshal NY
12 K&E DC
13 White & Case NY
14 Debevoise NY
15 Akin Gump DC
16 Fried Frank DC
17 Davis Polk NY
18 Milbank NY
19 Shearman NY
20 Paul Weiss NY
21 Baker Botts DC
22 Crowell & Moring DC
23 Cahill NY
24 Williams & Connolly DC
25 Covington DC
26 STB NY
27 Cravath NY
28 Sullivan & Cromwell NY
29 Ropes & Gray DC
30 Steptoe DC

Thanks for any help/suggestions!

[Anonymous User]

I find it hard to believe that 3.5 is only top 40% at Cornell. Plus, he actually has a pretty conservative list. I think that Cleary is worth a bid.

I thought that Cornell had a much more inflated curve than most other schools

edit: I should also add that I know a recruiter who works with Cleary. Cleary might be fine on the bid list I guess, provided there aren't more viable firms not being listed due to its presence. Probably no reason to get any hopes up, though.

3.35 median with an inflated curve? 35-40% could be reasonable. Why not use the rank estimator in the forum for law students paired with data about the grade-ons? Just assume that everyone who can grade on has a passable write on score and it should be close enough.

[Anonymous User]

School: UVA Law
GPA: 3.1

Other - Solid UG and work experience

1. Willkie Farr
2. Cahill Gordan
3. LinkLaters
4. WilmerHale NY
5. White & Case
6. Curtis Mallet-Prevost
7. Sewerd & Kissel
8. Brown Rudnick
9. Orrick Herrington
10. Kasowitz Benson
11. Chadbourne Park
12. Cozen O'Connor (PHILLY)
13. WilmerHale (Boston)
14. Ropes & Gray (Boston)
15. Morgan Lewis (PHilly)

Just using top 15 because after this lottery is unlikely...hows this list look?

I'd say maybe remove White & Case and Wilmerhale.
I don't go to UVA, but what does the GPA/grade info you have indicate about the grade selectiveness of Linklaters, Brown, and Curtis? My T10 has no info on 'em.

They are not as grade selective as many big law firms in NYC I know for sure. You know of any others that arent very grade selective if you go to a t-10?

[Anonymous User]

I find it hard to believe that 3.5 is only top 40% at Cornell. Plus, he actually has a pretty conservative list. I think that Cleary is worth a bid.

I thought that Cornell had a much more inflated curve than most other schools

edit: I should also add that I know a recruiter who works with Cleary. Cleary might be fine on the bid list I guess, provided there aren't more viable firms not being listed due to its presence. Probably no reason to get any hopes up, though.

Its a complete throwaway bid. We have no limits and the rest of the firms are too much of a reach I feel.

[bjsesq]

Its a complete throwaway bid. We have no limits and the rest of the firms are too much of a reach I feel.

As an NU student, I can tell you that after 30, the bids a pretty much throaway. 30 might be on the low side, too. Might as well shoot for some crazy shit.

[Anonymous User]

3.35 isn't really the median at cornell anymore. now, professors can grade in the range of 3.3-3.5. Given that the top 10% this year is a 3.81 when in past years it has been anywhere from a 3.67-3.73 after one semester, it is probably fair to assume that the Median this year is above 3.4 and maybe closer to 3.45

[Helmholtz]

3.35 isn't really the median at cornell anymore. now, professors can grade in the range of 3.3-3.5. Given that the top 10% this year is a 3.81 when in past years it has been anywhere from a 3.67-3.73 after one semester, it is probably fair to assume that the Median this year is above 3.4 and maybe closer to 3.45

dear god that is insane

Changing the way that GPAs are done seems like a terrific way to fuck up bidding strategy for students who are trying to extrapolate from historical data. And it also seems like it would leave employers in a bit of tough spot because how do you get any idea of where the student you're interviewing places in his class? Talk about unpredictability.

[Anonymous User]

Agreed. As a rising Cornell 2L it definitely made bidding more difficult. For example, we were told that some firms were "very selective" and that in the past they had been accessible to students with a 3.65 or above.
Well, that would have been top 15% in the past. Now, I bet it is around top 25-30%. I just hope that not too many of my classmates relied on these numbers and made the mistake of overreaching with their bids.