UChicago OCI 2015 Forum

[calvincoolidge]

I think you're being way too aggressive at median but maybe you already know that. You should report back with results because my gut feeling is that you're going to have a rough time at OCI.

Aggressive in the sense that I'm not bidding NY? If so, I totally get that. Or do you mean aggressive in that not many of these are gonna hit?

[Anonymous User]

First attempt at bid list, feeling a little lost because I don't understand how slots work for multi-office bids. I'm a lady, a few years of decent work experience, 180.375, law review, and I think I'm a good interviewer. I want litigation, Philadelphia > Chicago. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

Asterisk = shared slots (I think? I don't know what this means. E.g. Drinker Biddle says Chicago 32 slots, Philly 10 slots, but has the multi-office icon?)

1. Sidley (Chicago) 84
2. Jenner (Chicago) 63
3. Drinker Biddle (Philadelphia) 10*
4. Dechert (Philadelphia) 21*
5. Reed Smith (Philadelphia) 21*
6. Schiff (Chicago) 84
7. Kirkland (Chicago) 84
8. Mayer Brown (Chicago) 63
9. Skadden (Chicago) 84
10. Barack Ferrazzano (Chicago) 42
11. Jones Day (Chicago) 42
12. Katten (Chicago) 42
13. Baker & McKenzie (Chicago) 21
14. Winston & Strawn (Chicago) 42
15. Latham & Watkins (Chicago) 61
16. McDermott Will & Emery (Chicago) 63
17. Edelson (Chicago) 21
18. Ropes & Gray (Chicago) 21
19. Foley & Lardner (Chicago) 21
20. Greenberg Traurig (Chicago) 21
21. DLA Piper (Chicago) 21

[Emma.]

First attempt at bid list, feeling a little lost because I don't understand how slots work for multi-office bids. I'm a lady, a few years of decent work experience, 180.375, law review, and I think I'm a good interviewer. I want litigation, Philadelphia > Chicago. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

Asterisk = shared slots (I think? I don't know what this means. E.g. Drinker Biddle says Chicago 32 slots, Philly 10 slots, but has the multi-office icon?)

1. Sidley (Chicago) 84
2. Jenner (Chicago) 63
3. Drinker Biddle (Philadelphia) 10*
4. Dechert (Philadelphia) 21*
5. Reed Smith (Philadelphia) 21*
6. Schiff (Chicago) 84
7. Kirkland (Chicago) 84
8. Mayer Brown (Chicago) 63
9. Skadden (Chicago) 84
10. Barack Ferrazzano (Chicago) 42
11. Jones Day (Chicago) 42
12. Katten (Chicago) 42
13. Baker & McKenzie (Chicago) 21
14. Winston & Strawn (Chicago) 42
15. Latham & Watkins (Chicago) 61
16. McDermott Will & Emery (Chicago) 63
17. Edelson (Chicago) 21
18. Ropes & Gray (Chicago) 21
19. Foley & Lardner (Chicago) 21
20. Greenberg Traurig (Chicago) 21
21. DLA Piper (Chicago) 21

Are those the only Philly offices coming to OCI? With those grades you should get callbacks at all three, but if you really want Philly you should be mass mailing now.

[Anonymous User]

Philly anon from above. Those are the only Philly OCI firms, but I've just sent in apps to all other Philly firms with summer programs. Does it make sense to bid them where I have them? I can't find much about Philly on here, and I don't understand the shared slots thing.

[UnicornHunter]

Thanks in advance for your help!
Grades: 177.4 (secondary journal)
URM: no
Work experience: yes, but not particularly relevant
Practice area: Leaning lit
Misc: I'm interested in whether I'm likely to miss out on firms in the PNW and LA. There's less information out there on where these firms tend to fill up.

Asterisk means the slots are sharing offices.

On another note, how reliable are the numbers on symplicity? I'm pretty sure Foster Pepper (120 attorney firm) is not bringing in 21 this summer, for instance.

1 Paul Hastings LA (6)
2 OMM LA (21)*
3 Wilson Sonsini SEA (12)*
4 Perkins POR (3)
5 K & L Gates SEA (5)
6 Davis Wright Tremaine POR (21)*
7 Cooley SEA (42)*
8 Foster Pepper SEA (21)
9 Holland & Knight POR (11)*
10 Dorsey & Whitney SEA (5)
11 Jones Day LA (21)*
12 BakerHostetler LA (18)*
13 Kirkland & Ellis LA (21)
14 Latham & Watkins LA (21)*
15 Irell LA (27)
16 MoFo LA (21)
17 Mayer Brown LA (7)
18 Goodwin Proctor LA (7)
19 Dechert LA (21)
20 Foley Lardner LA (21)
21 Winston & Strawn LA (21)*
22 Stroock & Stroock LA (21)

The symplicity number is for interviews at Chicago, not projected # of SAs. Foster Pepper will probably bring in 3 or so SAs this summer. If you were building your bid list based on that, time to dump it and start over.

[Anonymous User]

Any thoughts?
Grades: median
Female/URM: female
Preferred market: Chicago
Practice: litigation or transactional
no journal, relevant work experience

All Chicago unless otherwise noted
1 Sidley Austin
2 Jenner & Block
3 Jones Day
4 Latham
5 Baker & McKenzie
6 Skadden
7 Foley & Lardner
8 Vedder Price
9 Katten
10 Bryan Cave
11 DLA Piper
12 Dentons
13 McDermott Will & Emery
14 Debevoise & Plimpton (NY)
15 Schiff Hardin
16 Drinker Biddle & Reath
17 Taft Stettinius & Hollister
18 Ropes & Gray
19 Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (NY)
20 Fried Frank (NY)
21 Dechert
22 Faegre
23 Sheppard
24 Edelson
25 mcguirewoods
26 Winston

[N.P.H.]

Any thoughts?
Grades: median
Female/URM: female
Preferred market: Chicago
Practice: litigation or transactional
no journal, relevant work experience

All Chicago unless otherwise noted
1 Sidley Austin
2 Jenner & Block
3 Jones Day
4 Latham
5 Baker & McKenzie
6 Skadden
7 Foley & Lardner
8 Vedder Price
9 Katten
10 Bryan Cave
11 DLA Piper
12 Dentons
13 McDermott Will & Emery
14 Debevoise & Plimpton (NY)
15 Schiff Hardin
16 Drinker Biddle & Reath
17 Taft Stettinius & Hollister
18 Ropes & Gray
19 Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (NY)
20 Fried Frank (NY)
21 Dechert
22 Faegre
23 Sheppard
24 Edelson
25 McGuireWoods
26 Winston

Would help if we knew the following:
1) Confirm firms are Chicago unless marked NY (assuming this for now)
2) You have 0 preference between transactional and lit work?
3) What's the relevant work experience (if finance, would be more relevant for transactional work, if paralegal, would be relevant to both)
4) # interview slots for some of these firms (Bryan Cave, for example).

While you're at it, please take a look at what's been said in this thread and where people hit or missed these firms in past threads (linked in OP) and revise your list. We're basically doing the same thing so it's much easier for us if we don't need to look up every single firm that looks out of place to make sure we're not giving you bad information.

I'd also say this list seems a bit aggressive considering grades (chicago + deb -- the only NY firm you'll get in this list). On top of that you're including very large reaches at the very top of your bidlist and missing out on a lot of the firms listed later on. I get that you feel like you need to include all of the big Chicago firms because that's where the # of jobs are, but with median grades you're including a lot of "reaches" while you're at it. I'd recommend doing some research on NY firms you might be interested in and including them in lieu of some Chicago firms you're less interested in (or including the NY firms you do have such as STB in their higher, appropriate, spots).

There are other median(ish) bidlists in this thread and in past threads you could use as examples. Look what's been successful for people in the past if you have trouble implementing this advice.

[Anonymous User]

how long after bidding closes do we find out what weve hit / missed

[Anonymous User]

how long after bidding closes do we find out what weve hit / missed

The email said thurs.

Also to reopen this topic, does anyone know where K&E fell? Based on my GPA, it must be in at least the low 181s

[Anonymous User]

I just want to neurotically triple check that I'm understanding this correctly: there's no button in Symplicity we have to hit to finalize our bids. Once we've uploaded our resumes and ranked the firms in order, we just exit out of Symplicity--nothing left to do at that point?

[Anonymous User]

What would be a good (not so cliche) idea that you want to become a transactional / corporate lawyer (besides being part of a big/interesting deals)?

Sorry if this is the wrong thread to post in

[Anonymous User]

has anyone mass mailed and then interviewed at firms that say they require all summers to start at the same date? did you bring up a late start date or just ignore it?

[UofCforme]

Am I correct in assuming that we should bring a cover letter to every interview even if the firm doesn't ask for one on simplicity? Same with writing sample?

[sandwhich]

Am I correct in assuming that we should bring a cover letter to every interview even if the firm doesn't ask for one on simplicity? Same with writing sample?

No to the cover letter; yes to the writing sample.

[Anonymous User]

You don't have to bring either unless specifically asked. And I'm pretty sure they cant ask for a cover letter. So it's basically only a writing sample. Same goes for references.

[sandwhich]

You don't have to bring either unless specifically asked. And I'm pretty sure they cant ask for a cover letter. So it's basically only a writing sample. Same goes for references.

Some firms have requested that people bring cover letters to the screener interview

[Anonymous User]

Sounds pretty TTT. You still don't have to bring them unless specifically asked. Only bring your resume and transcript.

[beepboopbeep]

I just carried one copy of my writing sample in my portfolio unless I knew specifically that a firm wanted one, and then replenished it if a firm asked unexpectedly. I think I gave it away once. It doesn't happen frequently, but it does happen.

If a cover letter is expected you'll know in advance.

[UofCforme]

Sounds good. Thanks for the help.

[Anonymous User]

reference list.

How important is having a reference list for OCIs? or for CBs?

[Anonymous User]

Completely unnecessary.

It is completely unnecessary.

[Anonymous User]

Anybody know when oci results will be posted?

[Anonymous User]

Well, certainly at some point today.

Also, fwiw, all of the "estimated 2L slots" changed to either 0 or a very small number so it seems the algorithm has been run.

[N.P.H.]

Anything with open numbers means that the firm will be available during open sign-ups. Make sure you guys are on top of that.

[Anonymous User]

Nothing we can do about it until the day before though, right?