BC/BU OCI Forum

[AlanShore]

From skimming through the thread, it looks like you need to be top 25% to have a decent shot. Accurate?

Pretty much. I was top 1/3 and LR and ended up with very few interviews and no offers.

[Anonymous User]

From skimming through the thread, it looks like you need to be top 25% to have a decent shot. Accurate?

Pretty much. I was top 1/3 and LR and ended up with very few interviews and no offers.

I'm flattered that you think my stats should have made me a lock for biglaw, but honestly, I wasn't that surprised. There are always 3-4 LR kids who don't get biglaw every year, and I figured that my grades had to have been the worst on all of LR.

[AlanShore]

From skimming through the thread, it looks like you need to be top 25% to have a decent shot. Accurate?

Pretty much. I was top 1/3 and LR and ended up with very few interviews and no offers.

I'm flattered that you think my stats should have made me a lock for biglaw, but honestly, I wasn't that surprised. There are always 3-4 LR kids who don't get biglaw every year, and I figured that my grades had to have been the worst on all of LR.

I'm not super super shocked you got no offered (sorry though. hope you snag something good). I guess I'm more surprised that you got so few interviews. I figured LR-no offers happen-- bad luck on interviews, things like that. but very few interviews to begin with is a tough spot.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not super super shocked you got no offered (sorry though. hope you snag something good). I guess I'm more surprised that you got so few interviews. I figured LR-no offers happen-- bad luck on interviews, things like that. but very few interviews to begin with is a tough spot.

Ended up with an AIII clerkship after a grade boost 2L year, so hopefully the second biglaw lottery goes more smoothly. And yeah, there might have been some special circumstances that led to my poor performance. Hopefully I'm not outing myself with all this specific info, but I was pursuing a dual degree in a completely unrelated field just for my own enjoyment and decided to include it on my resume. The CDO later told me that that was probably a mistake. I also only included my class rank but not my GPA on my resume, figuring that firms could already see my GPA on my grade sheet. Again, probably a mistake.

[Anonymous User]

Hey, could people here post the make-up of their summer class (in terms of school and size).

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=205050

[sumner]

Rising 2L here. Anyone have a sense for whether OCI hiring will be any better/worse than last year? The economy seems to be improving slightly but I doubt its enough to improve entry level hiring at law firms (that's just my sense from reading the newspaper).

[Anonymous User]

bumpin this. lets get this going for fall 2013

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L Checking in:

Top 25%, 1 year WE, decent interviewer, journal results pending. I would like to do lit, but would be perfectly happy with any jerb.

Tentative Bidlist:

1. Ropes & Gray
2. WilmerHale
3. Goodwin Procter
4. Skadden
5. Latham & Watkins
6. Brown Rudnick
7. Bingham McCutchen
8. Weil, Gotshal & Manges
9. foley hoag
10. McDermott, Will & Emery
11. Nutter, McClennan & Fish
12. Choate, Hall & Stewart
13. Sullivan & Worcester
14. Proskauer Rose
15. Cadwalader (NY)
16. Gunderson Dettmer
17. Jones Day
18. Dechert
19. K&L Gates
20. Nixon Peabody
21. Edwards Wildman Palmer
22. Holland & Knight
23. Mintz, Levin
24. Riemer & Braunstein
25. Foley & Lardner
26. Dechert (NY)
27. Goulston & Storrs
28. Hinckley, Allen & Snyder
29. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (NY)
30. Arnold & Porter (NY)

My strategy is to bid firms with large amounts of interview slots, which I probably wouldn't get through pre-select, first. Is that generally TCR? 30-33% lottery.

Feedback is much appreciated.

[Anonymous User]

BU 3L with a big law firm job here. Generally, I would say that if you hope to get selected through the lottery, you'll get your top 3-5 choices. At least that seemed to be the case with me last year. After that, it's them selecting people based on credentials, but many firms engage in yield protection just so you know.

Ropes is an awesome firm, but I would be aware that while they do have a litigation department, the firm tends to be corporate/transactional heavy. I don't know if it's just me, but foley hoag might have better litigation opportunities than Brown Rudnick. When I interviewed at Brown Rudnick, everyone was involved in corporate/bankruptcy. But maybe it was the luck of the draw. Goodwin and Wilmer definitely seem to be the top litigation firms on that list.

[BlueLotus]

Do gov/PI employers participate, or is BC's OCI more of a BigLawl thing? Prosecution gunner here.

[stillwater]

Do gov/PI employers participate, or is BC's OCI more of a BigLawl thing? Prosecution gunner here.

whatever color lotus it is, its more of a BIGLAW thing but there is the occasional gov't/PI shit gunnerscum presence there.

[Anonymous User]

Can I get some generic TLS advice about a bid list?

3.45 (top 33-35%?) no grades lower than a B but not too many As either, secondary journal, strong Boston ties, leaning towards transactional work but not settled, demonstrated interest in real estate, no debt but I'd like biglaw or midlaw. I'm planning on mass mailing mid sized firms in addition to OCI.

I pretty much know which firms seem out of reach, I also know I'm in a pretty precarious position, but are some firms more likely to bite at my numbers than others?

[nevdash]

Can I get some generic TLS advice about a bid list?

3.45 (top 33-35%?) no grades lower than a B but not too many As either, secondary journal, strong Boston ties, leaning towards transactional work but not settled, demonstrated interest in real estate, no debt but I'd like biglaw or midlaw. I'm planning on mass mailing mid sized firms in addition to OCI.

I pretty much know which firms seem out of reach, I also know I'm in a pretty precarious position, but are some firms more likely to bite at my numbers than others?

I think Goulston & Storrs is known for their real estate department. Your demonstrated interest plus Boston ties might make them bite.

[Anonymous User]

Can I get some generic TLS advice about a bid list?

3.45 (top 33-35%?) no grades lower than a B but not too many As either, secondary journal, strong Boston ties, leaning towards transactional work but not settled, demonstrated interest in real estate, no debt but I'd like biglaw or midlaw. I'm planning on mass mailing mid sized firms in addition to OCI.

I pretty much know which firms seem out of reach, I also know I'm in a pretty precarious position, but are some firms more likely to bite at my numbers than others?

I think Goulston & Storrs is known for their real estate department. Your demonstrated interest plus Boston ties might make them bite.

I don't know much about Goulston, but isn't it pretty elite?

What about Mintz Levin?
http://www.mintz.com/practices-industri ... te#details

[Anonymous User]

Oh, and to the people just making their lists, keep in mind all of the news about Weil laying off people.... http://abovethelaw.com/2013/06/from-acr ... l-layoffs/

[Anonymous User]

Can I get some generic TLS advice about a bid list?

3.45 (top 33-35%?) no grades lower than a B but not too many As either, secondary journal, strong Boston ties, leaning towards transactional work but not settled, demonstrated interest in real estate, no debt but I'd like biglaw or midlaw. I'm planning on mass mailing mid sized firms in addition to OCI.

I pretty much know which firms seem out of reach, I also know I'm in a pretty precarious position, but are some firms more likely to bite at my numbers than others?

I think Goulston & Storrs is known for their real estate department. Your demonstrated interest plus Boston ties might make them bite.

I don't know much about Goulston, but isn't it pretty elite?

What about Mintz Levin?
http://www.mintz.com/practices-industri ... te#details

PCs are so TTT

[nevdash]

Can I get some generic TLS advice about a bid list?

3.45 (top 33-35%?) no grades lower than a B but not too many As either, secondary journal, strong Boston ties, leaning towards transactional work but not settled, demonstrated interest in real estate, no debt but I'd like biglaw or midlaw. I'm planning on mass mailing mid sized firms in addition to OCI.

I pretty much know which firms seem out of reach, I also know I'm in a pretty precarious position, but are some firms more likely to bite at my numbers than others?

I think Goulston & Storrs is known for their real estate department. Your demonstrated interest plus Boston ties might make them bite.

I don't know much about Goulston, but isn't it pretty elite?

What about Mintz Levin?
http://www.mintz.com/practices-industri ... te#details

I don't know much about G&S, but Mintz has to be more selective than them. Look at the recent BU hires from G&S: there was a 2012 dude with no honors and no LR who was hired in the real estate department. That means he graduated in about the same position you're in now.

[JusticeHarlan]

Can I get some generic TLS advice about a bid list?

3.45 (top 33-35%?) no grades lower than a B but not too many As either, secondary journal, strong Boston ties, leaning towards transactional work but not settled, demonstrated interest in real estate, no debt but I'd like biglaw or midlaw. I'm planning on mass mailing mid sized firms in addition to OCI.

I pretty much know which firms seem out of reach, I also know I'm in a pretty precarious position, but are some firms more likely to bite at my numbers than others?

I'm a year out of things (did OCI in 2011 for summer 2012, just graduated), but my quick thoughts would be:

Check out Edwards Wildman; they took like 4 or 5 people from my BC/BU my year, up there with what some of the big boys took without being quite as grade selective. Ranked by Chambers for real estate (band 3) and do other transaction stuff too. Also worth making a play for DLA, though iirc they didn't do the big OCI and come later in the semester/year (worth figuring out their timeline). K&L Gates, Holland & Knight, Brown Rudnick, and Nixon Peabody also seem like targets, though someone who did OCI last year can probably correct me on that. Sullivan & Worcester, too, though I think they no-offered a few kids in 2012.

Of course, I'd recommend going on NALP and figuring out who has the biggest summer classes and focusing there. More slots can mean more leeway for grades because they have more offers to give out and can't be quite as picky. It's possible some of those I listed have smaller class sizes and will be more risky bids, I'm not quite sure these days. As always, just do some research and check out if the firms are hiring a good amount, do a lot of work in fields you're interested in/can sell yourself as doing, etc.

Good luck!

[Anonymous User]

Can I get some generic TLS advice about a bid list?

3.45 (top 33-35%?) no grades lower than a B but not too many As either, secondary journal, strong Boston ties, leaning towards transactional work but not settled, demonstrated interest in real estate, no debt but I'd like biglaw or midlaw. I'm planning on mass mailing mid sized firms in addition to OCI.

I pretty much know which firms seem out of reach, I also know I'm in a pretty precarious position, but are some firms more likely to bite at my numbers than others?

I'm a year out of things (did OCI in 2011 for summer 2012, just graduated), but my quick thoughts would be:

Check out Edwards Wildman; they took like 4 or 5 people from my BC/BU my year, up there with what some of the big boys took without being quite as grade selective. Ranked by Chambers for real estate (band 3) and do other transaction stuff too. Also worth making a play for DLA, though iirc they didn't do the big OCI and come later in the semester/year (worth figuring out their timeline). K&L Gates, Holland & Knight, Brown Rudnick, and Nixon Peabody also seem like targets, though someone who did OCI last year can probably correct me on that. Sullivan & Worcester, too, though I think they no-offered a few kids in 2012.

Of course, I'd recommend going on NALP and figuring out who has the biggest summer classes and focusing there. More slots can mean more leeway for grades because they have more offers to give out and can't be quite as picky. It's possible some of those I listed have smaller class sizes and will be more risky bids, I'm not quite sure these days. As always, just do some research and check out if the firms are hiring a good amount, do a lot of work in fields you're interested in/can sell yourself as doing, etc.

Good luck!

Thanks for the help! - OP

[Anonymous User]

I'm not too familiar with the prestige rankings in Boston, since I didn't focus on that market last year during OCI. While alumni success can provide guidance, you at the same time can't entirely rely on it. There are always so many wildcards -- like personality and fit.

I also thought of one more real estate firm besides Mintz Levin which I suggested earlier -- how about Bingham? Definitely selective and very Boston-centric, but I had an adjunct at BU who is a transactional attorney in real estate at Bingham (also a BU alum). But maybe there aren't very many other real estate attorneys there (I can't tell from NALP).
--LinkRemoved--

I should also say that something like your top three OCI choices, at least at BU, should probably be your stretch firms anyways. I was a top 10%/LR type in OCI last year, and firms like Bingham and Mintz Levin rejected me outright, probably because of yield protection. So I think you have a shot, but who knows how firms really think.

[Anonymous User]

Can I get some generic TLS advice about a bid list?

3.45 (top 33-35%?) no grades lower than a B but not too many As either, secondary journal, strong Boston ties, leaning towards transactional work but not settled, demonstrated interest in real estate, no debt but I'd like biglaw or midlaw. I'm planning on mass mailing mid sized firms in addition to OCI.

I pretty much know which firms seem out of reach, I also know I'm in a pretty precarious position, but are some firms more likely to bite at my numbers than others?

I'm a year out of things (did OCI in 2011 for summer 2012, just graduated), but my quick thoughts would be:

Check out Edwards Wildman; they took like 4 or 5 people from my BC/BU my year, up there with what some of the big boys took without being quite as grade selective. Ranked by Chambers for real estate (band 3) and do other transaction stuff too. Also worth making a play for DLA, though iirc they didn't do the big OCI and come later in the semester/year (worth figuring out their timeline). K&L Gates, Holland & Knight, Brown Rudnick, and Nixon Peabody also seem like targets, though someone who did OCI last year can probably correct me on that. Sullivan & Worcester, too, though I think they no-offered a few kids in 2012.

Of course, I'd recommend going on NALP and figuring out who has the biggest summer classes and focusing there. More slots can mean more leeway for grades because they have more offers to give out and can't be quite as picky. It's possible some of those I listed have smaller class sizes and will be more risky bids, I'm not quite sure these days. As always, just do some research and check out if the firms are hiring a good amount, do a lot of work in fields you're interested in/can sell yourself as doing, etc.

Good luck!

I will agree with this. For one, many firms do not have big real estate departments, they are had to break into. With your GPA, I would put H&K, Edwards Wildman, Bingham (I know people with 3.2, non URM with callbacks), Sullivan & Worcester, Mintz Levin, Nixon Peabody, Hinckley Allen, and maybe a few CT/Rhode Island/NH/MAine firms (if you would work there). For your number one spot put a reach like Goulston.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L Checking in:

Top 25%, 1 year WE, decent interviewer, journal results pending. I would like to do lit, but would be perfectly happy with any jerb.

Tentative Bidlist:

1. Ropes & Gray
2. WilmerHale
3. Goodwin Procter
4. Skadden
5. Latham & Watkins
6. Brown Rudnick
7. Bingham McCutchen
8. Weil, Gotshal & Manges
9. Foley Hoag
10. McDermott, Will & Emery
11. Nutter, McClennan & Fish
12. Choate, Hall & Stewart
13. Sullivan & Worcester
14. Proskauer Rose
15. Cadwalader (NY)
16. Gunderson Dettmer
17. Jones Day
18. Dechert
19. K&L Gates
20. Nixon Peabody
21. Edwards Wildman Palmer
22. Holland & Knight
23. Mintz, Levin
24. Riemer & Braunstein
25. Foley & Lardner
26. Dechert (NY)
27. Goulston & Storrs
28. Hinckley, Allen & Snyder
29. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (NY)
30. Arnold & Porter (NY)

My strategy is to bid firms with large amounts of interview slots, which I probably wouldn't get through pre-select, first. Is that generally TCR? 30-33% lottery.

Feedback is much appreciated.

You can put Ropes first, but you have to be on Law Review or have above a 3.6 AND a halfway decent personality to work there. If you want litigation, you should put Wilmer first.

[Anonymous User]

Rising 2L Checking in:

Top 25%, 1 year WE, decent interviewer, journal results pending. I would like to do lit, but would be perfectly happy with any jerb.

Tentative Bidlist:

1. Ropes & Gray
2. WilmerHale
3. Goodwin Procter
4. Skadden
5. Latham & Watkins
6. Brown Rudnick
7. Bingham McCutchen
8. Weil, Gotshal & Manges
9. Foley Hoag
10. McDermott, Will & Emery
11. Nutter, McClennan & Fish
12. Choate, Hall & Stewart
13. Sullivan & Worcester
14. Proskauer Rose
15. Cadwalader (NY)
16. Gunderson Dettmer
17. Jones Day
18. Dechert
19. K&L Gates
20. Nixon Peabody
21. Edwards Wildman Palmer
22. Holland & Knight
23. Mintz, Levin
24. Riemer & Braunstein
25. Foley & Lardner
26. Dechert (NY)
27. Goulston & Storrs
28. Hinckley, Allen & Snyder
29. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (NY)
30. Arnold & Porter (NY)

My strategy is to bid firms with large amounts of interview slots, which I probably wouldn't get through pre-select, first. Is that generally TCR? 30-33% lottery.

Feedback is much appreciated.

You can put Ropes first, but you have to be on Law Review or have above a 3.6 AND a halfway decent personality to work there. If you want litigation, you should put Wilmer first.

I don't understand putting Sullivan & Worcester above Mintz Levin, Edwards Wildman, K&L Gates or Nixon.

[JusticeHarlan]

I don't understand putting Sullivan & Worcester above Mintz Levin, Edwards Wildman, K&L Gates or Nixon.

In this bid list, we're talking about firms ranked from 13 to 23. I doubt the lottery will go that deep. My recollection is that career services told us maybe the first 5 firms will matter for lottery. The rest will be preselect anyways, so as long as he bids on them he'll be in consideration, with the order probably irrelevant.

[BCLS]

Do gov/PI employers participate, or is BC's OCI more of a BigLawl thing? Prosecution gunner here.

The only way you're getting prosecution job after graduation is if you work in the office as a 3:03 at one of the district courts. You have to make connections and go hard. Someone then recommends you from the district court (usually supervisor), and then you must kill the interview.