The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls) Forum

[crumpetsandtea]

Interviewing soon for 1 open spot (at place i want to work).

I am seriously so scared/want it so much I might die. (deleted) I don't want to get my hopes up but I want it sooooooooooooooooooo bad.

[Anonymous User]

Off the Vale, received offer at Vault 100 firm in mid size market.

It is a grind but you can do it!

[Anonymous User]

^ Texas?

[Anonymous User]

Got interview from The Bronx Defenders (Family Defense Practice) and DNA People's Legal Services!

[a.psu]

Got interview from The Bronx Defenders (Family Defense Practice) and DNA People's Legal Services!

Congrats! Did you apply directly or through EJW/OCI?

[Anonymous User]

Got interview from The Bronx Defenders (Family Defense Practice) and DNA People's Legal Services!

Congrats! Did you apply directly or through EJW/OCI?

thru oci

[UnamSanctam]

I don't want to get my hopes up but I want it sooooooooooooooooooo bad.

I hope you get it.

[crumpetsandtea]

I don't want to get my hopes up but I want it sooooooooooooooooooo bad.

I hope you get it.

): Me too...but I'm going to assume I don't. Setting my hopes high just to have them brutally crushed might seriously make me depressed. Like, actually, literally depressed, not in a figurative "that will make me really sad" way.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Interviewing soon for 1 open spot (at place i want to work).

I am seriously so scared/want it so much I might die. (deleted) I don't want to get my hopes up but I want it sooooooooooooooooooo bad.

Good luck good luck good luck good luck!!

[spleenworship]

Is anyone applying to public interest jobs - primarily direct services in NY/NYC? I would love if you could recommend additional threads or we could exchange thoughts on the subject.

I think there is already a PI thread.

Do you happen to have the link? I found few PI threads but would love to read more...

I'm phoning it in. But it's something like "so you want to do PI." Sorry.

Good luck to everyone with interviews. Kill it!

[spleenworship]

I don't want to get my hopes up but I want it sooooooooooooooooooo bad.

I hope you get it.

): Me too...but I'm going to assume I don't. Setting my hopes high just to have them brutally crushed might seriously make me depressed. Like, actually, literally depressed, not in a figurative "that will make me really sad" way.

Being serious, but not trying to be hurtful in any way or in any way disparage you or anyone else feeling this way ITT. You should consider counseling and/or antidepressants now before the stress gets worse. I wish I'd started about this time last year instead of trying to tough it out to get into JAG. In the long run it would've made me and my family so much happier.

[Anonymous User]

^ Texas?

Virginia.

[Pretzel_Logic]

I don't want to get my hopes up but I want it sooooooooooooooooooo bad.

I hope you get it.

): Me too...but I'm going to assume I don't. Setting my hopes high just to have them brutally crushed might seriously make me depressed. Like, actually, literally depressed, not in a figurative "that will make me really sad" way.

Been there and done that. If you need someone to talk to please don't hesitate to PM.

To those still in the Vale: you can and will get out. It took me a GD year and it was brutal, and I still don't know how financially speaking I'll ever get my footing, but my job has been an absolute slam dunk in terms of fit. I'm getting assignments I thought I might never get to do in my career and loads of responsibility, and it's just...sometimes I look around my office when I run short of assignments and get bewildered that this is my office and I'm actually doing what I always hoped to do.

Good luck.

[ash0117]

I've finally accepted my place in the Vale. I am a 3L on the hunt for a public defender/ legal aid/ non-prof/ PI law job. I spent both summers at PD offices and that is my ultimate goal. I applied to about 15 places through EJW, still waiting to hear. Does anyone know of any other PD/ legal aid places that hire entry level?

[minnbills]

I've finally accepted my place in the Vale. I am a 3L on the hunt for a public defender/ legal aid/ non-prof/ PI law job. I spent both summers at PD offices and that is my ultimate goal. I applied to about 15 places through EJW, still waiting to hear. Does anyone know of any other PD/ legal aid places that hire entry level?

What kind of PI work are you interested in?

[BVest]

I have no idea what the timeline looks like, but Travis County (Austin) Texas is in the process of setting up a defenders office to replace the current system of judicially-assigned defense lawyers from the private sector.

Here's one recent story on the progress: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crim ... riv/ngqQp/

It's somehow a hybrid public defenders' office (called a private defenders' office). I don't really have any experience with these sorts of offices, so I'll just turn the information over to y'all.

[Anonymous User]

Interview from LAS (Juvenile Rights Practice)!

[jess]

.

[spleenworship]

That sucks Jess.

Um, we need PDs in some BFE parts of my state. You want me to PM you links?

[Pretzel_Logic]

To people interested in PD jobs and with trial exp through an internship or clinic - have you considered becoming a solo atty and accepting new cases through CJA? I received an e-mail the other day in my jurisdiction about how some attys had reached the CJA maximum so far that year and couldn't take any new cases. These people made $137,500 by the end of September on indigent criminal cases alone. Doesn't sound like such a bad life. I am contemplating doing this because PD offices don't want me.

Unrelated, but I am realizing that I might be the world's worst interviewer. For paid jobs like through OCI, govt honors programs, PD offices, and clerkships, I am able to get interviews (so I'm assuming my stats & work experience are okay), but I can't convert the interviews into offers. I've done mock interviews before and was told I come across confident, outgoing, and that I have good answers for questions. I keep having these really amazing clerkship interviews, and at the end, the judge will say something like, "Wow, so glad you came in. This was a really great conversation. I look forward to receiving a copy of your note" or "Please inform me immediately if you receive another interview offer or job offer. I'm very interested." So then I assume the interview went really well only to receive a rejection letter that was postmarked the day of the interview. I don't know if it's my appearance, my interview style, that other candidates are just way better than me, or what. I wish people were more honest in rejection letters about why I didn't get the position.

I've done CJA work. If you can get it, it pays pretty well, but the feds do not pay on a, uh, timely basis, so be aware of that.

And I'm not sure that means you're a bad interview--I got the same reactions. I've since heard through the grapevine why I lost out on a couple of those jobs where I actually did ace the interview, and in several cases there was absolutely nothing I could have changed to get the job. For example, I was the wrong demographic for at least one job, for another they really liked me personally but I didn't have as much experience as the guy they hired, and for another they were afraid I would be "big-timed" by good ol' boy male attorneys (which, lol, that only happens with older female attorneys). It's a terrible, godawful process and I absolutely sympathize with what you're feeling here.

[deadpanic]

To people interested in PD jobs and with trial exp through an internship or clinic - have you considered becoming a solo atty and accepting new cases through CJA? I received an e-mail the other day in my jurisdiction about how some attys had reached the CJA maximum so far that year and couldn't take any new cases. These people made $137,500 by the end of September on indigent criminal cases alone. Doesn't sound like such a bad life. I am contemplating doing this because PD offices don't want me.

Unrelated, but I am realizing that I might be the world's worst interviewer. For paid jobs like through OCI, govt honors programs, PD offices, and clerkships, I am able to get interviews (so I'm assuming my stats & work experience are okay), but I can't convert the interviews into offers. I've done mock interviews before and was told I come across confident, outgoing, and that I have good answers for questions. I keep having these really amazing clerkship interviews, and at the end, the judge will say something like, "Wow, so glad you came in. This was a really great conversation. I look forward to receiving a copy of your note" or "Please inform me immediately if you receive another interview offer or job offer. I'm very interested." So then I assume the interview went really well only to receive a rejection letter that was postmarked the day of the interview. I don't know if it's my appearance, my interview style, that other candidates are just way better than me, or what. I wish people were more honest in rejection letters about why I didn't get the position.

I've done CJA work. If you can get it, it pays pretty well, but the feds do not pay on a, uh, timely basis, so be aware of that.

And I'm not sure that means you're a bad interview--I got the same reactions. I've since heard through the grapevine why I lost out on a couple of those jobs where I actually did ace the interview, and in several cases there was absolutely nothing I could have changed to get the job. For example, I was the wrong demographic for at least one job, for another they really liked me personally but I didn't have as much experience as the guy they hired, and for another they were afraid I would be "big-timed" by good ol' boy male attorneys (which, lol, that only happens with older female attorneys). It's a terrible, godawful process and I absolutely sympathize with what you're feeling here.

Sorry to hear that Jess, but I agree with Pretzel. It is probably not your interview style as much as you think considering your positive reviews. A lot of it is totally random and unexplainable. Keep going and you will land something.

[Anonymous User]

Checking in. This sucks.

[thewaterlanding]

Checking in. This sucks.

Right there with you.

[Anonymous User]

To people interested in PD jobs and with trial exp through an internship or clinic - have you considered becoming a solo atty and accepting new cases through CJA? I received an e-mail the other day in my jurisdiction about how some attys had reached the CJA maximum so far that year and couldn't take any new cases. These people made $137,500 by the end of September on indigent criminal cases alone. Doesn't sound like such a bad life. I am contemplating doing this because PD offices don't want me.

Unrelated, but I am realizing that I might be the world's worst interviewer. For paid jobs like through OCI, govt honors programs, PD offices, and clerkships, I am able to get interviews (so I'm assuming my stats & work experience are okay), but I can't convert the interviews into offers. I've done mock interviews before and was told I come across confident, outgoing, and that I have good answers for questions. I keep having these really amazing clerkship interviews, and at the end, the judge will say something like, "Wow, so glad you came in. This was a really great conversation. I look forward to receiving a copy of your note" or "Please inform me immediately if you receive another interview offer or job offer. I'm very interested." So then I assume the interview went really well only to receive a rejection letter that was postmarked the day of the interview. I don't know if it's my appearance, my interview style, that other candidates are just way better than me, or what. I wish people were more honest in rejection letters about why I didn't get the position.

It works both ways. I have had interviews where I'm way more qualified than the other candidates but because they interviewed better (not that I was horrible) they got the job.

[Chuck59]

I think this has been discussed before, but does anyone have insights on how a 3L callback at NALP firms might differ from the 2L experience? Any insights on questions/general tone/CB->Offer ratio/timelines/etc.?