Columbia EIP 2014 Forum

[Anonymous User]

If you have a pre-EIP callback, do offers go out before EIP, or do firms generally wait and review your fate with the rest of the post-EIP callbacks?

Anecdotal, but cb Friday--offer today.

Same. My turnaround times (not including weekends) have been 2 or 3 days. Most firms hire on a rollin basis for pre-eip stuff. The recruiter should give you a rough timeline in the exit interview though.

Non-Pre-EIP-mass-mailer here. Is the reason/motivation for mass mailing just to have an offer in hand before EIP? I think others have asked this before but the number of people who are doing this is making me nervous. Are you guys mainly doing secondary markets or even the V5/V10 in NYC?

Mass mailing increases your chances of getting a 2L SA. Even people who don't get offers before EIP get good interview practice. I had zero mass mailing success before picking up a secondary market CB today--even if it's the only CB I get before EIP, it was worth it.

-psyduck

[Anonymous User]

What's been everyone's turnaround time on getting screeners from mass mailing? I mailed around 50 places and haven't heard a peep yet.

--Amory Blaine

[Anonymous User]

What's been everyone's turnaround time on getting screeners from mass mailing? I mailed around 50 places and haven't heard a peep yet.

--Amory Blaine

Mailed: A month ago
Screeners: 2 or 3 weeks ago depending on firm
CBs: Last week
Offer: Today

Top firms in secondary market

[jbagelboy]

are you guys emailing firms that you already bid on, or just other firms in the market?

[Anonymous User]

are you guys emailing firms that you already bid on, or just other firms in the market?

Half and half. I was lucky enough to get to schedule a couple callbacks before bid lists were due, but I sent a small number of apps to firms I bid on. I heard back from one of the latter and they offered a preemptive CB.

A surprising number of firms I did email despite having bid on offered to guarantee a screener, if I didn't successfully pick them up in the bidding process. Worth it! Most of my contacts weren't completely blind emails though, but to people I'd met, if that makes a difference.

** Adding that I'm a different guy than the one a couple posts above. I don't know what his experience was beyond that post.

[Anonymous User]

are you guys emailing firms that you already bid on, or just other firms in the market?

I'm only emailing my top 2-3 choices in each market.

edit: To actually answer the question, yes. I mailed firms which I'd already bid and was sure I was going to get an interview.

[Anonymous User]

are you guys emailing firms that you already bid on, or just other firms in the market?

Also interested if people are emailing firms that they bid on or who are attending EIP. Should we wait until resume drop? Is it inappropriate to send cover letter, resume and transcript before EIP?

[txdude45]

Because what we really needed was a third email address. "WiFi that doesn't go missing in classrooms? Nah. Our efforts are better focused on adding another email alias no one will use."

[Anonymous User]

.

[Anonymous User]

are you guys emailing firms that you already bid on, or just other firms in the market?

Also interested if people are emailing firms that they bid on or who are attending EIP. Should we wait until resume drop? Is it inappropriate to send cover letter, resume and transcript before EIP?

Hitting up firms earlier shows a lot of interest. Interviewers during my CBs actively said they were happy I contacted them earlier. If you could get offers earlier rather than later, why wouldn't you?

[Anonymous User]

are you guys emailing firms that you already bid on, or just other firms in the market?

Also interested if people are emailing firms that they bid on or who are attending EIP. Should we wait until resume drop? Is it inappropriate to send cover letter, resume and transcript before EIP?

Hitting up firms earlier shows a lot of interest. Interviewers during my CBs actively said they were happy I contacted them earlier. If you could get offers earlier rather than later, why wouldn't you?

That's a great point! Would you reach out to firms you have planned interviews with? Or is that a matter of risk tolerance?

[Anonymous User]

are you guys emailing firms that you already bid on, or just other firms in the market?

Also interested if people are emailing firms that they bid on or who are attending EIP. Should we wait until resume drop? Is it inappropriate to send cover letter, resume and transcript before EIP?

Hitting up firms earlier shows a lot of interest. Interviewers during my CBs actively said they were happy I contacted them earlier. If you could get offers earlier rather than later, why wouldn't you?

That's a great point! Would you reach out to firms you have planned interviews with? Or is that a matter of risk tolerance?

I personally hit up my top 4 firms (secondary market), all of which were on my bid list.

[Anonymous User]

So I've been talking with a partner at one of my top choice firms who a few weeks ago said he would forward my info to recruiting and recommend a call back. I haven't heard anything since then. Should I reach out to the partner again and/or just mass mail my info to recruiting? Would it seem desperate or too forward to try and (subtlely) ask for an early call back with them? Maybe I should just wait for EIP.

I've had early call backs with their peer firms, so I don't think they're trying to give me the slip. (I hope!)

[ph5354a]

take a shot every time a friend or relative asks you what kind of law X firm does.

"Like family law? Or tax law? Or estates?"

[Anonymous User]

take a shot every time a friend or relative asks you what kind of law X firm does.

"Like family law? Or tax law? Or estates?"

The question I keep getting from non-law school friends is whether I could ever represent someone that I knew was guilty. I don't even want to litigate, though the answer to that question's pretty easy.

Sometimes people have a hard time conceiving that non-criminal trial lawyers exist.

[Anonymous User]

Transfer student here! I have no idea what I am doing but could someone give me some critiques! All NY firms - leaning toward corporate so that's why no Gibson or Boies. Firms that I like (for no well-founded reason) are in bold.

This is just a first draft and I have never done this before so if you could tear it up and give advice I'd appreciate it.

1. K&E
2. Shearman
3. Skadden
4. Paul Hastings
5. Debevoise
6. Wilmerhale
7. White & Case
8. WEil
9. Jones Day
10. Clifford Chance
11. Latham
12. Milbank
13. S&C
14. MoFo
15. Cleary
16. Cahill
17. Freshfields
18. Covington
19. Davis Polk
20. Paul Weiss
21. Ropes & GRay
22. Caldwalader
23. Cravath
24. Simpson
25. Fried Frank
26. Akin
27. Arnold Porter
28. Allen Overy
29. Linklaters
30. Wilkie

[Anonymous User]

Transfer student here! I have no idea what I am doing but could someone give me some critiques! All NY firms - leaning toward corporate so that's why no Gibson or Boies. Firms that I like (for no well-founded reason) are in bold.

This is just a first draft and I have never done this before so if you could tear it up and give advice I'd appreciate it.

1. K&E
2. Shearman
3. Skadden
4. Paul Hastings
5. Debevoise
6. Wilmerhale
7. White & Case
8. WEil
9. Jones Day
10. Clifford Chance
11. Latham
12. Milbank
13. S&C
14. MoFo
15. Cleary
16. Cahill
17. Freshfields
18. Covington
19. Davis Polk
20. Paul Weiss
21. Ropes & GRay
22. Caldwalader
23. Cravath
24. Simpson
25. Fried Frank
26. Akin
27. Arnold Porter
28. Allen Overy
29. Linklaters
30. Wilkie

Without knowing anything about what firms are receptive to transfers, here's some feedback.

You're not getting Linklaters or Willkie there. Both went fairly high last year, Willkie at 17 if I remember, and Willkie's fairly popular since it takes a lot of Columbia students. Paul Weiss, Ropes & Gray, and Davis Polk also aren't happening. Latham and Milbank are close calls.

You should get all of your first 8, and I only say first 8 instead of 10 because I didn't bid on Jones Day and didn't bother looking into it.

[toothbrush]

Without knowing anything about what firms are receptive to transfers, here's some feedback.

You're not getting Linklaters or Willkie there. Both went fairly high last year, Willkie at 17 if I remember, and Willkie's fairly popular since it takes a lot of Columbia students. Paul Weiss, Ropes & Gray, and Davis Polk also aren't happening. Latham and Milbank are close calls.

You should get all of your first 8, and I only say first 8 instead of 10 because I didn't bid on Jones Day and didn't bother looking into it.

OP here! Thank you!

Would it be too aggressive if I dropped firms like freshfields, jones day, hastings, clifford chance - to bump up DPW/PW/Latham?

[Anonymous User]

OP here! Thank you!

Would it be too aggressive if I dropped firms like freshfields, jones day, hastings, clifford chance - to bump up DPW/PW/Latham?

The thing with Davis Polk's that despite the First Failed Bid sheet you should have, they have 40 less interview spots scheduled for EIP compared to last year. I don't know how much that's going to affect where you'd need to bid it, but make of that what you will.

Latham may happen, it's just close, and there are other common firms students want in their top 10 (Sidley, Shearman, Debevoise, Skadden, Proskauer, etc.). Paul Weiss is tricky because it's a very well-liked firm, for good reason, and I'd be incredibly surprised if it went beneath last year's first failed bid... it might track a little bit higher. This is the first year we have that sheet, so it's hard to predict how much having it will skew students' bidding strategies, too.

[Anonymous User]

Without knowing anything about what firms are receptive to transfers, here's some feedback.

You're not getting Linklaters or Willkie there. Both went fairly high last year, Willkie at 17 if I remember, and Willkie's fairly popular since it takes a lot of Columbia students. Paul Weiss, Ropes & Gray, and Davis Polk also aren't happening. Latham and Milbank are close calls.

You should get all of your first 8, and I only say first 8 instead of 10 because I didn't bid on Jones Day and didn't bother looking into it.

OP here! Thank you!

Would it be too aggressive if I dropped firms like freshfields, jones day, hastings, clifford chance - to bump up DPW/PW/Latham?

Not original anon, but I wouldn't drop all of those firms because the three you mentioned are fairly grade selective (again, knowing nothing about your grades or how those firms treat transfers), so I would try to bump those up while keeping a couple of jones day/hastings/CC, etc. Also there are a fair amount of firms who either didn't fill up or had a FFB at 28/29/30 that I would slot into your 25-30 slots, because you'll probably miss a lot of those as is.

I tried to give myself a cushion of 2-3 spots above last year's FFB, higher if it was a firm I loved, lower if it was one I didn't care as much about.

[toothbrush]

Great advice, I will adjust everything accordingly. Also, I didn't realize this is the first year this sheet was out - it'll be interesting to see what happens with this data. Finally, DPW dropping 40 slots .. interesting.

I didn't accidentally out myself, my first post wasn't meant to be anon

thanks all

[ph5354a]

Great advice, I will adjust everything accordingly. Also, I didn't realize this is the first year this sheet was out - it'll be interesting to see what happens with this data. Finally, DPW dropping 40 slots .. interesting.

I didn't accidentally out myself, my first post wasn't meant to be anon

thanks all

It's the first year it's out, but I've also heard that in years past OCS was pretty liberal with that data when meeting with students, so who knows. I think it might lead to things being pretty consistent, but each class is different.

For example, I think our class enjoyed PW's reception at Boulud Sud a little ....harder...than in past years.

[toothbrush]

It's the first year it's out, but I've also heard that in years past OCS was pretty liberal with that data when meeting with students, so who knows. I think it might lead to things being pretty consistent, but each class is different.

For example, I think our class enjoyed PW's reception at Boulud Sud a little ....harder...than in past years.

our's was at the basement of stella's and that got trashy, too - PW outed as lushes?

fwiw yours was certainly nicer

[Anonymous User]

any ideas why DWP dropped so many interview slots?...

[Anonymous User]

any ideas why DWP dropped so many interview slots?...

I'd just be guessing, but they know they'll still have qualified students to vet because they're desirable enough as a firm. They also give a crapload of callbacks, around 100 last year, if I remember, so they can still screen students pretty thoroughly. I don't think this will affect how many Columbia students they end up actually offering.