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

[Kronk]

I'm really sorry to hear that shredder and above anon

I have semi-good news. I had a phone screener yesterday (day after grad)! It gave me hope that this whole thing about a lot of people getting jobs during bar study/after the bar is true.

If it makes you feel better, you'll get 3x the interviews you are currently getting once you've taken the bar and are just awaiting results, and 10x the interviews you are currently getting once you've passed.

I imagine this is only true for passing the bar in the state where the job is located? In other words, you would get a lot more application movement for jobs in, say, Chicago after you passed the Illinois bar but passing the Illinois bar wouldn't increase activity for applications in, say, Boston?

No clue. I only wanted to live / work in Colorado.

[Anonymous User]

Interviewed for a federal clerkship just over 3 weeks ago. I haven't heard anything yet one way or the other. When is follow-up appropriate? Do some judges just never let you know, and you're left to eventually assume you didn't get it?

Any thoughts?

[seizmaar]

i would call the JA and ask. i'm clerking now and i've had interviewees call about their status. i think it can only help you to check in tbh. no judge is gonna be like, "oh, anon called to see if we were close to a decision? he's off the list!"

[shredderrrrrr]

I know this is like a job search 101 question, but I'll ask it nonetheless:

What is the best approach to cold-emailing? When emailing an attorney you've never met before, it is preferable to do the whole networking approach ("Would you be willing to meet for coffee") or is it ok to instead be more direct and ask if they are hiring while including a resume (obviously doing so in a tasteful way)? I only ask because I have found the whole "going out to coffee" to be quite ineffective for me (and when I have asked out-right, I have gotten much better results). Also, the networking approach seems pretty unreasonable when applying out of state.

[seizmaar]

[youtube]TmMna1EwZ1E[/youtube]

[Anonymous User]

3L in the midst of finals. Managed to score an interview at my dream firm (think small-mid-sized boutique type firm) thanks in part to the recommendation of a judge I externed for. Interview went well and they called me back to "meet the rest of the partners" the following week, at 4pm on a Friday.

I also talked to one of the partners on the phone right after the first interview and he had positive things to say, told me there were actually two openings and asked which I would be more interested in.

What should I expect out of this? I have no idea if they're treating this as a "callback" style interview or what; the first one was already with 5 of the firm's partners.

I NEED to get this job.

Anonymous because I'm giving out a lot of details in this post.

Same anon here, still waiting to hear back from these folks (interview went well, but they operate on a consensus system so they have to hold a meeting with all the partners to make the final decision). Almost all the partners seemed to love me, but I think one of them may be questionable. I should hear back any day now. Going nuts waiting. This is definitely my last chance at graduating with a job; nothing else even on the horizon at this point.

Same anon, I've talked to the partner again but still no news. They have yet to hold the meeting, apparently. They warned me that this might drag on, but every day increases the doubt and probably reduces the likelihood of getting the position. I've slid from 95% certain to about 50-50 at this point.

Just got the offer! They called shortly after I sent an email mentioning that I have another potential opportunity. Still waiting on salary details but very excited!

[Pleasye]

Yay congrats anon!

[Anonymous User]

Just got the rejection letter for a federal clerkship I interviewed for a few weeks ago. That was my best shot at relocating back home and having a job where I didn't need to be licensed right away. Trying to keep my head up, but I have no family, etc. so once unemployment hits, every day I'm closer to being homeless.

[Anonymous User]

Just got rejected from a prosecution job I was really hoping for. My first-round interview with them was last August, so the whole selection process took almost a year. I'm feeling pretty down. hello, Vale.

[Anonymous User]

Disclaimer - 2L SA here @ T14

Facts - I am at a firm (South) that has a 50% post-grad offer rate for their SAs. My firm does not extend offers until Mid-October.

Question - When should I begin to apply/mass-mail for post-3L jobs in NYC?

[Anonymous User]

any other class of 2014-ers still in here?

i swear, the job search is fucking hopeless.

technically, i'm "employed" in the sense that i have a legal job doing real legal work...except i'm literally getting paid the minimum wage.

[Anonymous User]

Hi - Looking for some advice on what options I have. I am a rising 3L at a t20 GPA roughly 3.2. Interested in litigation. Do I have any chance in Big Law? Even if it is a slim chance, I am looking for ways to get there or at least an interview. If not Big Law, what other options are realistically within my grasp to get there? Even if it is not a direct way there. I did moot court and have both litigation and transactional experience from summers.

Any advice and comments are appreciated.

[kapital98]

any other class of 2014-ers still in here?

i swear, the job search is fucking hopeless.

technically, i'm "employed" in the sense that i have a legal job doing real legal work...except i'm literally getting paid the minimum wage.

I'm class of 2014. I was getting paid $1,000 per month by my law school to work at a public interest organization. Over the course of 9 months I used every dollar they gave me and accrued a ton of credit card debt. The silver lining: A week before I was going to move back in with my parents (90 miles away in the country) I got an offer! I just started my job last week. It's going to take a long time to pay off that credit card debt but things are starting to come together.

Key point: Hang in there I never planned on working where I'm at and only took the interview on a lark. I was right on the verge of giving up and then everything changed. It's never too late.

What are you looking for? Are there any decent doc review assignments in your area? In the area I was working people were getting paid $23/hour for doc review. There were virtually no benefits and no guarantee of future work but it was a way for some of my friends to get by.

[NorCalLaw]

any other class of 2014-ers still in here?

i swear, the job search is fucking hopeless.

technically, i'm "employed" in the sense that i have a legal job doing real legal work...except i'm literally getting paid the minimum wage.

I think you have a leg up on the people with job gaps/unpaid internships, at least. You are accruing valuable experience (or at least, a valuable line on your resume). Stay afloat, keep applying everywhere, and don't be ashamed to use food stamps or whatever other services are available, you deserve them!

[Anonymous User]

any other class of 2014-ers still in here?

i swear, the job search is fucking hopeless.

technically, i'm "employed" in the sense that i have a legal job doing real legal work...except i'm literally getting paid the minimum wage.

I'm class of 2014. I was getting paid $1,000 per month by my law school to work at a public interest organization. Over the course of 9 months I used every dollar they gave me and accrued a ton of credit card debt. The silver lining: A week before I was going to move back in with my parents (90 miles away in the country) I got an offer! I just started my job last week. It's going to take a long time to pay off that credit card debt but things are starting to come together.

Key point: Hang in there I never planned on working where I'm at and only took the interview on a lark. I was right on the verge of giving up and then everything changed. It's never too late.

What are you looking for? Are there any decent doc review assignments in your area? In the area I was working people were getting paid $23/hour for doc review. There were virtually no benefits and no guarantee of future work but it was a way for some of my friends to get by.

That's awesome news. Congrats on getting an offer.

I don't want to do doc review because the experience I'm getting at this current firm is actually pretty good. I get to do substantive work, everything from drafting motions to propounding discovery to depo prep. I was told I could even defend or take a deposition within another month or so if I stick around longer. So the experience is decent enough that it makes the extremely low pay kind of worth it.

It's just been pretty depressing because it's been hard to get by financially, and I'm tired of working at this firm fully knowing it isn't any kind of long term solution. Ah well. I'm just keeping my head down and applying to any full time job that pays better.

[Anonymous User]

any other class of 2014-ers still in here?

i swear, the job search is fucking hopeless.

technically, i'm "employed" in the sense that i have a legal job doing real legal work...except i'm literally getting paid the minimum wage.

I think you have a leg up on the people with job gaps/unpaid internships, at least. You are accruing valuable experience (or at least, a valuable line on your resume). Stay afloat, keep applying everywhere, and don't be ashamed to use food stamps or whatever other services are available, you deserve them!

Thanks for the advice.

Yeah, well I had a gap for a few months after passing the bar, but this job is a good resume filler. And I am learning a lot on the job, so it isn't just a line on my resume.

I guess I just need to keep grinding. Hopefully it turns out OK in the end.

[Anonymous User]

I'm in the process of applying for fellowship sponsors. Once I lock down a sponsor, should I disclose that I expect a delay in getting barred due to C&F? (disciplined in law school for bipolar disorder)

This doesn't make much sense as written. What did you actually do/get accused of doing? Just being bipolar doesn't get you disciplined.

I was disciplined after suffering a manic episode, long story short.

Anyway, I realllllly want my summer employer to be my fellowship sponsor. When in the summer should I have a conversation about this with my supervisor? Does 5 weeks in make sense? And would it be dishonest not to divulge that I expect a delay in getting barred due to mental illness disclosures for C&F?

[Anonymous User]

is this honeysuckle again

Believe it or not, there is more than one lawyer/law student in the world that is afflicted with mental illness.

[Anonymous User]

Greenberg Traurig (NY) Corporate is hiring 3Ls/recent grads for fall start date

[Anonymous User]

Greenberg Traurig (NY) Corporate is hiring 3Ls/recent grads for fall start date

Thanks, but this doesn't appear on the GT website.

[BlueLotus]

Finally got an interview!!!







...at Petsmart.

[swimmer11]

Greenberg Traurig (NY) Corporate is hiring 3Ls/recent grads for fall start date

Do you have any contact info for this? I did not see anything posted on their website.

[shredderrrrrr]

If my law school's graduation program listed honors using "honors," "high honors, and "highest honors," is that what I should use on my resume and applications? Or is it permissible to interchange them with the correlating "cum laude," "magna cum laude," or "suma cum laude"? While both clearly convey the same message, the latter feels more formal and prestigious for a resume.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I think you should use what your school uses - that's what will show up on a transcript or the like. I don't think anyone's going to care that it's not in Latin.

[shredderrrrrr]

I think you should use what your school uses - that's what will show up on a transcript or the like. I don't think anyone's going to care that it's not in Latin.

When you phrase it like that, I suppose it does seem a pretty silly thing to dwell on. Just trying to make this damn resume look better than what it actually is.