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I'm definitely bidding on NYC. Would you guys bid on CA if you had connections simply because it's safer or bid on Chicago if you prefer to work there?

What connections do you have in CA? Is your law school in CA, or did you grow up/have family there, or do you actually have personal connections with people that have the pull to get you hired?

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When do we start looking at what firms to bid on?

A'nold wrote:When do we start looking at what firms to bid on?

Now? With a semester of grades you should be able to ballpark it, and you won't have much time between full year grades and bids being due.

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BradyToMoss wrote:What connections do you have in CA? Is your law school in CA, or did you grow up/have family there, or do you actually have personal connections with people that have the pull to get you hired?

Born there, lived there until midway through elementary school. Lived for a decade or so elsewhere. Returned to the state for undergrad and still have a CA driver's license. (One of my parents has lived in the state continuously for the past ~40 years or so.) No hiring connections unfortunately.

I have no real connections to the Midwest, except for my law school and a few aunts/uncles.

TTT-LS wrote:The 2Ls might have a different perspective, since their oci was so different, but at mine (august 2008), it was important to pick one market and stick with it. So you will prob need to choose ahead of time.

I've been hearing advice about bidding on 2 markets (max 2) and it seems a lot of the 2Ls at my school did this. (One of my friends bid on 3 markets - NYC, Chicago, and LA, and only landed NYC callbacks.) Would it be alright if I split my bids 70-30 (70 NYC, 30 elsewhere)? Or is it better to just stick with one?

I know that for NYC you supposedly don't need connections, but I have ZERO connections with NYC/East Coast. Does this matter?

Maybe it's different for IP, but I bid on 5 markets and had multiple callback offers in each (and know a few others who had similar results). I was looking more at the practice than any specific geographic area. I was open about it and no one seemed to hold it against me.

LawSchoolWannaBe wrote:Maybe it's different for IP, but I bid on 5 markets and had multiple callback offers in each (and know a few others who had similar results). I was looking more at the practice than any specific geographic area. I was open about it and no one seemed to hold it against me.

I'm pretty sure IP 2Ls could randomly throw darts on a map and land jobs in any of the locales. We're talking about the dumb, non-engineers, so bear with me ;p

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Anonymous User wrote:

BradyToMoss wrote:What connections do you have in CA? Is your law school in CA, or did you grow up/have family there, or do you actually have personal connections with people that have the pull to get you hired?

Born there, lived there until midway through elementary school. Lived for a decade or so elsewhere. Returned to the state for undergrad and still have a CA driver's license. (One of my parents has lived in the state continuously for the past ~40 years or so.) No hiring connections unfortunately.

I have no real connections to the Midwest, except for my law school and a few aunts/uncles.

TTT-LS wrote:The 2Ls might have a different perspective, since their oci was so different, but at mine (august 2008), it was important to pick one market and stick with it. So you will prob need to choose ahead of time.

I've been hearing advice about bidding on 2 markets (max 2) and it seems a lot of the 2Ls at my school did this. (One of my friends bid on 3 markets - NYC, Chicago, and LA, and only landed NYC callbacks.) Would it be alright if I split my bids 70-30 (70 NYC, 30 elsewhere)? Or is it better to just stick with one?

I know that for NYC you supposedly don't need connections, but I have ZERO connections with NYC/East Coast. Does this matter?

For NYC it probably doesn't because NYC people think that everyone want to live in NYC and be like them. For Chicago and LA ties matter a lot (but you already have ties to LA it sounds like). I interviewed in all 3 markets and the NYC firms were the only ones that didn't ask me about ties at all.

Connections may not matter as much in NYC, but it's still vitally important to get across to your interviewer that this is the city you want to work in (whether or not that may actually be the case). It doesn't have to be an over-the-top explanation as to why, but make sure the interviewer is left with the impression that you want to be in that city above all other markets.

[For OP]: As far as your bids, I think it has to depend on your school and where you stand in your class. If you're at Northwestern/Chicago, then California could be worth some bids with your connections (but I think you'd have a better chance at firms in Chicago if you're at one of those two schools). If it's a school lower than that, I think you'll have a difficult time cracking the CA market even with your connections, and those bids may be better used in NYC/Chi. Either way, it seems to me that focusing on NY and Chicago would give you a better chance at landing offer(s), and you seem to prefer those markets anyway. A little information on your school/rank could lead to better advise, and there are a whole bunch of posters familiar with the Chicago market that could perhaps help you some more.

Have a legit question about this to ask, but would appreciate a pm from someone knowledgeable about this.

YourCaptain wrote:Have a legit question about this to ask, but would appreciate a pm from someone knowledgeable about this.

That was an epic bump.

shoeshine wrote:

YourCaptain wrote:Have a legit question about this to ask, but would appreciate a pm from someone knowledgeable about this.

That was an epic bump.

I do what I can