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[merichard87]

6) Profit.


Sorry I have no answers to your questions.

[General Tso]

"networking emails" is too passive..i sent a number of emails to local grads of my UG, and got no responses. i suggest you call them up or try to talk to them on linkedin or something.

[Sauer Grapes]

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[hithere]

Maybe apply to an LLM at Gtown? Then you could go to school together and use the same career services. Either that, or temp agency.

[Anonymous User]

Working in DC right now.

The job market here is unfathomably bad. Or, to be more precise, unfathomably picky. To quote a partner "I'm not sure there is any paid work for 1Ls in DC this summer." It proved to be false, but only barely.

A lot of the people I know who got gigs have stratospheric grades, stratospheric connections, and are from stratospheric schools.

The federal government is not a fall back. It is at least as snobby if not more about pedigree.

I know several unemployed but successful T10 grads in the area trying (and failing) to obtain paid employment.

I'm not trying to pick a fight or make you have a bad day, but the reality of the situation is worth pointing out. It's really, really bad here - for people with good grades from good schools who are 'in the pipeline' as rising 2Ls it's STILL really bad. I can't imagine having good but not strtospheric grades from a TTT outside of the region as a rising 3L. Something might shake out, but the numbers just have to be telling.

Fact: The one firm I am familiar with took on less than five SAs. They received hundreds of applications from 1Ls and 2Ls, and hundreds more from 3Ls or graduates looking for full time work instead of summer work.

For suggestions, if you are going to try the search in the area, I'd do the following:

1) Spend no time cold-applying to large law firms. They hire through summer classes, and they hire those often with better grades from better schools with more ties to the area.

2) As an exception to 1, hammer any contact you have at all with a firm, but don't expect much. The market is too tight for network hiring to be very feasible.

3) I don't see this discussed on this website very much, but I think realistically the fallback is NOT a firm (big, small, medium, whatever) or the government (federal, state or local) so much as it is contract attorney work, doc review, etc. Those kinds of positions are slammed too, but credentials look to match better.

Feel free to spam, feel free to 'network', etc. and try to make fed gov or respectable firm happen - but the odds of it clicking in D.C. (easily the most grade / pedigree obsessed legal market) are close enough to 0 that I personally don't recommend trying.

[Sauer Grapes]

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[hi_im_josh]

How TTT are we talking here? Penn StaTTTe?

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[hi_im_josh]

DC is going to be a tough place to get a job in---just ask any American or Mason grad. The fact that you're coming from a non-prestigious school just makes it that much tougher. Probably you are going to wind up temping (biglaw is out, the feds are going to want substantive experience/prestigious school-especially DOJ). What about trying to get a clerkship (probably out, though, since no journal experience)? Worst comes to worst, apply to an LLM or maybe an MPA program at Gtown to build up your network/alumni contacts in the area.

[DavidYurman85]

does she have prior work experience? she might have a better chance at securing a government job that's not legal. the right combination of work experience, plus her law degree could put her at a decent pay grade - it might not be the most desirable position...but it'll be something.

[Anonymous User]

It's probably not going to happen. DC is the most competitive market, in all areas. Fed gov is extremely prestige whorish and competitive now. I know people from T10s, finishing up federal clerkships, who were rejected from fed gov work in DC. Also, paying for a LLM is a terrible idea right now. Nobody hires LLMs, unless she does the tax LLM. And even then, Big 4s and firms look at your JD school.

[APimpNamedSlickback]

x

[A'nold]

I was also going to say LLM. Apply to the tax LLM program, even if she doesn't have tons of interest in it. She can probably snag a decent job in the area out of that program if she does well, then she can do whatever after a few years.

[shadow.]

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[Danteshek]

To quote a partner "I'm not sure there is any paid work for 1Ls in DC this summer." It proved to be false, but only barely.

A lot of the people I know who got gigs have stratospheric grades, stratospheric connections, and are from stratospheric schools.

The federal government is not a fall back. It is at least as snobby if not more about pedigree.

I attend Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles (rising 2L). I'm working for the Securities and Exchange Commission in DC this summer. It's paid.

[thesealocust]

edit: n/m

[hi_im_josh]

To quote a partner "I'm not sure there is any paid work for 1Ls in DC this summer." It proved to be false, but only barely.

A lot of the people I know who got gigs have stratospheric grades, stratospheric connections, and are from stratospheric schools.

The federal government is not a fall back. It is at least as snobby if not more about pedigree.

I attend Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles (rising 2L). I'm working for the Securities and Exchange Commission in DC this summer. It's paid.

You have to have something more in your background than just law school if you got SEC out of that school. Are you coming from a finance background with relevant work experience? You have to be--I just don't see them hiring some kid from a TTT with zero work experience in a finance/finance related field.

[Anonymous User]

It's probably not going to happen. DC is the most competitive market, in all areas. Fed gov is extremely prestige whorish and competitive now. I know people from T10s, finishing up federal clerkships, who were rejected from fed gov work in DC. Also, paying for a LLM is a terrible idea right now. Nobody hires LLMs, unless she does the tax LLM. And even then, Big 4s and firms look at your JD school.

Okay, what would you suggest then? /self?

I understand how competitive DC is, but this answer really frustrates me. First off, you're anonymous, yet you are not fulfilling the reasons for such a posting. Secondly, you have absolutely no substantive recommendations, beyond saying that it is impossible to find a DC job. What are your suggestions? That my fiancee (and future wife) forget about living with me? That I drop out of law school? I just don't get it.

Well, I would definitely suggest NOT getting the LLM, since nobody hires LLMs.

How about having a long distance relationship until you graduate? Unless she wants to put her career on hold for the foreseeable future, it might be the only way. It's probably a lot easier for you to work where she is after law school, or have her lateral to another small litigation firm where you end up, after she gets work experience. Or maybe she can work in a completely different field if you really want to be together during law school.

[A'nold]

To quote a partner "I'm not sure there is any paid work for 1Ls in DC this summer." It proved to be false, but only barely.

A lot of the people I know who got gigs have stratospheric grades, stratospheric connections, and are from stratospheric schools.

The federal government is not a fall back. It is at least as snobby if not more about pedigree.

I attend Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles (rising 2L). I'm working for the Securities and Exchange Commission in DC this summer. It's paid.

And this is the moment I quit TLS forever.

Don't do it man!!!!!!!!!!!

[hi_im_josh]

It's probably not going to happen. DC is the most competitive market, in all areas. Fed gov is extremely prestige whorish and competitive now. I know people from T10s, finishing up federal clerkships, who were rejected from fed gov work in DC. Also, paying for a LLM is a terrible idea right now. Nobody hires LLMs, unless she does the tax LLM. And even then, Big 4s and firms look at your JD school.

Okay, what would you suggest then? /self?

I understand how competitive DC is, but this answer really frustrates me. First off, you're anonymous, yet you are not fulfilling the reasons for such a posting. Secondly, you have absolutely no substantive recommendations, beyond saying that it is impossible to find a DC job. What are your suggestions? That my fiancee (and future wife) forget about living with me? That I drop out of law school? I just don't get it.

Well, I would definitely suggest NOT getting the LLM, since nobody hires LLMs.

How about having a long distance relationship until you graduate? Unless she wants to put her career on hold for the foreseeable future, it might be the only way. Or maybe she can work in a completely different field if you really want to be together.

That is simply not true, at least not with the Gtown tax LLM. Feds and biglaw hire LLMs from Gtown. I can't speak for other LLMs, but if you do the tax one, you should be good for a job in DC.

[Anonymous User]

That is simply not true, at least not with the Gtown tax LLM. Feds and biglaw hire LLMs from Gtown. I can't speak for other LLMs, but if you do the tax one, you should be good for a job in DC.

Right...you sound overly optimistic. Firms care about where you got your JD. A tax LLM doesn't make up for a mediocre JD. But, a lot of tax LLMs work for the Big Four rather than law firms. I'm not sure how the Big Four view your JD school though, or if the Big Four are even hiring that much.

[Danteshek]

To quote a partner "I'm not sure there is any paid work for 1Ls in DC this summer." It proved to be false, but only barely.

A lot of the people I know who got gigs have stratospheric grades, stratospheric connections, and are from stratospheric schools.

The federal government is not a fall back. It is at least as snobby if not more about pedigree.

I attend Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles (rising 2L). I'm working for the Securities and Exchange Commission in DC this summer. It's paid.

You have to have something more in your background than just law school if you got SEC out of that school. Are you coming from a finance background with relevant work experience? You have to be--I just don't see them hiring some kid from a TTT with zero work experience in a finance/finance related field.

Well just about everybody has relevant work experience, even the people from top schools. One woman from USD has 15 years at Lehman structuring CDOs. I had 3 years in asset management (client service for institutional bond portfolios). I passed the CFA Level 2 exam a few years ago.

There are actually very few interns from the top schools. I believe Brooklyn leads the pack with 4 or 5, followed by the DC schools (mostly American, GW and Georgetown). There are only two kids from Harvard, one kid from Yale, and none from the rest of the top 10. There are about 50 interns in DC.

I forgot to mention: one of my classmates at Southwestern has a paid job with the Army JAG Corp in DC. They are sending him to Guantanamo Bay this month. He's already argued a case in US District Court this summer.

Also, TTTs like Southwestern tend to have more older folks (like me) with work experience.

[nn223]

No job at graduation=temping or staying in school for an LLM