What firms should I be targeting? MVP, top ~35% Forum

[Anonymous User]

NYC, secondary journals

[Anonymous User]

bump

[Person]

Do you want me to cut and paste the V100 or something?

[vanwinkle]

Hopefully not at at V, since OGI bidding there is already done.

[HAMBONE]

search through the threads. There was a poster from MVP with nearly identical grades asking for help on his bid list last week

[Anonymous User]

search through the threads. There was a poster from MVP with nearly identical grades asking for help on his bid list last week

Thanks. I saw the thread earlier. I believe posters said his proposed firm choices were too financially unstable, which is why I started this thread.

[Anonymous User]

bump

[imchuckbass58]

Interested in lit? Corporate? Any specific practice areas?

[Anonymous User]

Interested in lit? Corporate? Any specific practice areas?

Mainly want corporate; open to litigation, but my grades/2L class choices suggest corporate.

[NYAssociate]

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[Anonymous User]

but my grades/2L class choices suggest corporate.

Doesn't matter one lick.

really? soooo i can argue that i want litigation too?

Would it be better to tell firms that I am open to both practices, or better to focus on one?

[Anonymous User]

bump.

also should i bother bidding on foreign offices if I have no real connections there? would it be a waste of time?

(i am, however, fluent in the particular foreign language needed).

[underdawg]

but my grades/2L class choices suggest corporate.

Doesn't matter one lick.

really? soooo i can argue that i want litigation too?

Would it be better to tell firms that I am open to both practices, or better to focus on one?

open to both would be fine imo, as long as you have some not-dumb reasons for liking each one

dumb: "i like to argue. since i was a kid, my parents always said i should be a lawyer bc i like to argue so much. LOL!"

[NYAssociate]

.

[prezidentv8]

Learning about firms is toughhhhhhh

[NYAssociate]

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[prezidentv8]

Learning about firms is toughhhhhhh

It's tedious, but not tough. Create war sheets. For every firm with which you have an interview, create a profile. Each profile should contain office-specific practice area strengths, rainmakers in each area, summer program details, assignment details, "social" details, etc. When you walk into that interview, you should be able to give a brilliant elevator speech on your interests and then connect them with the firm's strengths.

Tedious would be accurate. But it does seem difficult because a lot of these firms sound exactly the same, even after looking at a lot of the official and unofficial literature. I think about 10-20% of the firms or offices I've looked at really seem distinguishable from the pack.

[NYAssociate]

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[prezidentv8]

Been lookin at Chambers. Definitely one of the more helpful tools so far.

[Anonymous User]

Been lookin at Chambers. Definitely one of the more helpful tools so far.

what else are you looking at? also, what should I be taking into account for each firm, in terms of bidding, besides gpa charts for hiring? (not sure if i should look care too much about the other aspects before i figure out which firms i will actually interview with at OCI)

[underdawg]

i think chambers is good too, cause most people are probably just looking at vault if anything. and i'm not sure how many firms take that all too seriously. chambers is based on client surveys and not popularity polls sent to biglaw firms, right?

[prezidentv8]

Been lookin at Chambers. Definitely one of the more helpful tools so far.

what else are you looking at? also, what should I be taking into account for each firm besides gpa charts for hiring?

NALP, firm websites, and a bunch of stuff from Duke, as well as ATL, Vault profiles, and Google. Besides odds at me landing a job, I've been focusing on locations, training programs/opportunities, practice areas, and signs of a firm culture that I think I would fit in well with.

[Anonymous User]

Random tips re: training.

Cleary is trying to improve their training opps. People complained before that it was too sink-or-swim. A partner at a Boies Schiller told me on the other hand that training is BS and that people learn by doing and that CLE exists for shitlawyers. In any case, firms vary on their "training approaches" though Boies is probably an outlier (small-ish lit shop). Pretty sure any huge firm will NOT have the Boies attitude.

I do think that re: that and mentoring, IMO firms play them up but they know that the best learning is by doing and that people who click with people and take initiative are more likely to find mentors...and that you can't force people to want to mentor/mentee each other. It prob won't hurt you to ask about those kinds of things but they are 'softer' q's. Biglawyers to seem to really think that firms have different personalities though for some reason.

[Anonymous User]

Been lookin at Chambers. Definitely one of the more helpful tools so far.

what else are you looking at? also, what should I be taking into account for each firm besides gpa charts for hiring?

NALP, firm websites, and a bunch of stuff from Duke, as well as ATL, Vault profiles, and Google. Besides odds at me landing a job, I've been focusing on locations, training programs/opportunities, practice areas, and signs of a firm culture that I think I would fit in well with.

Thanks for the response. I am having a hard time figuring out firm culture...what signs are you looking for?

[prezidentv8]

Random tips re: training.

Cleary is trying to improve their training opps. People complained before that it was too sink-or-swim. A partner at a Boies Schiller told me on the other hand that training is BS and that people learn by doing and that CLE exists for shitlawyers. In any case, firms vary on their "training approaches" though Boies is probably an outlier (small-ish lit shop). Pretty sure any huge firm will NOT have the Boies attitude.

I do think that re: that and mentoring, IMO firms play them up but they know that the best learning is by doing and that people who click with people and take initiative are more likely to find mentors...and that you can't force people to want to mentor/mentee each other. It prob won't hurt you to ask about those kinds of things but they are 'softer' q's. Biglawyers to seem to really think that firms have different personalities though for some reason.

Yeah I'm a learn by doing type of guy, so anything experiential is kind of A+ stuff for me if I can get it, e.g. "we get associates ready and give them mad responsibility hella faster than other firms" = win.

Been lookin at Chambers. Definitely one of the more helpful tools so far.

what else are you looking at? also, what should I be taking into account for each firm besides gpa charts for hiring?

NALP, firm websites, and a bunch of stuff from Duke, as well as ATL, Vault profiles, and Google. Besides odds at me landing a job, I've been focusing on locations, training programs/opportunities, practice areas, and signs of a firm culture that I think I would fit in well with.

Thanks for the response. I am having a hard time figuring out firm culture...what signs are you looking for?

Could be anything really, maybe just some acknowledgment of a team-oriented environment, or some kind of firm-wide social activities that click with me, or some sort of focus on a casual atmosphere. Anything that makes me think I'll work well there.