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I've heard a lot of people talking about firms worrying about prior work experience before law school this year. Just curious what people's experience with this has been during recruiting.

it helps

In my interviews, I've used my WE as a springboard to market myself (e.g., using office stories to illustrate my work ethic or my ability to get along with others in difficult situations).

I was in a different field of work before law school, so the only questions I've really gotten about that were aimed at figuring out what made me change career paths (the answer is that I wanted some real work experience and a break from school before tackling law school; I'm generally pretty frank about it, and it's been well received so far).

WE is mainly a plus because those without it are all starry-eyed about the working world and unaware how mundane things can be day-in, day out. Those who know before they are hired are less likely to flee, or at least so the reasoning goes.

Anonymous User wrote:In my interviews, I've used my WE as a springboard to market myself (e.g., using office stories to illustrate my work ethic or my ability to get along with others in difficult situations).

I was in a different field of work before law school, so the only questions I've really gotten about that were aimed at figuring out what made me change career paths (the answer is that I wanted some real work experience and a break from school before tackling law school; I'm generally pretty frank about it, and it's been well received so far).

WE is mainly a plus because those without it are all starry-eyed about the working world and unaware how mundane things can be day-in, day out. Those who know before they are hired are less likely to flee, or at least so the reasoning goes.

All of the above is credited. WE both sells you better on your resume and gives you opportunities to sell yourself in the interview.

I had WE in a completely unrelated field to law. It served as an interesting talking point. I had some good stories.

It came up quite frequently in a callback I had. One partner who interviewed me took a dig at the people he sees who had never held a job in their life.

For some reason, it surprises me that a large percentage of the law school population has never had a real job before.

My prior work experience has come up in every single one of my interviews, and seems to be looked upon favorably.

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It seems like most of the people at my school (T30) who did really well during OCI were a few years out of college. I'm not sure if that's because of WE or maturity, but I think it's probably both. I agree with posters above that my own WE helped me tremendously in interviews. Every single interviewer asked about it.

I only know one person who claims that their WE hurt him. He said employers were skeptical about whether he really wanted to practice law, but I think he didn't have a good reason to explain the transition. I know of several people, including myself, who worked in completely different fields than law and were able to do just fine.

dood wrote:im confident it is the sole reason i got jorbs 1l and this year, as i have always had bad grades.

In your other thread you posted like 10 outlines for classes in which you got a "B+ or better." If you're going to post ITT, try to be helpful instead of just making shit up.

Definitely helps, particularly if you worked in the legal industry and can demonstrate experience in a firm environment. I had worked as a BigLaw paralegal for a few years before LS, and every single interviewer asked me about it.

I also worked as a biglaw paralegal for several years before law school. Every interviewer says it's a plus. It gives me a lot to talk about in my interviews, and it gives me a point of comparison and credibility when I have to describe to them what I'm looking for in a firm. But I'm also probably the only one with my credentials (t10%+) STILL waiting on getting a single f*ing offer (I'm not aspie, otherwise I wouldn't have 10+ callbacks). So how much is it really helping other than giving me something to talk about?

I think my lack of work experience has definitely hurt me.

Man, ITE is really screwing me.

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dood wrote:

MrKappus wrote:

dood wrote:im confident it is the sole reason i got jorbs 1l and this year, as i have always had bad grades.

In your other thread you posted like 10 outlines for classes in which you got a "B+ or better." If you're going to post ITT, try to be helpful instead of just making shit up.

u'r a RATARD. B+ or better in those classes, averaged with a B- in a 4 cr class, add in a few Bs and you're median brah. if u'r gonna respond to my post, try to not be a dickcheeseburger and think about what u say.

I think you may be the longest running flame on TLS. Congrats.

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dood wrote:

MrKappus wrote:

dood wrote:im confident it is the sole reason i got jorbs 1l and this year, as i have always had bad grades.

In your other thread you posted like 10 outlines for classes in which you got a "B+ or better." If you're going to post ITT, try to be helpful instead of just making shit up.

u'r a RATARD. B+ or better in those classes, averaged with a B- in a 4 cr class, add in a few Bs and you're median brah. if u'r gonna respond to my post, try to not be a dickcheeseburger and think about what u say.

God you're dumb.