I have been overlooked by several Midwest law firms despite having top 15% grades; I'm not even getting to the interview stage. Several people who applied to the same firms had worse grades than I have. I am thinking it's because of my less than stellar resume, but also perhaps my writing sample or cover letter are factors.
My question is what does it take to get an interview at a secondary law market firm? Should I focus on involvement to create a better resume? Are grades only a small factor?
Getting an Interview from a Firm Forum
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Re: Getting an Interview from a Firm
Its not just you. I'm applying to a bunch of small and midsize firms in secondary markets including my home market. I've made sure to let them know how connected I am to my home market and how much I want to return there after school. My grades left me at top 10% and all I've gotten is "were all set for next summer", "we don't hire 1L students", and a whole bunch of no responses. My guess is that OCI won't be quite so random and our grades will actually be worth something there.non sequitur wrote:I have been overlooked by several Midwest law firms despite having top 15% grades; I'm not even getting to the interview stage. Several people who applied to the same firms had worse grades than I have. I am thinking it's because of my less than stellar resume, but also perhaps my writing sample or cover letter are factors.
My question is what does it take to get an interview at a secondary law market firm? Should I focus on involvement to create a better resume? Are grades only a small factor?