Top Law Schools

Hey guys,

I was accepted to a top NYC firm last OCI based partly on my good grades. However, last semester I didn't do nearly as well, and I'm not sure how well I'll be doing this semester either. I haven't yet received a request from the firm for my transcript, but was wondering what the protocol is. Will the firm ask for my transcript when I go work for them in May? My grades last semester were pretty bad so I'm hoping they wait until this semester grades are out.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Same boat, except the firm asked for my updated transcript. Transfer student who was top 5% at my old school, now (ever so slightly) below median at a CCN. I had a hard semester of looking for a job, getting transitioned to my new environment, taking a combination of courses which turned out to be very hard, having problems with motivation, and finding out that the competition is genuinely more difficult and I need to readjust my strategy.

I hope I'm not fucked. Should I affirmatively address the issue by sending a letter to the firm detailing some of what I mentioned in the prior paragraph?

Only a tiny handful of firms are about anything other than you passing. Don't stress about it. They use 1L grades when they have no other information about your abilities to make hiring decisions. During and after the summer, it's going to about the work you do and way you interact with people at the firm.

I know several firms that don't even ask for transcripts. The ones that do most likely are doing CYA to ensure they don't hire anybody who decides to drop out and save the tuition dollars.

Anonymous User wrote:

I hope I'm not fucked. Should I affirmatively address the issue by sending a letter to the firm detailing some of what I mentioned in the prior paragraph?

Do not do this. The only thing worse than getting bad grades is drawing more attention to your bad grades with tired excuses. Your grades are what they are. If someone wants them, provide them, but don't draw any more attention to them than you need to. If someone ever asks about them (they won't, but if) just say you aren't very pleased, you had a rough adjustment to your new school, and you hope to do better.

Anonymous User wrote:Same boat, except the firm asked for my updated transcript. Transfer student who was top 5% at my old school, now (ever so slightly) below median at a CCN. I had a hard semester of looking for a job, getting transitioned to my new environment, taking a combination of courses which turned out to be very hard, having problems with motivation, and finding out that the competition is genuinely more difficult and I need to readjust my strategy.

I hope I'm not fucked. Should I affirmatively address the issue by sending a letter to the firm detailing some of what I mentioned in the prior paragraph?

All you can do now is get a 4.0 this semester and not call their attention to last semester.

Anonymous User wrote:Same boat, except the firm asked for my updated transcript. Transfer student who was top 5% at my old school, now (ever so slightly) below median at a CCN. I had a hard semester of looking for a job, getting transitioned to my new environment, taking a combination of courses which turned out to be very hard, having problems with motivation, and finding out that the competition is genuinely more difficult and I need to readjust my strategy.

I hope I'm not fucked. Should I affirmatively address the issue by sending a letter to the firm detailing some of what I mentioned in the prior paragraph?

Did you have to mail your transcript to them or get the Registrar to do it?

Kohinoor wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Same boat, except the firm asked for my updated transcript. Transfer student who was top 5% at my old school, now (ever so slightly) below median at a CCN. I had a hard semester of looking for a job, getting transitioned to my new environment, taking a combination of courses which turned out to be very hard, having problems with motivation, and finding out that the competition is genuinely more difficult and I need to readjust my strategy.

I hope I'm not fucked. Should I affirmatively address the issue by sending a letter to the firm detailing some of what I mentioned in the prior paragraph?

All you can do now is get a 4.0 this semester and not call their attention to last semester.

To be honest I don't even remember how to do it anymore.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Same boat, except the firm asked for my updated transcript. Transfer student who was top 5% at my old school, now (ever so slightly) below median at a CCN. I had a hard semester of looking for a job, getting transitioned to my new environment, taking a combination of courses which turned out to be very hard, having problems with motivation, and finding out that the competition is genuinely more difficult and I need to readjust my strategy.

I hope I'm not fucked. Should I affirmatively address the issue by sending a letter to the firm detailing some of what I mentioned in the prior paragraph?

Did you have to mail your transcript to them or get the Registrar to do it?

I mailed an unofficial.

"Top NYC firm" (I'm assuming V10 or similar) = they probably won't ask, and even if they do, you're still fine.

Anonymous User wrote:

Kohinoor wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Same boat, except the firm asked for my updated transcript. Transfer student who was top 5% at my old school, now (ever so slightly) below median at a CCN. I had a hard semester of looking for a job, getting transitioned to my new environment, taking a combination of courses which turned out to be very hard, having problems with motivation, and finding out that the competition is genuinely more difficult and I need to readjust my strategy.

I hope I'm not fucked. Should I affirmatively address the issue by sending a letter to the firm detailing some of what I mentioned in the prior paragraph?

All you can do now is get a 4.0 this semester and not call their attention to last semester.

To be honest I don't even remember how to do it anymore.

Looks like you're fucked then brofessor.

RVP11 wrote:"Top NYC firm" (I'm assuming V10 or similar) = they probably won't ask, and even if they do, you're still fine.

We have to bring updated transcripts on the first day of our summer program. Not sure how much influence it will have though, if at all.

imchuckbass58 wrote:

RVP11 wrote:"Top NYC firm" (I'm assuming V10 or similar) = they probably won't ask, and even if they do, you're still fine.

We have to bring updated transcripts on the first day of our summer program. Not sure how much influence it will have though, if at all.

V10?

Anonymous User wrote:

imchuckbass58 wrote:

RVP11 wrote:"Top NYC firm" (I'm assuming V10 or similar) = they probably won't ask, and even if they do, you're still fine.

We have to bring updated transcripts on the first day of our summer program. Not sure how much influence it will have though, if at all.

V10?

V20 New York, but I know the story is the same at least one V10 that my friends are working at.

RVP11 wrote:"Top NYC firm" (I'm assuming V10 or similar) = they probably won't ask, and even if they do, you're still fine.

What about a smallish (vault ranked, but not W&C level) boutique?

imchuckbass58 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

imchuckbass58 wrote:

RVP11 wrote:"Top NYC firm" (I'm assuming V10 or similar) = they probably won't ask, and even if they do, you're still fine.

We have to bring updated transcripts on the first day of our summer program. Not sure how much influence it will have though, if at all.

V10?

V20 New York, but I know the story is the same at least one V10 that my friends are working at.

Since Spring semester grades aren't out by the time you start the SA, do you just request an updated transcript be sent to them in June?

Anonymous User wrote: Since Spring semester grades aren't out by the time you start the SA, do you just request an updated transcript be sent to them in June?

My instructions say "please bring a copy of your most up-to-date transcript on your first day."

Yikes. I'd at least like a chance for the firm to see my Spring grades...

Yeeeahhhh. So I'm kind of in the same boat. I have a decent batch of fairly good grades and then this past go around I got by far my worst grade in law school ... probably my worst grade for a loooonnng time. Although it's "only" a B- and it might not sound that bad, I'm kind of freaking out.

Any ideas about how this class will affect me in the future???

intriguing...how big of a dip are we talking?

Well, thankfully, I have a decent amount of fairly strong A's to bring the GPA back up a bit (fingers crossed on knocking on wood to keep up that trend a bit). So I've dipped some, but not too terribly much.

Just the thought of this one extremely low grade is haunting my dreams..... no-offers dancing in my head.

I'll put it this way, after 1L, I had a B+ average just barely scraping an A average (~top 10%). After all my 2L grades (minus this one) I would have been higher in the A range (maybe ~ top 7-8% or so).

Counting this grade, I'm a bit below my 1L average, by not by much (I'll say ~ top 12% maybe? 15%?).

Problems?

Anonymous User wrote:I'll put it this way, after 1L, I had a B+ average just barely scraping an A average (~top 10%). After all my 2L grades (minus this one) I would have been higher in the A range (maybe ~ top 7-8% or so).

Counting this grade, I'm a bit below my 1L average, by not by much (I'll say ~ top 12% maybe? 15%?).

Problems?

Your grades are not going to be a problem -- top-10% to top-15%?? Come on, start worrying if you drop below 25%. Of course, you still need to do good work over the summer, but thats expected regardless of your grades.

Well, perhaps. But all because of one grade??? That seems like a pretty big jump = preparing for the worst.