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Hi all,

Starting to think about bidding for fall interviews and had a few questions about Boston firms… I’m trying to decide whether and to what extent I want to focus my attention there. I searched some old threads and didn’t see anything really on point but please excuse if any of this is redundant.

• Getting hired: Is it significantly harder to get into Boston firms than NYC? Are Boston firms into “ties?” If so, what counts? Immediate family in the area? Extended family? Grew up there? Red Sox fan? And if you can meet the “ties” threshold, do you also need better grades than for NYC?
• Staying hired: Are offer rates for Boston SA classes generally comparable to NYC offices?
• Work/life balance: Are hours going to be significantly better in Boston? More predictable schedules? Less cutthroat culture?
• Exit opportunities: Is being in Boston as opposed to NYC a serious impediment to having the chance at good positions afterward? For in-house jobs? Federal government?

These are pretty much my concerns but if anyone has any other insights I would be glad to hear them.

Boston population ~600,000
New York City population ~18.9 million

Ties are big for Boston. There are exceptions, but in many cases, you might find you need something substantial to break in (family, or sincere desire to relocate for a good reason). Boston is a much tighter market (harder to get a job, and fewer opportunities) than NYC, but the cost of living (although pretty high) is less than NYC.

I know a bunch of people from my non Boston area school who bid on Boston and NYC firms. Hardly anyone had a serious interview with Boston firms. The local economy doesn't have as much going on as NYC.


There is also a lot less to do here though... The city is physically pretty small.

Thanks for the info. Know anybody at all (ties or no) who did okay in Beantown?

use nalp quicksearch to determine offer rates.

dark wrote: I know a bunch of people from my non Boston area school who bid on Boston and NYC firms. Hardly anyone had a serious interview with Boston firms.

Indicating what? The competitiveness of the Boston market or the employment prospects of your school?

wojo96 wrote:

dark wrote: I know a bunch of people from my non Boston area school who bid on Boston and NYC firms. Hardly anyone had a serious interview with Boston firms.

Indicating what? The competitiveness of the Boston market or the employment prospects of your school?

Boston is insulated. Thats what it indicates.

dark wrote:Boston population ~600,000
New York City population ~18.9 million

Are you using the metro area for New York and city limits for Boston?
If you use the same metric the difference isn't as exaggerated...

FWIW I'm at NYU. What's it take (ties + grades + being awesome) for a realistic shot?

I just did a casual google. But fair enough, here's the est city pop from wikipedia.

Boston: 617,594
NYC: 8,175,133

NYC still beats Boston by a factor of 13.

I'm from Boston, I love Boston, I'm working in Boston this summer and I want to move back here. But Boston just doesn't have the scale or the diversity in its economy that NYC has.

dark wrote:difference isn't as exaggerated...

The ratio of attorneys (NY:Bos) is closer to 6:1 (~21k:~3.5k), at least among the Am Law 250.

The sheer size of the NY legal market is unparalleled, but let's not make Bos out to be Hartford.

ಠ_ಠ

Kohinoor wrote:ಠ_ಠ

Hah thanks.

What counts as a strong tie? Parents? Siblings? Nephews? I'm planning on attending BC over Fordham mainly due to better biglaw placement. Will being originally from NYC negate this ostensible advantage? Apart from my older sister, the entire family is located in NYC. BC places 10% more than Fordham, but does the whole tie thing coupled with a much smaller market narrow the gap for someone like me?