Top 1/4 at UVa - BigLaw advice Forum

[garfike]

Got Con Law tonight and now have all my grades.

Finished at almost exactly top 1/4 (3.48) for the year.

Want NYC or DC biglaw, but am leaning NYC.

Any tips on a list of firms or a bidding strategy?

Thanks

[Julio_El_Chavo]

I think you're in play for everything except the elite boutiques (Susman, Keker, W&C, Wachtell) and some other firms in the V10, but you have an okay shot anywhere else.

[Morgan12Oak]

From what I've heard, the above is pretty correct. You'll probably have enough bids to blanket the upper echelons in NYC and get bites.

[vamedic03]

Avoid DC. Avoid grade snobby V10s (CSM and SullCrom).

[Anonymous User]

semi-tag and semi-complaining that I have zero grades still.

[Younger Abstention]

I think he/she can hack DC if they want at top 25% from UVA. And I've told others to avoid it.

[thesealocust]

I think he/she can hack DC if they want at top 25% from UVA. And I've told others to avoid it.

With top quarter grades trying to get DC as compared to NYC, you are guaranteeing (1) fewer interviews and (2) a lower percentage of interviews turning into callbacks. The risk of striking out are much higher, but top quarter from UVA is definitely still capable of getting a market paying firm job in DC.

[Wahoo1L]

I think he/she can hack DC if they want at top 25% from UVA. And I've told others to avoid it.

This isn't great advice. While the person could get a job in DC, the competition will be much greater and the OP doesn't seem to care whether or not s/he ends up in DC or NYC. If you are indifferent to NYC/DC, definitely focus all of your attention on the NYC firms.

[Cavalier]

I think he/she can hack DC if they want at top 25% from UVA. And I've told others to avoid it.

I'm sorry, but what kind of sick person would name their account after a fed courts concept?

But seriously, it's certainly not the case that you need to be top 10% or whatever to get DC--many people who are barely top third get it. But as the thesealocust said, a DC bid is less likely to turn into a screener, and if you get the screener, it's less likely to turn into a callback. If you have top quarter grades you should certainly feel free to spend some bids on DC, but you would be insane to go all out there. In NYC, the only firms that should be off limits are Cravath and Sullcrom--your grades are fine for the rest of the V10 that come to OGI.

[rayiner]

To echo the other folks, you're in the running everywhere in NYC outside the elite boutiques, S&C, and Cravath. In DC... it depends. I know people with your grades last year at NU that got some great DC firms, but also people who did really terribly in DC with great grades. Definitely stay away from appellate practices or anything like that which is super grade conscious.

[jawsthegreat]

So, if you were top 1/4 and only wanted NyC, would anything change from a DC/NYC strategy?

[Cavalier]

So, if you were top 1/4 and only wanted NyC, would anything change from a DC/NYC strategy?

Well if you only want NY then you'd be stupid to bid DC at all. If you'd prefer DC, then I'd recommend using 1/3 to 1/2 bids on DC--the more risk averse you are, the more NY bids you should use.