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Hi, I have been hearing a lot talk about people screwing themselves over by having a poor OCI bidding strategy. Can someone help to explain what a good strategy would be as opposed to a poor one? What should a rising 2L be doing over the summer to increase their OCI callbacks/offers etc? Thanks!

Bid for NY instead of competitive markets such as Chicago and DC.

I am very interested as well. I wish there was an OCI sticky explaining all this stuff!

Anonymous User wrote:I am very interested as well. I wish there was an OCI sticky explaining all this stuff!

Ditto. And, where are all you guys finding the rankings and information on these Vwhatever firms?

Moxie wrote:Bid for NY instead of competitive markets such as Chicago and DC.

and CA.

Bid NYC over everything else. Bid some in secondary markets you have ties to, but NYC should be your primary focus.

lol @ OP +1'ing himself twice as Anonymous

Anonymous User wrote:I am very interested as well. I wish there was an OCI sticky explaining all this stuff!

Compilation of OCI and job search advice threads: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=120382.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:I am very interested as well. I wish there was an OCI sticky explaining all this stuff!

Ditto. And, where are all you guys finding the rankings and information on these Vwhatever firms?

"V" refers to the Vault 100 law firm rankings. Vault also has regional rankings, specialty rankings, and firm profiles. However, some of this information is limited to subscribers. You may be able to get a subscription through your school. Check your library's website or ask career services / library staff.

Other sources include Chambers Associate, which has better firm profiles IMO than Vault. There's also the NALP directory, which has more quantitative information about firms, and Above the Law's career section.

Helmholtz wrote:lol @ OP +1'ing himself twice as Anonymous

Lol nice. Well hopefully my labored-over post will be helpful to someone who's not a joker.

uzpakalis wrote:I am very interested as well. I wish there was an OCI sticky explaining all this stuff!

You wish there WERE an OCI sticky not was. Big firms won't hire people who can't even properly apply the subjunctive.

Kids these days...

Bronte wrote:

Helmholtz wrote:lol @ OP +1'ing himself twice as Anonymous

Lol nice. Well hopefully my labored-over post will be helpful to someone who's not a joker.

I found it helpful, so thanks!

Helmholtz wrote:lol @ OP +1'ing himself twice as Anonymous

Awesome. Don't they have a word for that?


Oh yeah-- it's "schizophrenia."

What's the best source of information about firms' planned 2L SA class size for 2012?

Bronte wrote:What's the best source of information about firms' planned 2L SA class size for 2012?

Historic NALP data. Don't expect too much change from this year.

Renzo wrote:

Bronte wrote:What's the best source of information about firms' planned 2L SA class size for 2012?

Historic NALP data. Don't expect too much change from this year.

Really? I've heard talk that firms are planning to step it up this year. I even read on Chambers that some top firms are planning to return to pre-crash sizes.

Bronte wrote:

Renzo wrote:

Bronte wrote:What's the best source of information about firms' planned 2L SA class size for 2012?

Historic NALP data. Don't expect too much change from this year.

Really? I've heard talk that firms are planning to step it up this year. I even read on Chambers that some top firms are planning to return to pre-crash sizes.

Look up the data for yourself, NALP keeps 3 years on their website. Everyone hopes hiring will increase and there's a good chance it will, but (a) you shouldn't be expecting major jumps and (b) to the extent they exist, they will be market-wide so historical data will still give you what is important for bidding which is the relative difference between firm class sizes.

thesealocust wrote:to the extent they exist, they will be market-wide so historical data will still give you what is important for bidding which is the relative difference between firm class sizes.

This is a semi-academic point to pick since I'm planning to bid somewhat conservatively, but wouldn't you think that in a market where most firms are hiring more summers you'd be able to put more reaches into your bidlist?

thesealocust wrote:Look up the data for yourself, NALP keeps 3 years on their website. Everyone hopes hiring will increase and there's a good chance it will, but (a) you shouldn't be expecting major jumps and (b) to the extent they exist, they will be market-wide so historical data will still give you what is important for bidding which is the relative difference between firm class sizes.

Yeah I'm with you. Thanks.

Bronte wrote:

Renzo wrote:

Bronte wrote:What's the best source of information about firms' planned 2L SA class size for 2012?

Historic NALP data. Don't expect too much change from this year.

Really? I've heard talk that firms are planning to step it up this year. I even read on Chambers that some top firms are planning to return to pre-crash sizes.

Firms are always planning to return to pre-crash sizes; that's why they are always crashing. So long as we avoid a double-dip recession (a really big "if'), there might be modest growth from last year.

dailygrind wrote:

thesealocust wrote:to the extent they exist, they will be market-wide so historical data will still give you what is important for bidding which is the relative difference between firm class sizes.

This is a semi-academic point to pick since I'm planning to bid somewhat conservatively, but wouldn't you think that in a market where most firms are hiring more summers you'd be able to put more reaches into your bidlist?

Maybe. The firms with high expectations are weird - people often avoid them making interviews easier to get, and they are often huge making callbacks easier to get. Their pickiness w/r/t grades can also wind up somewhat overstated, there truly are only a few firms with routinely hard GPA floors above the 3.4 or 3.5 level. And it was actually exaggerated recently when 'top' firms had smaller reductions in class size than the less picky firms.

So I see lots of reasons to agree with you in general, but I'm not sure how you'd execute that strategy differently this year than any of the past few.