Bidding on NY firms w/o ties Forum

[Anonymous User]

I know NY firms generally are not concerned as much with ties, but what if I have absolutely no ties to the city and have in fact never been there? Also, are ties important as far as bidding goes in your school's home market?

Thanks!

[timbs4339]

New York is one of the few places (along with DC) that places little to no emphasis on ties. Your law school's reputation and your grades will be determinative.

Usually, attending law school in a city will be enough to establish suitable ties.

[thedogship]

New York is one of the few places (along with DC) that places little to no emphasis on ties.

This isn't totally true. Every New York firm that I interviewed with asked me what my connection was to NYC (since I did not go to an NYC law school). I agree that it is less important to have ties to New York than it would be for say St. Louis or Denver, but NYC firms will still ask "why New York?" if your connection there isn't obvious (e.g., you aren't from New York or don't go to school there). New York firms still want to know that you want to be there for the long haul, and not just 1 or 2 years once you get living in NYC out of your system. Yes, having some tie(s) to New York isn't completely crucial, but it's something they would like to see, and it makes you a more credible candidate.

[Renzo]

Going to school someplace is a "tie" to that region. And no, it doesn't matter that you've never been to New York. Just have something to say if someone asks, "why do you want to work in New York?" Believable answers include: "It's where all the best work is"; "doesn't everyone want to live in NYC?"; or any other similarly absurd cheerleading for the city.

[thesealocust]

Going to school someplace is a "tie" to that region. And no, it doesn't matter that you've never been to New York. Just have something to say if someone asks, "why do you want to work in New York?" Believable answers include: "It's where all the best work is"; "doesn't everyone want to live in NYC?"; or any other similarly absurd cheerleading for the city.

+1. If a firm in Memphis asks why you want to work there, you had better have an unbelievably good answer. If a firm in NYC asks why you want to work there, they're probably just curious.

For the record, the NYC propagandists aren't really that far off base when it comes to starting a legal career. All it takes is basic math - some ridiculous proportion of summer positions are in NYC. It's seriously something like one third to half of all available in the country, massively disproportionate compared to population size. It's also a springboard - firms outside of NYC are festooned (that's right - festooned) with attorneys who began in NYC, and attorneys currently in NYC often field regular recruiting calls from firms in other locales.