Top 1.5% @ T2; biglaw questions Forum

[Mr. The Plague]

Just have a few questions about OCI. Many thanks to anyone taking the time to answer any of them.

I'm a rising 2L at a SoCal T2. Top 1.5% of the class (LR results not out, but pretty sure I graded on), interning for a federal judge (district court level).

1. Any idea on my chances for a V100 firm anywhere between LA and SD?

2. According to career services, we won't be able to know who's coming to OCI until mid-July. I was hoping to send out resumes to non-OCI employers right around that time. Does anyone know if it is acceptable to do so by email, or if snail mail is preferred? I saw in the thread by lawfirmrecruiter that his firm doesn't mind email. But if anyone has success stories about emailing I'd be glad to hear them.

3. If applying to firms with offices in several cities, do I send resumes to each?

4. I'm taking a summer class (mostly to survive on financial aid for the summer). As far as I know, my grade for this class will not be factored into my GPA/rank until after the fall semester, but does anyone have any experience in which a subpar grade on an otherwise impressive transcript gave them difficulty? (in the interview/callback stage)

5. My favorite suit is dark gray, not quite charcoal. Acceptable for interviews? Any suggestions on the tie to go with it?

[Big Shrimpin]

I didn't see the word "transfer" in your post -- why?

[20160810]

Step 1: Transfer to Berkeley or Stanford.

There is no step 2 until this happens.

[09042014]

Step 1: Transfer to Berkeley or Stanford.

There is no step 2 until this happens.

He might be on scholarship. Top 1.5% doesn't get big law in CA?

[Big Shrimpin]

He might be on scholarship.

This is a consideration - as well as whether OP wants to work in the market/region where the school is located. Barring either of these considerations, TCR is to transfer.

[Mr. The Plague]

Full scholarship that I'd rather keep. I'm not biglaw or bust, I just want to make the most of the opportunities available without taking on too much debt.

[CanadianWolf]

If you're happy & on full scholarship, then there is no need to mess up a good thing. Congratulations !

P.S. I have visited a couple of underfunded Tier Two law schools that might prompt me to suggest putting some transfer applications to Stanford & Harvard, for example, but you seem to be well satisfied & doing well placement wise.

[Big Shrimpin]

Full scholarship that I'd rather keep. I'm not biglaw or bust, I just want to make the most of the opportunities available without taking on too much debt.

Fair enough. If you're looking for a biglaw gig, TCR is to spam each firm in every market in which you wouldn't mind working. And then apply to firms in other markets, notwithstanding your preference for region. ITE, successful job-seekers find success by casting a wide net. HTH.

[Mr. The Plague]

Thanks for the replies. Any idea if emailing resumes is effective? Or any anecdotal success stories with email? I'll send hard copies out, but I feel I could cover more ground with email so I can focus on OCI.

[Mr. The Plague]

@CanadianWolf: Thanks for the congrats. I'll think long and hard about sending an app to Stanford. I have family in LA, but I don't think I want to sacrifice law review/scholly for USC or UCLA. And it's a private T2, so I can't complain about the facilities.