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As many as you can is TCR. Personally, I've known friends who applied to literally hundreds of positions.

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Which school do you attend? At least approximate rank and how well it does in the market you're seeking?

tipler4213 wrote:Then maybe a better way to put it is--what is the approximate average?

Some people it takes one phone call or talking to someone they know. Some people send out apps to hundreds of firms and judges. An average isn't helpful; it all depends on the individual situation.

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How many? All of them.

I applied to 5. What you do 1L summer doesn't really matter, unless you get a biglaw summer associate position and they offer you to come back 2L summer.

I applied to at least 75. I got a really good job with a major corporation which I applied to in April.
The 1L market is kind of fickle.

I applied to about 150 judges both federal and state. Got about 7 or 8 interviews out of that and ended up with a great position interning for federal district court. What you do 1L summer doesn't matter all that much to the extent that you want to have some good stories and experiences to speak of.

keep applying places until you get a job you will like or that is useful for your resume. could be 10 apps, could be 1000. take note, you should not necessarily just take the first thing you are offered. I know a bunch of ppl who screwed themselves by doing that.

It's really hard to approximate a number. The real answer is to apply for as many positions as it takes before you get a 1L position.

My experience: Around early-to-mid December I started sending out cover letters and resumes to judges (state/federal courts), before grades had come out. I sent about 20 total, and got one bite just after the new year. Once grades came out (A,A,A-,A-), I quickly sent out updates and immediately got interviews for some more desirable internships. So by the end of the first week of classes and about 20 applications, I had finished my 1L job search.

But, from what I heard from fellow classmates, some sent upwards of 50-70 applications out, into the late Spring before finally landing a position somewhere. And they had to be quite flexible in terms of location. Others were somewhere in between what I sent out and what others sent out.

If I had to guess, how many applications you have to send out will depend on what your grades look like - and what school you're applying from.

missinglink wrote: If I had to guess, how many applications you have to send out will depend on what your grades look like - and what school you're applying from.

And who you know.

cornellbeez wrote:I applied to 5. What you do 1L summer doesn't really matter, unless you get a biglaw summer associate position and they offer you to come back 2L summer.

Wrong. You are going to spend 10 weeks doing this--it might as well be the best, most interesting 10 weeks possible. The "it doesn't matter as long as it's legal" is for people who are scrambling to find anything in late April. That should not be your attitude in December.

I applied to ~50 and ended up getting my second choice.

rad law wrote:

missinglink wrote: If I had to guess, how many applications you have to send out will depend on what your grades look like - and what school you're applying from.

And who you know.

That's the truth.

I know someone who landed a paid position at a midsize firm with grades slightly below median purely on the basis of family connections.

seatown12 wrote:

cornellbeez wrote:I applied to 5. What you do 1L summer doesn't really matter, unless you get a biglaw summer associate position and they offer you to come back 2L summer.

Wrong. You are going to spend 10 weeks doing this--it might as well be the best, most interesting 10 weeks possible. The "it doesn't matter as long as it's legal" is for people who are scrambling to find anything in late April. That should not be your attitude in December.

I applied to ~50 and ended up getting my second choice.

Okay...enjoyment, sure. The fact is outside of certain firm positions, your 1L job won't help you land a post-graduation job, and moreover, what you do 1L summer, as long as it is legal, won't affect your odds of landing a job through OCI. If you are interested in applying to certain really competitive positions (DOJ, SEC, etc.), you may need to send a ton of applications. I sent 5 applications to federal judges in December and didn't consider applying to anything outside of judicial externships, which are extremely valuable if you are remotely interested in or curious about litigation.

I'll mention here that going after judges is not necessarily a guaranteed job. I applied to 50 federal judges in chicago with a 3.97 from NU and didn't get a single interview. I ended up with a job I'm really happy with, but keep that in mind.