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Hey. I'm a transfer who is currently/has recently engaged in a write-on competition for a journal, but do to call backs and OCI matters am thinking that there is no way I'm going to be able to end up on a journal. I've had great luck so far at OCI, 2 offers (1 from a V5), but I'm freaked out I'll get no-offered if I don't land on a journal. Am I crazy? If I don't make it on, is my litigation career totally stalled out?

It would greatly harm your chances at clerking, but I don't think it would necessarily harm your chances at a career in litigation. You already have offers on the table. If you go in and show how good you are and how hard you work, and the firm invests heavily in training for litigators, then no reason to believe you couldn't have a successful career in that route, with or without a journal.

pretty sure these firms are going to have 100% or near 100% offer rates, and if they no-offer people, it's not b/c they weren't on a journal.

eta: my bad for posting anonymously

Can't tell if this is a joke . . .

For instance, check out Davis Polk's litigation associates from NYU: --LinkRemoved--

I clicked on the first 5, and only 1 of 5 was on the main law review, with 2 others on secondary journals. Since you already have an offer from a V5, and most of them pride themselves on 100% offer rates, are you actually worried about being no offered because you aren't on a journal?

If the OP isn't a joke, then it's the most neurotically-worded post I've ever seen from someone with a V5 offer.

Am I crazy? If I don't make it on, is my litigation career totally stalled out?

I think your litigation career will probably be "totally stalled out" by the pressure you're going to feel if you're already declaring doomsday over something like law review.

I hope this doesn't come across as an unreasonable response to the OP, but seriously....

If there's any way at all you can avoid doing a journal DO SO.

OP here. Not trying to seem crazy or like a total jerk. I just see that so many in V5s have journal involvement that I'm genuinely concerned about the repercussions of not being a journal member myself.

Hello fellow Northwestern transfer! Grats on the offer, I have a couple too and it has eaten into this competition but oh well.

Anonymous User wrote:Hello fellow Northwestern transfer! Grats on the offer, I have a couple too and it has eaten into this competition but oh well.

It's possible he/she is UCLA, we just had our journal competition this past week. Although I know of no transfers with V5 offers.

To the OP, stop worrying so much. Whether you get an offer or not will depend on how you do over the summer, not on journal membership or lack thereof. And since most places like to be damn near as close to 100% as they can manage, don't fuck up over the summer and do good work.