Does writing onto Law Review help at all? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Now that legal hiring is mostly done, do you think people who wrote on did better than their grades alone would have gotten them?

I only have a few data points, but they all suggest that people got approximately what they would have anyway (lower T14).

Anyone think it's a game-changer?

[deebs]

not in my experiences - grades were still deciding factor and top quarter wasn't enough from wustl

[Geist13]

It appears that top 15% without a journal fares far better than top 30% and LR. Assuming you have top thirdish grades, LR will get you a number of screeners that you wouldn't have gotten otherwise. But when it comes to call backs and offers, firms will choose the kid with better grades (interviewing skills etc. being equal). But if you're a really good interviewer or have good work experience, that first look at the screener may be all you need to overcome lower grades.

[Blindmelon]

Now that legal hiring is mostly done, do you think people who wrote on did better than their grades alone would have gotten them?

I only have a few data points, but they all suggest that people got approximately what they would have anyway (lower T14).

Anyone think it's a game-changer?

I outperformed my grades and I attribute it largely to law review. I was outside the top 1/3rd last year at BU and got a few offers while people top 10% w/o journal didn't get anything.

[Blindmelon]

But if you're a really good interviewer or have good work experience, that first look at the screener may be all you need to overcome lower grades.

A lot of people really underestimate this.

[Anonymous User]

LR makes a huge difference at my school in terms of interviews/hiring; doesn't seem to matter how you get on it.

[Anonymous User]

Some combination of law review write-on, work experience, and interview skills got me multiple V100 offers in DC - despite below-median grades at my T14.

Don't know that you can parse any of those factors out, but it seemed like having LR on my record made some firms willing to give me the benefit of the doubt on grades.

[showNprove]

It helped me tremendously. It was the best signal that I was a very good writer. Plus, keep in mind that firms can put Law Review on your firm bio, but I have never seen grades on there.

[IAFG]

It helped me tremendously. It was the best signal that I was a very good writer. Plus, keep in mind that firms can put Law Review on your firm bio, but I have never seen grades on there.

Not in GPA form but graduation honors go up.

[dailygrind]

It helped me tremendously. It was the best signal that I was a very good writer. Plus, keep in mind that firms can put Law Review on your firm bio, but I have never seen grades on there.

Not in GPA form but graduation honors go up.

At certain schools, e.g. UVA, there's no honor except for coif, so your GPA's probably not going to go up if you didn't grade onto LR.