Top Law Schools

I've applied a dozen firms for 1L SA. Got replied by two, both asking where I would like to be located after graduation. I replied wherever I am needed. Got rejection within one day after I replied. Any thoughts why?

alanbfish wrote:I've applied a dozen firms for 1L SA. Got replied by two, both asking where I would like to be located after graduation. I replied wherever I am needed. Got rejection within one day after I replied. Any thoughts why?

I'd guess they were looking for someone for their secondary market offices, and wanted someone who was committed to that city.

It could be that you picked a place where they will not need any 1L SA's, or perhaps the question was a mere formality, and the decision to reject you had already been made. No use in worrying about it. 1L SA's are extremely rare, so its not like you are behind the vast majority of students.

id say because it makes you sound like you have no life and no roots.. so whats to stop you from going to a different firm in a different city after draining the first firms resources while youre a first year associate with almost no lawyering skills whatsoever.. but that would just be my reason

alanbfish wrote:I've applied a dozen firms for 1L SA. Got replied by two, both asking where I would like to be located after graduation. I replied wherever I am needed. Got rejection within one day after I replied. Any thoughts why?

Maybe it was unrelated, and the fact they asked was because they were reviewing your file at that moment in time. After getting that information, they added it to the pile of stuff they had on you and held a committee meeting later that day/early the next morning. So in essence, it was not your answer that really affected anything. Instead, the question was just an indicator of the progress you had made in review.

Or maybe they hated your answer and thought it showed a lack of dedication to any city. A lack of commitment, or worse, a lack of knowledge about what you wanted. Vague goals = greater chance of you being dissatisfied at their firm, and they weren't willing to take the chance on that. If you really did not care which city, and wanted to maintain flexibility, it might have been better to word it this way: "While I prefer City A because of x and y reason (family, great legal market, went to school there, whatever), I have always been fascinated by City B's x and y and would also enjoy living in a city as whatever blah blah as City B." You get the drift.

Or it could be for a number of other reasons...take your pick.

Nice analysis! Thanks a lot!!

DoubleChecks wrote:

alanbfish wrote:I've applied a dozen firms for 1L SA. Got replied by two, both asking where I would like to be located after graduation. I replied wherever I am needed. Got rejection within one day after I replied. Any thoughts why?

Maybe it was unrelated, and the fact they asked was because they were reviewing your file at that moment in time. After getting that information, they added it to the pile of stuff they had on you and held a committee meeting later that day/early the next morning. So in essence, it was not your answer that really affected anything. Instead, the question was just an indicator of the progress you had made in review.

Or maybe they hated your answer and thought it showed a lack of dedication to any city. A lack of commitment, or worse, a lack of knowledge about what you wanted. Vague goals = greater chance of you being dissatisfied at their firm, and they weren't willing to take the chance on that. If you really did not care which city, and wanted to maintain flexibility, it might have been better to word it this way: "While I prefer City A because of x and y reason (family, great legal market, went to school there, whatever), I have always been fascinated by City B's x and y and would also enjoy living in a city as whatever blah blah as City B." You get the drift.

Or it could be for a number of other reasons...take your pick.

"Wherever I am needed" is like answering an interview question with "Well what do you want my answer to be."

BlueDiamond wrote:id say because it makes you sound like you have no life and no roots.. so whats to stop you from going to a different firm in a different city after draining the first firms resources while youre a first year associate with almost no lawyering skills whatsoever.. but that would just be my reason

profound

AreJay711 wrote:"Wherever I am needed" is like answering an interview question with "Well what do you want my answer to be."

Not really. I told this to a bunch of firms and didn't notice any difference in my callback/offer rate.

pasteurizedmilk wrote:

AreJay711 wrote:"Wherever I am needed" is like answering an interview question with "Well what do you want my answer to be."

Not really. I told this to a bunch of firms and didn't notice any difference in my callback/offer rate.

I imagine it matters what the firm considers its own structure and selling points. If they only had two offices, DC and NY, and DC only did litigation and NY only did corporate, it would seem odd that you are equally interested in both. If the firm has several offices, all of which do basically the same thing, like say Jackson Lewis in labor law or Quinn Emmanuel in litigation, then it is more plausible. Those sorts of places you just want to work for the firm because of the type of work it does.