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Graduating 3L at UIUC/emory/ND/WUSTL type school and I have a solid transactional midlaw firm lined up for next year. I am currently just outside the top 20%. How big of a difference is there between a top 20,25 and 1/3 for future lateral opportunities?

Anonymous User wrote:Graduating 3L at UIUC/emory/ND/WUSTL type school and I have a solid transactional midlaw firm lined up for next year. I am currently just outside the top 20%. How big of a difference is there between a top 20,25 and 1/3 for future lateral opportunities?

I doubt any firm will even be able to tell the difference between 20% and 33% unless they were looking a large portion of the student class like they do at OCI.

Not to be snide, but this is the wrong time to be thinking of lateraling. With a 2L SA it might have made sense to push your grades hard and lateral up during 3L OCI. Realistically, you won't be worth anything as a lateral for 3-5 years while you learn the business and by then your grades won't matter. You should be focusing on nailing it at your new job so you look like the kind of useful contributor a firm would want as a lateral down the road.

LawIdiot86 wrote:Not to be snide, but this is the wrong time to be thinking of lateraling. With a 2L SA it might have made sense to push your grades hard and lateral up during 3L OCI. Realistically, you won't be worth anything as a lateral for 3-5 years while you learn the business and by then your grades won't matter. You should be focusing on nailing it at your new job so you look like the kind of useful contributor a firm would want as a lateral down the road.

I was just wondering for future purposes in 2-3 years.

I doubt firms will care. Unless your grades are like Coif/summa type grades, they likely will not be a factor come lateral time.

Also, way too early to be thinking of lateraling.

I get plenty of junkmail from recruiters, and I often see a requirement for top third. I've never seen one for top quarter (or higher). FWIW.

edit: I can only speak of recruiters for jobs in patent work. Should have noted that earlier.

top 1/3 is the honors cut-off at most schools (except NYU/fordham where the cut-off is top 25%, or notre dame where the cut off is a lowly 3.4 ...)

top 1/3 is the honors cut-off at most schools (except NYU/fordham where the cut-off is top 25%, or notre dame where the cut off is a lowly 3.4 ...)

This. Work hard enough to put "with honors" or "cum laude" on your resume. But only that hard.

if you work hard and are smart tnough, you may swing magna.

isn't that prestigious?!

the only reason why I ask this question is because I am between top 20-25% and I am only taking 2 graded classes this semester. I have to work really hard to be top 20%. I can coast and get top 1/3 for sure.

Anonymous User wrote:the only reason why I ask this question is because I am between top 20-25% and I am only taking 2 graded classes this semester. I have to work really hard to be top 20%. I can coast and get top 1/3 for sure.

As stated above, the issue is whether you meet the honors cutoff or not. If you can coast to "cum laude," and have no chance at "magna cum laude," then may as well coast. If you're on the wrong side of "cum laude" but have a chance at snagging it, then study and get A's. Same for if you're close to magna.

This thread is a great illustration of just how gunnerish TLS is.

OP: If you're going MidLaw, and doing transactional, it's doubtful whether any future employer will ever care about your grades. Just enjoy your last semester in law school.

RVP11 wrote:This thread is a great illustration of just how gunnerish TLS is.

It's sort of perplexing, isn't it?

At my "T25" the difference between top third and top-25% is like 0.05 GPA points, tops. Employers will care much more about how well you do your job. However, as lame as it sounds, I do think that I've seen much better opportunities for people in the top-20% than for those in the top-25%. Top fifth seems to be the magic cutoff where good firms become a legit possibility, and top-15% is even better.

SBL wrote:At my "T25" the difference between top third and top-25% is like 0.05 GPA points, tops. Employers will care much more about how well you do your job. However, as lame as it sounds, I do think that I've seen much better opportunities for people in the top-20% than for those in the top-25%. Top fifth seems to be the magic cutoff where good firms become a legit possibility, and top-15% is even better.

For OCI and stuff like that, yes. I definitely think top 20%-25%-30% matter a lot. But for a lateral move 5 years from now, no one will care.

SBL wrote:At my "T25" the difference between top third and top-25% is like 0.05 GPA points, tops. Employers will care much more about how well you do your job. However, as lame as it sounds, I do think that I've seen much better opportunities for people in the top-20% than for those in the top-25%. Top fifth seems to be the magic cutoff where good firms become a legit possibility, and top-15% is even better.

Wut. People care about 20% and 25% after your first job?

poor me. I should have struggled harder to get in the top 20%. I thought as long as I swing honors I'd be honorable forever.

romothesavior wrote:

SBL wrote:At my "T25" the difference between top third and top-25% is like 0.05 GPA points, tops. Employers will care much more about how well you do your job. However, as lame as it sounds, I do think that I've seen much better opportunities for people in the top-20% than for those in the top-25%. Top fifth seems to be the magic cutoff where good firms become a legit possibility, and top-15% is even better.

For OCI and stuff like that, yes. I definitely think top 20%-25%-30% matter a lot. But for a lateral move 5 years from now, no one will care.

Probably true, though if OP wants to apply for clerkships at any point, it'll matter.