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How tough is this to crack with no ties, good WE, and top 1/3 at a T-14?

Anonymous User wrote:How tough is this to crack with no ties, good WE, and top 1/3 at a T-14?

Very hard. I have a friend at my T14 from NC and with top 1/3 (minor WE) who couldn't even get interviews in Charlotte biglaw.

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Hard, but not impossible. I had a friend with ties to the South but not Charlotte specifically that ended up there, but it might be because they were seeking someone for a specific practice area that was was interested in and had worked on during their first summer.

But I also know of people who had ties and didn't get a single CB.

Anonymous User wrote:How tough is this to crack with no ties, good WE, and top 1/3 at a T-14?

If your t-14 is duke or uva, then you have a pretty solid shot. Plenty of people I know at my UNC/WF got multiple offers from Charlotte biglaw who had no ties to north carolina/charlotte other than attending law school in the state.

rad lulz wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:How tough is this to crack with no ties, good WE, and top 1/3 at a T-14?

VERY difficult due to the bold.

What if OP mentions Cam Newton in all his cover letters tho?

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After interviewing in Charlotte, I got the sense that a strong interest in banking/finance law is almost required if you're not from the area. As you might expect, lots of big national firms have Charlotte offices that focus almost exclusively on banking law.

rad lulz wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:How tough is this to crack with no ties, good WE, and top 1/3 at a T-14?

VERY difficult due to the bold.

Agreed. Top 5% at T20. Had no ties to Charlotte specifically, but home was next state over. 1 CB through mass mailing; no offer. Just about everyone asked "Why Charlotte?"

I'm a NC native above median at a T14 and I got nary a callback in Charlotte...but I only wanted litigation.

What little there is left in Charlotte still appears to be corporate and finance.

Out of curiosity, when you're trying to break into a much smaller market like that, is is possible your resume can be too good? Meaning, if you were top 25%-33%, would it maybe be better, since they might be less concerned you are likely to bolt at the first chance you get?

kalvano wrote:Out of curiosity, when you're trying to break into a much smaller market like that, is is possible your resume can be too good? Meaning, if you were top 25%-33%, would it maybe be better, since they might be less concerned you are likely to bolt at the first chance you get?

I think this is where ties matter. Substellar grades from a good school + ties would probably get hired over top grades from a good school + no ties. But substellar grades + no ties is never a great application package to throw out, no matter the market.

Also worth mentioning is the huge network advantage that UNC grads have in Charlotte and in NC in general. Pretty rare to see a single school rock so hard in a large state with 7 schools. As someone who passed up going there for a higher-ranked school, I now wonder why I did. I got the job I wanted, but not the place I wanted.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:How tough is this to crack with no ties, good WE, and top 1/3 at a T-14?

If your t-14 is duke or uva, then you have a pretty solid shot. Plenty of people I know at my UNC/WF got multiple offers from Charlotte biglaw who had no ties to north carolina/charlotte other than attending law school in the state.

This is wrong. Employers are suspicious of Duke students and their desire to stay in the state (the same is not really true of UNC or WF students). Almost everyone that I know that got interviews with any NC firm were from the South (a.k.a. "ties" are important) and grades were essentially irrelevant.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:How tough is this to crack with no ties, good WE, and top 1/3 at a T-14?

If your t-14 is duke or uva, then you have a pretty solid shot. Plenty of people I know at my UNC/WF got multiple offers from Charlotte biglaw who had no ties to north carolina/charlotte other than attending law school in the state.

This is wrong. Employers are suspicious of Duke students and their desire to stay in the state (the same is not really true of UNC or WF students). Almost everyone that I know that got interviews with any NC firm were from the South (a.k.a. "ties" are important) and grades were essentially irrelevant.

UNC > Duke in the NC market for sure. Not so much for other stuff.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:How tough is this to crack with no ties, good WE, and top 1/3 at a T-14?

If your t-14 is duke or uva, then you have a pretty solid shot. Plenty of people I know at my UNC/WF got multiple offers from Charlotte biglaw who had no ties to north carolina/charlotte other than attending law school in the state.

This is wrong. Employers are suspicious of Duke students and their desire to stay in the state (the same is not really true of UNC or WF students). Almost everyone that I know that got interviews with any NC firm were from the South (a.k.a. "ties" are important) and grades were essentially irrelevant.

You mean from Duke, right? What I've heard from students at WF and UNC is coming kind of consistent with what the other Anonymous Poster said.

I also think there's a problem with self-selection there. How many people put all their effort into getting Charlotte biglaw if they weren't already tied to NC or to the south more generally?

Which would be the better choice for Charlotte: Wake or UNC?

My understanding is that overall WF places better in big law as compared to UNC. Currently WF has offered $$$$ which has me leaning toward going there, UNC has not sent out $ offers yet, but I doubt they will be as generous as WF.

Would the possible bump for going to UNC be worth paying extra in terms of job prospects in Charlotte?

SPE155 wrote:Which would be the better choice for Charlotte: Wake or UNC?

My understanding is that overall WF places better in big law as compared to UNC. Currently WF has offered $$$$ which has me leaning toward going there, UNC has not sent out $ offers yet, but I doubt they will be as generous as WF.

Would the possible bump for going to UNC be worth paying extra in terms of job prospects in Charlotte?

1. Go to the forum for 0Ls, please.

2. WF places 15% in biglaw and UNC places just under 12%, all things being equal and just on the information provided, I would take WF with money.

LawIdiot86 wrote:

SPE155 wrote:Which would be the better choice for Charlotte: Wake or UNC?

My understanding is that overall WF places better in big law as compared to UNC. Currently WF has offered $$$$ which has me leaning toward going there, UNC has not sent out $ offers yet, but I doubt they will be as generous as WF.

Would the possible bump for going to UNC be worth paying extra in terms of job prospects in Charlotte?

1. Go to the forum for 0Ls, please.
2. WF places 15% in biglaw and UNC places just under 12%, all things being equal and just on the information provided, I would take WF with money.

1.) That's the blind leading the blind, I thought I would get some actual information here - apparently not.

Thanks

You have to keep in mind that UNC students are more likely to practice in the public sector in comparison to WF students. UNC is a public service-centric school, so I would naturally expect less placement in the private sector, yet alone biglaw.

SPE155 wrote:

LawIdiot86 wrote:

SPE155 wrote:Which would be the better choice for Charlotte: Wake or UNC?

My understanding is that overall WF places better in big law as compared to UNC. Currently WF has offered $$$$ which has me leaning toward going there, UNC has not sent out $ offers yet, but I doubt they will be as generous as WF.

Would the possible bump for going to UNC be worth paying extra in terms of job prospects in Charlotte?

1. Go to the forum for 0Ls, please.
2. WF places 15% in biglaw and UNC places just under 12%, all things being equal and just on the information provided, I would take WF with money.

1.) That's the blind leading the blind, I thought I would get some actual information here - apparently not.

Thanks

Ok, fine, you want advice, I'll give you advice.

1. Go to the highest ranked school you get into that places 20% or more in biglaw, regardless of the money you get. Do not worry about fit, feel, program, location, happiness, professors, money or classmates, go by the USNWR ranking of law schools, knocking out weird ones like Indiana and Minnesota that underpeform on placement.
2. If you don't get into one of the 24 schools I described above, then go the the school in the next 26 on the NLJ250 job placement list that gives you the most money. Those 26 schools places 10-19% in big firms and you'll need the scholarship money because it'll be a long shot to get a firm job.
3. If you don't get into those 50 and you will only be happy with biglaw, don't go to law school now, go work and re-apply next year.

Gail wrote:
You mean from Duke, right? What I've heard from students at WF and UNC is coming kind of consistent with what the other Anonymous Poster said.

I also think there's a problem with self-selection there. How many people put all their effort into getting Charlotte biglaw if they weren't already tied to NC or to the south more generally?

Anonymous User wrote:
This is wrong. Employers are suspicious of Duke students and their desire to stay in the state (the same is not really true of UNC or WF students). Almost everyone that I know that got interviews with any NC firm were from the South (a.k.a. "ties" are important) and grades were essentially irrelevant.

Not OP here, just curious.

Is it generally assumed that a tie to the South in general but not Charlotte specifically is enough to have a decent chance getting into Charlotte Biglaw? For purpose of example, would say a lower T-14 student from South Carolina have a good shot at Charlotte?

PurplePirate wrote:You have to keep in mind that UNC students are more likely to practice in the public sector in comparison to WF students. UNC is a public service-centric school, so I would naturally expect less placement in the private sector, yet alone biglaw.

unc student here.--this makes no sense. of course there are some students that want to go public, but that is true at every school. The only reason UNC students are more likely to go public is because they miss biglaw---which a lot of people want, but cant get. as far as unc vs. wake for Charlotte--its pretty much the same if you want an answer, but this is the wrong way to think about this. At both schools, the chances of you getting Charlotte Big law is pretty small. you should go to both of those schools assuming you will make 45k upon graduation with a chance of making more if you do extremely well. People debating the difference between wake and unc for big law make no sense. thats like asking if its better to get shot in the leg or arm. you can make any decision you want, but i strongly advise you not to go to a school that places around 15% banking on big law.

With that said, i love unc!!!

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Anonymous User wrote:

PurplePirate wrote:You have to keep in mind that UNC students are more likely to practice in the public sector in comparison to WF students. UNC is a public service-centric school, so I would naturally expect less placement in the private sector, yet alone biglaw.

unc student here.--this makes no sense. of course there are some students that want to go public, but that is true at every school. The only reason UNC students are more likely to go public is because they miss biglaw---which a lot of people want, but cant get. as far as unc vs. wake for Charlotte--its pretty much the same if you want an answer, but this is the wrong way to think about this. At both schools, the chances of you getting Charlotte Big law is pretty small. you should go to both of those schools assuming you will make 45k upon graduation with a chance of making more if you do extremely well. People debating the difference between wake and unc for big law make no sense. thats like asking if its better to get shot in the leg or arm. you can make any decision you want, but i strongly advise you not to go to a school that places around 15% banking on big law.

With that said, i love unc!!!

Some statistics to back this up.

http://www.lawschool
transparency.com/
documents/NALPReports/2010/UNC_Redacted.pdf

Only 26.6% of students are known to be employed and making at least 55,000 and above from UNC.

Only 18.8% of students from UNC are known to make at least 71k or above in private practice after UNC.

The good news is that you will likely be employed somewhere that requires bar passage after UNC. 70% FT

If you had limited your debt, you may be better for it.