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Currently a 2L at a T10 school, below median, have probably sent at least 1000+ apps minimum if not more, from public interest to government and to firms of all sizes, small to large, and have had very little luck. Since about November, I've been lucky to even get a screener. Most applications have been targeted and I have done the usual reaching out to alum/connections etc. It's mid-March, school ends in about 7 weeks and I have absolutely no idea what to do if I land nothing at all for the summer. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm in the same boat, but at a T30. I've sent out around 500 cover letters. I had some interviews this week for unpaid positions. While I was able to come across as a decent person (e.g. an easy to work with, not awkward asshat), I'm not confident about my chances. Job applications just ruin your confidence.

OP, have you been trying to meet with attorneys or have anyone that can pass your resume along? One of my friends, a 2007 grad, has distributed my resume around his firm and to his law school friends working at various offices around town. He also gave me a list of people to contact, which I intend to do Monday, as I met with him for a late lunch on Friday. It's not much, but it's nice to have someone trying to help you out.

Anonymous User wrote:Currently a 2L at a T10 school, below median, have probably sent at least 1000+ apps minimum if not more, from public interest to government and to firms of all sizes, small to large, and have had very little luck. Since about November, I've been lucky to even get a screener. Most applications have been targeted and I have done the usual reaching out to alum/connections etc. It's mid-March, school ends in about 7 weeks and I have absolutely no idea what to do if I land nothing at all for the summer. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

1. What's your GPA/curve placement?
2. Has your CSO reviewed your resume/cover letter? Short of bottom 10%, I would be shocked to hear of a T10 having this much bad luck.
3. What background do you have as far as plausible geographies or industry sectors?
4. As a last resort, there is always RAs. What did you do 1L summer?

I would consider if there is anything you can do to make yourself more marketable. Would it be possible to start a joint degree at your school? Could you take time off to become an accountant?

OP here, if I had to estimate, I would say bottom 25%, so clearly grades are a huge reason for the bad luck too if not 90% of it and I accept full responsibility for that, but I was hoping at least some place can get over it and take me on for the summer, be it public interest/firm/government. CSO has reviewed the resume/many cover letters and given approval, 1L summer was spent at a public interest place (think legal aid kind of thing), and geographically, ties to one major market and a home market that would be a secondary market at best, tertiary is probably more accurate. Too late to start a joint degree, and at this point taking time off honestly would probably be worse for me (personal reasons).

Are you really that interested in becoming an attorney? I would seek alternative career paths. Even if you get a job, it sounds like it will be the kind of garbage marked by low pay and a general inability to deal with loan payments.

I picked up a joint degree, will not be practicing law, but make a really decent wage and have a great quality of life.

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, if I had to estimate, I would say bottom 25%, so clearly grades are a huge reason for the bad luck too if not 90% of it and I accept full responsibility for that, but I was hoping at least some place can get over it and take me on for the summer, be it public interest/firm/government. CSO has reviewed the resume/many cover letters and given approval, 1L summer was spent at a public interest place (think legal aid kind of thing), and geographically, ties to one major market and a home market that would be a secondary market at best, tertiary is probably more accurate. Too late to start a joint degree, and at this point taking time off honestly would probably be worse for me (personal reasons).

Try government agencies that usually don't get applications. NYS-PSC, CT-Ethics, DE-Auditor, Commerce-EDA, etc. Really random agencies will take legal interns if they apply, but don't recruit anywhere.

In the same boat as you OP. Top quarter at wustl, only sent about 500 out so I got some catching up to do, but not having any luck either.

What joint degrees are ppl getting? Macc, MBA, MPH/MHA?

Anonymous User wrote:In the same boat as you OP. Top quarter at wustl, only sent about 500 out so I got some catching up to do, but not having any luck either.

What joint degrees are ppl getting? Macc, MBA, MPH/MHA?

Alot of people do the accounting thing, to varying levels of success. I don't know how much a MBA really helps people. The other thing is the environment science masters for people looking to the environmental/energy law fields.

I did the MLIS for academic law library work.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:In the same boat as you OP. Top quarter at wustl, only sent about 500 out so I got some catching up to do, but not having any luck either.

What joint degrees are ppl getting? Macc, MBA, MPH/MHA?

Alot of people do the accounting thing, to varying levels of success. I don't know how much a MBA really helps people. The other thing is the environment science masters for people looking to the environmental/energy law fields.

I did the MLIS for academic law library work.

How do people get into a joint degree for 3L year? That approach seems improbable.

maybe you should start looking for nonlegal jobs and see if you have any good law school exit options

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, if I had to estimate, I would say bottom 25%, so clearly grades are a huge reason for the bad luck too if not 90% of it and I accept full responsibility for that, but I was hoping at least some place can get over it and take me on for the summer, be it public interest/firm/government. CSO has reviewed the resume/many cover letters and given approval, 1L summer was spent at a public interest place (think legal aid kind of thing), and geographically, ties to one major market and a home market that would be a secondary market at best, tertiary is probably more accurate. Too late to start a joint degree, and at this point taking time off honestly would probably be worse for me (personal reasons).

Why have you not been able to get anything in public interest? Are you personalizing your cover letters at all? Your grades really shouldn't matter to PI employers.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:In the same boat as you OP. Top quarter at wustl, only sent about 500 out so I got some catching up to do, but not having any luck either.

What joint degrees are ppl getting? Macc, MBA, MPH/MHA?

Alot of people do the accounting thing, to varying levels of success. I don't know how much a MBA really helps people. The other thing is the environment science masters for people looking to the environmental/energy law fields.

I did the MLIS for academic law library work.

How do people get into a joint degree for 3L year? That approach seems improbable.

Alot of schools are offering free/ reduced price programs to kids who can't find jobs. Anything ranging from LLMs and MBAs to joing degrees. I think accounting is defenitely the route to take.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:In the same boat as you OP. Top quarter at wustl, only sent about 500 out so I got some catching up to do, but not having any luck either.

What joint degrees are ppl getting? Macc, MBA, MPH/MHA?

Alot of people do the accounting thing, to varying levels of success. I don't know how much a MBA really helps people. The other thing is the environment science masters for people looking to the environmental/energy law fields.

I did the MLIS for academic law library work.

How do people get into a joint degree for 3L year? That approach seems improbable.

I did it 2L (the program was 3 1/2 years), but there were people that started the joint degree 3L. Just a matter of harassing university bureaucrats and getting things done.

Perhaps it would be more difficult to do this for a MBA, because of the higher admission requirements (getting GMAT scores in line, etc).

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, if I had to estimate, I would say bottom 25%, so clearly grades are a huge reason for the bad luck too if not 90% of it and I accept full responsibility for that, but I was hoping at least some place can get over it and take me on for the summer, be it public interest/firm/government. CSO has reviewed the resume/many cover letters and given approval, 1L summer was spent at a public interest place (think legal aid kind of thing), and geographically, ties to one major market and a home market that would be a secondary market at best, tertiary is probably more accurate. Too late to start a joint degree, and at this point taking time off honestly would probably be worse for me (personal reasons).

Try government agencies that usually don't get applications. NYS-PSC, CT-Ethics, DE-Auditor, Commerce-EDA, etc. Really random agencies will take legal interns if they apply, but don't recruit anywhere.

any advice on how to find agencies like these that may be hiring?

Anonymous User wrote:

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, if I had to estimate, I would say bottom 25%, so clearly grades are a huge reason for the bad luck too if not 90% of it and I accept full responsibility for that, but I was hoping at least some place can get over it and take me on for the summer, be it public interest/firm/government. CSO has reviewed the resume/many cover letters and given approval, 1L summer was spent at a public interest place (think legal aid kind of thing), and geographically, ties to one major market and a home market that would be a secondary market at best, tertiary is probably more accurate. Too late to start a joint degree, and at this point taking time off honestly would probably be worse for me (personal reasons).

Try government agencies that usually don't get applications. NYS-PSC, CT-Ethics, DE-Auditor, Commerce-EDA, etc. Really random agencies will take legal interns if they apply, but don't recruit anywhere.

any advice on how to find agencies like these that may be hiring?

Always this: https://www.law.arizona.edu/career/GovH ... ntents.cfm But there are only scraps left there.

Nonprofits: http://www.law.arizona.edu/publicpolicy ... Intern.cfm Fair amount of deadlines in Apr.

Anonymous User wrote:

LawIdiot86 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, if I had to estimate, I would say bottom 25%, so clearly grades are a huge reason for the bad luck too if not 90% of it and I accept full responsibility for that, but I was hoping at least some place can get over it and take me on for the summer, be it public interest/firm/government. CSO has reviewed the resume/many cover letters and given approval, 1L summer was spent at a public interest place (think legal aid kind of thing), and geographically, ties to one major market and a home market that would be a secondary market at best, tertiary is probably more accurate. Too late to start a joint degree, and at this point taking time off honestly would probably be worse for me (personal reasons).

Try government agencies that usually don't get applications. NYS-PSC, CT-Ethics, DE-Auditor, Commerce-EDA, etc. Really random agencies will take legal interns if they apply, but don't recruit anywhere.

any advice on how to find agencies like these that may be hiring?

Go on your CSO or library's website and pull up the online resource known as the Yellow Book, also called the Leadership Directories. Then use the organizational search feature to pull up orgs with your interest area. Go down to the bureau or department level and call/email the administrative or HR contact or an alum of your school. It takes awhile, but there isn't an easier way.

Anonymous User wrote:Currently a 2L at a T10 school, below median, have probably sent at least 1000+ apps minimum if not more, from public interest to government and to firms of all sizes, small to large, and have had very little luck. Since about November, I've been lucky to even get a screener. Most applications have been targeted and I have done the usual reaching out to alum/connections etc. It's mid-March, school ends in about 7 weeks and I have absolutely no idea what to do if I land nothing at all for the summer. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

A friend of mine is a 2L top 20% at Rutgers/Brooklyn/StJohns)/Seton Hall. He just landed a gig. All hope is not lost. Keep trying.

I'm in the same boat (roughly) as the OP, but at a T20

Sux!

The only difference is that my grades aren't terrible - but not good. My last three semesters were 3.0, 2.9, and 3.7. It all comes out to a 3.11. I think that's a little below curve, which is around 3.2. I know it will go higher after this semester, since I finally figured out law school in my third semester and I am doing the same things now. But, alas, too little too late come summer time.

Presently, I need to land something legal. I have hundreds of apps out, but nothing has worked. I have even applied to things for no pay, but to no avail. It's discouraging that I've never applied to a job I didn't get before law school. Now it has happened hundreds of times over. I can't even give my work away for free now. Fail!

[quote="Anonymous User"]I'm in the same boat (roughly) as the OP, but at a T20




I know people getting jobs as we speak at smaller firms so there are jobs to be had that pay and are not crap.