Top Law Schools

Will I have problems during OCI? If so, how do I mitigate?

Also, will it be tough for me to get into litigation?

Edit: I'm at either NU or Duke. Thanks for any advice!

You are anon, specify which school.

ajaxconstructions wrote:You are anon, specify which school.

Isn't lower T14 sufficient?

One of Duke, Cornell, NU, GT

Sorry, prefer to keep this info anon (and I have a pretty good reason for doing so)

Anonymous User wrote:

ajaxconstructions wrote:You are anon, specify which school.

Isn't lower T14 sufficient?

One of Duke, Cornell, NU, GT

Sorry, prefer to keep this info anon (and I have a pretty good reason for doing so)

You're already anonymous.

Bildungsroman wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

ajaxconstructions wrote:You are anon, specify which school.

Isn't lower T14 sufficient?

One of Duke, Cornell, NU, GT

Sorry, prefer to keep this info anon (and I have a pretty good reason for doing so)

You're already anonymous.

This shit is always ridiculous. If they're top third at Cornell they're nearly certain to have a journal, or a least a reason for not having done so, and more than half the class did moot court. Someone at GULC wouldn't be that paranoid about staying anon since the school is the size of an average city. So Duke or NU- and those have very different sorts of answers attached.

Without more information, I'd be surprised if anyone can give you anything helpful. What on earth are you so paranoid about?

.

What can you do? Apply for jobs like no other, get higher grades, contact people at firms....

Being on moot court/journal (not law review) is all great, but it's kids stuff. It isn't relevant experience. At some schools every person is on journal or moot court.

Since you aint on it, focus on things you do have - a hard science degree from HYS, IP patent bar, etc....

Anonymous User wrote:I'm not OP, but I'm also top third lower T14 with no journal or moot court. I go to Georgetown and am gunning for IP. I regret not doing write-on; I am really poor and needed to work during the competition and will also work in the fall.
...
Will firms understand the money thing, i.e. needing to work through write-on and during the school year?

Oh yeah, also URM.

We're all poor, we are all in insane amounts of debt, and many of us were working during write-on but still participated. I think these will come across as very poor excuses, to be honest. However, if you were working to support other people, that's a different story... although it won't reflect well on your work ethic that you were unable to work AND do write-on.

I certainly wouldn't bring it up unless you're asked. And get rid of the poverty card, we're law students...

"very poor excuses" ba-dum-ch

Anonymous User wrote:

ajaxconstructions wrote:You are anon, specify which school.

Isn't lower T14 sufficient?One of Duke, Cornell, NU, GT

Sorry, prefer to keep this info anon (and I have a pretty good reason for doing so)

Not at all. News flash, law firms do not hire based on US news rankings.

Arbiter213 wrote:

Bildungsroman wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

ajaxconstructions wrote:You are anon, specify which school.

Isn't lower T14 sufficient?

One of Duke, Cornell, NU, GT

Sorry, prefer to keep this info anon (and I have a pretty good reason for doing so)

You're already anonymous.

This shit is always ridiculous. If they're top third at Cornell they're nearly certain to have a journal, or a least a reason for not having done so, and more than half the class did moot court. Someone at GULC wouldn't be that paranoid about staying anon since the school is the size of an average city. So Duke or NU- and those have very different sorts of answers attached.

Without more information, I'd be surprised if anyone can give you anything helpful. What on earth are you so paranoid about?

How are Duke and NU different, out of curiosity? (I ask this as a NU student.)

Anonymous User wrote: How are Duke and NU different, out of curiosity? (I ask this as a NU student.)

NU has a higher Big Law placement percentage than Duke. Top third at NU is likely slightly better off than top third at Duke in terms of Big Law placement. Full disclosure: I am basing this purely off LST numbers.

Icculus wrote:

Anonymous User wrote: How are Duke and NU different, out of curiosity? (I ask this as a NU student.)

NU has a higher Big Law placement percentage than Duke. Top third at NU is likely slightly better off than top third at Duke in terms of Big Law placement. Full disclosure: I am basing this purely off LST numbers.

Probably true overall but only because of the Chicago, home-town market advantage. In NYC, top third at any of MVDCN is probably pretty much the same.

lawyerwannabe wrote:

Icculus wrote:

Anonymous User wrote: How are Duke and NU different, out of curiosity? (I ask this as a NU student.)

NU has a higher Big Law placement percentage than Duke. Top third at NU is likely slightly better off than top third at Duke in terms of Big Law placement. Full disclosure: I am basing this purely off LST numbers.

Probably true overall but only because of the Chicago, home-town market advantage. In NYC, top third at any of MVDCN is probably pretty much the same.

The reasons why are irrelevant, no one is claiming that the placement difference means NU is a "better" school. What they are saying is that if someone wants information on their potential biglaw placement, a distinction exists, and the double anonymity cloak (anon poster refusing to divulge info) prevents that and is pretty ridiculous.

Edited to add I think the school also makes more of a difference because if you are somewhere where everyone is either on a journal or moot, then you look lazy and you are hurt by that more in relation to your peers than you would be a school wehre non-participation is more common.

splitmuch wrote:
Edited to add I think the school also makes more of a difference because if you are somewhere where everyone is either on a journal or moot, then you look lazy and you are hurt by that more in relation to your peers than you would be a school wehre non-participation is more common.

This is also important. For example, at NU we are consistently told if you want a journal you can basically get on a journal, it may not be LR but it is something. In fact almost every upperclassman I met during 1L was on a journal.

OP here, does anyone have good advice on what to do if I went to Duke or NU and will not be on a journal?

For either school, am I out of the running for a career in litigation?

bump

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, does anyone have good advice on what to do if I went to Duke or NU and will not be on a journal?

For either school, am I out of the running for a career in litigation?

What can you do? Apply for jobs like no other, get higher grades, contact people at firms....

Being on moot court/journal (not law review) is all great, but it's kids stuff. It isn't relevant experience. At some schools every person is on journal or moot court.

Since you aint on it, focus on things you do have - a hard science degree from HYS, IP patent bar, etc....

I agree it's silly not to name a school. No journal at NU makes you look lazy when everyone has a journal. No journal at another school might be NBD.

In any case, top 1/3 at either NU or Duke is fine for big law. Your goal at this point is to get into the firm you want. You have a shot at every V10 minus WLRK, CSM and S&C, maybe DPW. You could get Skadden or Kirkland with a great interview, or strike out entirely if you have a bad personality.

rayiner wrote:I agree it's silly not to name a school. No journal at NU makes you look lazy when everyone has a journal. No journal at another school might be NBD.

It's the same at Duke: anyone who wants a journal gets a journal. Though if OP uses his bids wisely and doesn't expose himself in interviews, I feel like he'll still get something.