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ATL is really grade focused, I'd drop all those firms. you listed a Ft. Laudy firm third, how serious are your ties to Florida? You may want to try to land something + mass mail there where Georgetown name will carry some weight

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SirWilliam1022 wrote:

Ruxin1 wrote:ATL is really grade focused, I'd drop all those firms. you listed a Ft. Laudy firm third, how serious are your ties to Florida? You may want to try to land something + mass mail there where Georgetown name will carry some weight

Dude, you are awesome for reposting this here, too, so that I could restart this thread. Thank you.

Yeah, but seriously ATL is a bloodbath, top 1/3 from Vandy and top 10% from Emory/UGA ppl were missing the ATL boat. I would stick to NYC and secondary markets you have ties, mail every firm in the area.

Thank you. I will definitely follow that advice. Any particular secondary markets have good odds? My deepest connection is to Phoenix, but they are hiring for shit. Their class sizes are like 5 people tops. You mentioned Miami so I will beef up my Miami bids. Also, any firms in particular where you think I may have a fleeting chance?

Don't neglect mass mailing. OCI is going to be a real long shot. So worry about your bids, but worry more about making sure your resume and cover letter end up at EVERY mid-sized firm in EVERY secondary market you have any interest in. Make calls all summer. Do informational interviews with attorneys all summer--literally, you should be on the phone at least once a week. You are going to have to hustle your ass off to get a decent job that with that GPA.

Focus bids on firms with a combination of many interviewing slots + low average GPA.

Go talk to career services. They will have specific advice for specific secondary markets. Don't rely on them, but it's a good resource to use.

Good luck.

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Have you looked at the GULC GPA list for employers? It's on the OCS website. Morgan Lewis in Philly is definitely out of your GPA range, a few others might be as well, but I can't remember off the top of my head.

SirWilliam1022 wrote: As for Miami... I lived there until I was 12 (which does and does not count because I was a kid). I can talk about Hurricane Andrew (I was in the hardest hit part and the roof came off our house) and tie that into a lame - why I want to be a lawyer - piece.

I would like to hear a draft of this explanation. "When I was 12 a hurricane took the roof off our house. I prayed to God that, if he spared us, I would dedicate my life to building churches in Latin America. I survived, but I'd had my fingers crossed so my promise didn't count. That's when I knew I wanted to be a lawyer."

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Jessuf wrote:Does living somewhere as a child count as ties? I'm not sure if you should spend part of your 20 minutes talking about Hurricane Andrew. You'll really want to spend that short amount of time directing attention to what you have done that was law-related (assignments you did at your internship, etc.) and away from your grades. If you really think your Hurricane Andrew story is fabulous, maybe save it for CBs when you have more time to chat.

It is a solid tie when you can convince the listener that you genuinely wants to live and work long term in the area. You can have "ties" without ever setting foot in the area if you know what you are talking about.

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Minus Riker Danzig, some of those NJ offices are tiny as all get out (Pepper Hamilton has a huge summer class in Philly -- in Princeton not so much. Same goes for Dechert. If you want those firms, you need to look at the Philly offices). But aiming for NJ isn't a terrible idea if you have any ties at all there. Day Pitney takes 3 summers and their offer rate is atrocious, but it's probably not a bad place to bid low. I don't know what other NJ firms are coming to GULC OCI this year, but consider adding places like connell foley or Lowenstein Sandler.

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SirWilliam1022 wrote:No story takes more than three or four minutes. The Andrew story is a decent ice breaker. Can also be tied back to if I receive the question - why do you want to be a lawyer.

Well, the hurricane hit, the roof came off of our place, we all almost died, but didn't so that was awesome. Afterwards, though, with the whole community devastated we moved into another place on the other side of town. The AC in that complex was releasing freon into the air. I was only six at the time (my family moved six years later when I was twelve). Damaged my lungs. I had to be on about eigh inhalers and go to the doctor every week. I had water on my lungs for a couple years and some tissue damage. My folks, who never really got their lives together prior, sued the complex (there were a lot of times when we complained about this issue and had it inspected prior to my parents suing the complex). They ultimately won. Took like three years. But more than anything, they had fun just reading and preparing for the case and talking bullshit in the court because they knew they could get away with it given their lack of experience. It was the only time my family ever functioned well.

I don't know. There it is. Is that exactly how I would tell it? No. Is that well written? No. Why? Because it is 1:25 am. (I am just preempting any snarky comments)

hello sir - I can't comment on the bid list because I don't know much about that stuff these days, but I'm a GULC alum and you seem cool (which is good for interview purposes, right?) so I'll comment on this story, which is substantively interesting itself, but I'll just comment on its form for now -

if you're going to convey this story in an OCI interview it will have to be conveyed with significantly fewer details, but still be interesting. something like, hurricane destroyed our lives, i helped sue the complex and ultimately won. realized I enjoyed not just winning, but the three years of work that resulted in winning. THEN try something that ties this with their practice area - e.g., I've found the IP work I've done brings back that same feeling of racking my brain and working hard.

the longer version of the story, which you've written here, if it's ever to be conveyed, should be wiped of its negative aspects (the two that jumped out at me where calling arguing 'bullshit' and mentioning that your family life was bad outside of that time - just say it brought the family together, or, better yet, cut it because your family doesn't define you, which is who they're hiring.)

I realize you weren't looking for comments on this but I wanted to offer some help and this is probably the only area in which I can help. GL, I know some GULCers right at median who got Weil and Wilmer. speaking of Weil, I'd suggest them, since I think they have a reputation for ignoring GPA when it's the right fit - try DC and New York both, I guess?

I realize you weren't looking for comments on this but I wanted to offer some help and this is probably the only area in which I can help. GL, I know some GULCers right at median who got Weil and Wilmer. speaking of Weil, I'd suggest them, since I think they have a reputation for ignoring GPA when it's the right fit - try DC and New York both, I guess?

What year did you graduate? Going off GULCers at median getting Weil, I'm guessing you graduated pre-recession. Having graduated more recently, I assure you Weil and Wilmer are entirely off the table.

Mass mail, OP. Mass mail, network ALL summer, and you MIGHT be able to wrangle an outside chance at a market-paying firm in a secondary market.