Top Law Schools

So here's the first draft of my bid list, ready for your review/advice/insults. (The (#) next to each firm is that firm's available interview slots).

About me: Duke, ~3.5 (~top third), secondary journal, aiming for corporate. Among firms coming to OCI, I have interviews through a separate interview program with Sidley, Skadden, and Jones Day, so I'm not bidding on those firms here.


1. Latham & Watkins LLP (Chicago, IL) (10)
2. Dechert, LLP (New York, NY) (21)
3. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP (New York, NY) (21)
4. proskauer rose llp (New York, NY) (21)
5. Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP (New York, NY) (21)
6. Shearman & Sterling LLP (New York, NY) (42)
7. Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP (New York, NY) (63)
8. Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP (New York, NY) (42)
9. Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, LLP (New York, NY) (84)
10. Holland & Knight, LLP (Chicago, IL) (21)
11. White & Case LLP (New York, NY) (42)
12. Hughes Hubbard & Reed, LLP (New York, NY) (21)
13. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP (New York, NY) (19)
14. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, LLP (New York, NY) (42)
15. Vinson & Elkins LLP (New York, NY) (42)
16. paul hastings llp (Chicago, IL) (105)
17. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (New York, NY) (63)
18. Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP (New York, NY) (21)
19. Wilmer Hale LLP (New York, NY) (21)
20. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (New York, NY) (21)
21. Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP (New York, NY) (21)
22. Davis Polk & Wardwell (New York, NY) (63)
23. Allen & Overy, LLP (New York, NY) (21)
24. hogan lovells US LLP (New York, NY) (21)
25. Linklaters LLP (New York, NY) (42)
26. Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP (New York, NY) (21)
27. Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, LLP (New York, NY) (21)
28. Seward & Kissel LLP (New York, NY) (21)
29. Foley & Lardner LLP (Chicago, IL) (42)
30. Perkins Coie, LLP (Chicago, IL) (21)
31. Ropes & Gray, LLP (Chicago, IL) (42)

I do not understand the logic of the first 3 bids going to Chicago. You can probably hit chicago lower, right?
Top 3 should be firms that all the median Duke students would bid at. Also, if you are interested in Chicago, why not bid on Chicago based firms since they are bound to have the bigger Chicago classes (Sidley, Kirkland, Winston etc)

Yeah, that's probably a good call; I doubt many people will be aiming for Chicago from Duke. There aren't any other Chicago firms I can bid, though: I'm already interviewing with Sidley, Kirkland is doing resume collect, and Winston recently pulled their Chicago office out of OCI (apparently they're downsizing their summer program this year?).

With 105 slots seems like you could at least knock Paul Hastings quite a bit lower. Do you have info on when it cleared last year? Out of Duke it might not fill until late or at all.

E- Accidental Anon sorry.

Anonymous User wrote:With 105 slots seems like you could at least knock Paul Hastings quite a bit lower. Do you have info on when it cleared last year? Out of Duke it might not fill until late or at all.

E- Accidental Anon sorry.

So the Paul Hastings slots are across 9 offices (including NY and CA), and I wasn't quite sure how that works. Are those slots allocated between offices (e.g. 40 for NYC, 20 for LA, etc.), or are they first-come-first-served? (On second though, this might be a good question for CSO).

If they're first-come-first-served then, yeah, I can push them way, way down. (Maybe flip with Gibson Dunn or White & Case).

Bumping for the Sunday crowd.

How good are your Chicago connections? The absence of Kirkland from your list is really puzzling. Latham has a really small class in Chicago, Skadden's is slightly larger but still small. You should be looking at the other big Chicago firms like Mayer Brown, Winston & Strawn, and Jenner too.

bdubs wrote:How good are your Chicago connections? The absence of Kirkland from your list is really puzzling. Latham has a really small class in Chicago, Skadden's is slightly larger but still small. You should be looking at the other big Chicago firms like Mayer Brown, Winston & Strawn, and Jenner too.

Unfortunately, what you see is what you get in terms of Chicago firms coming to OCI. (Note that I also have interviews with the Chicago offices of Sidley, Skadden, Katten, Jones Day, and Baker & McKenzie through a separate interview program, so I'm not bidding on these firms at OCI). Kirkland is only doing resume collect. Winston pulled their Chicago office from OCI - apparently they're downsizing their summer class this year (?). Not sure whether Mayer and Jenner are doing resume collect, but they're definitely not participating in OCI.

Anonymous User wrote:

bdubs wrote:How good are your Chicago connections? The absence of Kirkland from your list is really puzzling. Latham has a really small class in Chicago, Skadden's is slightly larger but still small. You should be looking at the other big Chicago firms like Mayer Brown, Winston & Strawn, and Jenner too.

Unfortunately, what you see is what you get in terms of Chicago firms coming to OCI. (Note that I also have interviews with the Chicago offices of Sidley, Skadden, Katten, Jones Day, and Baker & McKenzie through a separate interview program, so I'm not bidding on these firms at OCI). Kirkland is only doing resume collect. Winston pulled their Chicago office from OCI - apparently they're downsizing their summer class this year (?). Not sure whether Mayer and Jenner are doing resume collect, but they're definitely not participating in OCI.

Well I guess you have to work with what you've got access to. If you're coming here for OCRP (or equivalent) then you should definitely mail K&E in advance letting them know you will be here then. While you're at it, you might as well mass mail any Chicago firms of interest that aren't doing your OCI or OCRP.

Anonymous User wrote:

bdubs wrote:How good are your Chicago connections? The absence of Kirkland from your list is really puzzling. Latham has a really small class in Chicago, Skadden's is slightly larger but still small. You should be looking at the other big Chicago firms like Mayer Brown, Winston & Strawn, and Jenner too.

Unfortunately, what you see is what you get in terms of Chicago firms coming to OCI. (Note that I also have interviews with the Chicago offices of Sidley, Skadden, Katten, Jones Day, and Baker & McKenzie through a separate interview program, so I'm not bidding on these firms at OCI). Kirkland is only doing resume collect. Winston pulled their Chicago office from OCI - apparently they're downsizing their summer class this year (?). Not sure whether Mayer and Jenner are doing resume collect, but they're definitely not participating in OCI.

Winston pulled from my T14 as well. Anyone have the inside story on them?

bdubs wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

bdubs wrote:How good are your Chicago connections? The absence of Kirkland from your list is really puzzling. Latham has a really small class in Chicago, Skadden's is slightly larger but still small. You should be looking at the other big Chicago firms like Mayer Brown, Winston & Strawn, and Jenner too.

Unfortunately, what you see is what you get in terms of Chicago firms coming to OCI. (Note that I also have interviews with the Chicago offices of Sidley, Skadden, Katten, Jones Day, and Baker & McKenzie through a separate interview program, so I'm not bidding on these firms at OCI). Kirkland is only doing resume collect. Winston pulled their Chicago office from OCI - apparently they're downsizing their summer class this year (?). Not sure whether Mayer and Jenner are doing resume collect, but they're definitely not participating in OCI.

Well I guess you have to work with what you've got access to. If you're coming here for OCRP (or equivalent) then you should definitely mail K&E in advance letting them know you will be here then. While you're at it, you might as well mass mail any Chicago firms of interest that aren't doing your OCI or OCRP.

Yup, planning to do that in the very near future.

LawIdiot86 wrote:Winston pulled from my T14 as well. Anyone have the inside story on them?

I only know that they're planning to "seriously" downsize their SA program this year. Not sure what that means, but it doesn't sound good.

bumpin it up

Bumping for modifications to bid list. Appreciate any and all advice.