Kansas City Legal Market Forum

[letsdoit]

Would appreciate someone if someone fairly familiar with the KC biglaw market would PM me. I have some questions I've been unable to find the answers to. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Would appreciate someone if someone fairly familiar with the KC biglaw market would PM me. I have some questions I've been unable to find the answers to. Thanks!

I'm interested in this topic as well, if you'd like to ask your questions here rather than PM

[Anonymous User]

I'm also interested in this topic as I'm currently in jobsearch mode for a 2L SA. I'll just ask some of my own questions:

How important are ties to the area? I'm at Iowa which has a strong alumni network in KC. I have a lot of family in KC, but not immediate family. I also have some good buddies living there. I go down there and visit quite a bit and am confident I'd like to live there. Is that enough to go on? KC is my legit #1 target market, so I want to make sure I convincingly express this.

Any information on lifestyle at the major firms? (I'm particularly thinking of Polsinelli, Lathrop & Gage, Shook, Spencer, Stinson...I feel like BC might be an outlier in terms of a traditional "biglaw" type of lifestyle, but I'm not sure). Any insight into these firms?

Any information on CB/offer ratios? I noticed from browsing around TLS that in the past Polsinelli in particular has interviewed a lot of candidates while only extending a few offers. Credited or rumor? Not that this would be an usual practice at a major firm.

Anyone want to weigh in on chances? at least top 25%/secondary journal. Would rather not say too much more.

[Anonymous User]

I'm also interested in this topic as I'm currently in jobsearch mode for a 2L SA. I'll just ask some of my own questions:

How important are ties to the area? I'm at Iowa which has a strong alumni network in KC. I have a lot of family in KC, but not immediate family. I also have some good buddies living there. I go down there and visit quite a bit and am confident I'd like to live there. Is that enough to go on? KC is my legit #1 target market, so I want to make sure I convincingly express this.

Any information on lifestyle at the major firms? (I'm particularly thinking of Polsinelli, Lathrop & Gage, Shook, Spencer, Stinson...I feel like BC might be an outlier in terms of a traditional "biglaw" type of lifestyle, but I'm not sure). Any insight into these firms?

Any information on CB/offer ratios? I noticed from browsing around TLS that in the past Polsinelli in particular has interviewed a lot of candidates while only extending a few offers. Credited or rumor? Not that this would be an usual practice at a major firm.

Anyone want to weigh in on chances? at least top 25%/secondary journal. Would rather not say too much more.

What do you mean by BC being an outlier? I have some experience there and think it's a good firm (not KC office, by the way..)

[Anonymous User]

I'm also interested in this topic as I'm currently in jobsearch mode for a 2L SA. I'll just ask some of my own questions:

How important are ties to the area? I'm at Iowa which has a strong alumni network in KC. I have a lot of family in KC, but not immediate family. I also have some good buddies living there. I go down there and visit quite a bit and am confident I'd like to live there. Is that enough to go on? KC is my legit #1 target market, so I want to make sure I convincingly express this.

Any information on lifestyle at the major firms? (I'm particularly thinking of Polsinelli, Lathrop & Gage, Shook, Spencer, Stinson...I feel like BC might be an outlier in terms of a traditional "biglaw" type of lifestyle, but I'm not sure). Any insight into these firms?

Any information on CB/offer ratios? I noticed from browsing around TLS that in the past Polsinelli in particular has interviewed a lot of candidates while only extending a few offers. Credited or rumor? Not that this would be an usual practice at a major firm.

Anyone want to weigh in on chances? at least top 25%/secondary journal. Would rather not say too much more.

ties are super important...i've been questioned on whether or not i really want to return since i went to ug and law school out of state, even though my family still lives there and i worked there this past summer.

[Anonymous User]

I guess what I mean is, I've heard anecdotal stories (AKA rumors) that their expectations as far as workload/ hours are closer in line to that of a large Chicago or NYC firm. Any truth to this? I also read on TLS while lurking that it is not uncommon for them to hire more 2L SA's than they need, and expect them to compete for permanent offers. It is my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, that it is more common for Midwest firms to hire approximately the number of SA's as they anticipate hiring permanently. Does this mesh with your experiences with BC? It may be helpful despite the fact that you weren't in KC.

[Anonymous User]

I guess what I mean is, I've heard anecdotal stories (AKA rumors) that their expectations as far as workload/ hours are closer in line to that of a large Chicago or NYC firm. Any truth to this? I also read on TLS while lurking that it is not uncommon for them to hire more 2L SA's than they need, and expect them to compete for permanent offers. It is my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, that it is more common for Midwest firms to hire approximately the number of SA's as they anticipate hiring permanently. Does this mesh with your experiences with BC? It may be helpful despite the fact that you weren't in KC.

cant speak to the past, but i've heard from several current BC KC SAs that the firm told them in advance that as long as no one had a major screw up, everyone would be getting an offer.

im also interested in the hours question-NALP lists their requirements as 1900, more or less on par with most other KC firms.

[Anonymous User]

I'm also interested in this topic as I'm currently in jobsearch mode for a 2L SA. I'll just ask some of my own questions:

How important are ties to the area? I'm at Iowa which has a strong alumni network in KC. I have a lot of family in KC, but not immediate family. I also have some good buddies living there. I go down there and visit quite a bit and am confident I'd like to live there. Is that enough to go on? KC is my legit #1 target market, so I want to make sure I convincingly express this.

Any information on lifestyle at the major firms? (I'm particularly thinking of Polsinelli, Lathrop & Gage, Shook, Spencer, Stinson...I feel like BC might be an outlier in terms of a traditional "biglaw" type of lifestyle, but I'm not sure). Any insight into these firms?

Any information on CB/offer ratios? I noticed from browsing around TLS that in the past Polsinelli in particular has interviewed a lot of candidates while only extending a few offers. Credited or rumor? Not that this would be an usual practice at a major firm.

Anyone want to weigh in on chances? at least top 25%/secondary journal. Would rather not say too much more.

ties are super important...i've been questioned on whether or not i really want to return since i went to ug and law school out of state, even though my family still lives there and i worked there this past summer.

+1. I was raised in KC, all of my family lives there, and I'm working there this summer, and I've still gotten grilled in every interview I do because I went to a T14 for law school.

Regarding lifestyle, it hasn't been my impression that Bryan Cave is more traditionally biglaw than any of the others. The only firm I've heard about being worse than any other is Husch (I've heard the term "sweatshop" used by two separate, unrelated sources).

[ajeasley]

Which schools generally provide the placement opportunities for biglaw in KC? Assuming ties to the area are equal, would someone be better off going to a T14 or one of the local second tier schools, and if so, which one(s)?

[Anonymous User]

Which schools generally provide the placement opportunities for biglaw in KC? Assuming ties to the area are equal, would someone be better off going to a T14 or one of the local second tier schools, and if so, which one(s)?

I'm at V, and I know we place into BC in KC.

[Anonymous User]

Which schools generally provide the placement opportunities for biglaw in KC? Assuming ties to the area are equal, would someone be better off going to a T14 or one of the local second tier schools, and if so, which one(s)?

I'm at V, and I know we place into BC in KC.

At a T20 (not WUSTL) and we also place into BC KC.

[Anonymous User]

Which schools generally provide the placement opportunities for biglaw in KC? Assuming ties to the area are equal, would someone be better off going to a T14 or one of the local second tier schools, and if so, which one(s)?

I'm at V, and I know we place into BC in KC.

Ha, I'm also at V. Sort of surprised there's more than one of us here.

To ajeasley: almost everyone I've met in KC biglaw has come from KU, Mizzou, UMKC, WUSTL, or a T14. A few random other schools. But it seems like your grades have to be fantastic from the state schools.

[ajeasley]

Thanks for the information; it sounds like what I was expecting.

I'm currently in the military and won't be applying to schools for several years, but my wife is from the area and I love the city. Would it be safe to assume it would be a very difficult market to break into, even from a T14?

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for the information; it sounds like what I was expecting.

I'm currently in the military and won't be applying to schools for several years, but my wife is from the area and I love the city. Would it be safe to assume it would be a very difficult market to break into, even from a T14?

not necessarily. if you have the ties (and I know someone who is an SA at a major biglaw firm there and his only tie to KC is his significant other), my experience is you don't have to do nearly as well as going to a local school. for example someone from my t20 is above, but not that far above median and has an SA in the city.

[Anonymous User]

anyone have any insight on Polsinelli?

[Myself]

.

[target]

probably firms that pay market, which is about $100K, right?

[Anonymous User]

probably firms that pay market, which is about $100K, right?

its my understanding that polsinelli and BC pay the most (115), then shook pays 110, and the rest are either 105 or 100.

[Anonymous User]

Shook pays 5k above market i believe, they also have the highest avg partner pay in kc--but they're mostly litigation and I've heard that transactional people don't stand a chance there.

[target]

does anyone know what the cost of living in KC is? How does it compared to MN since MN firms pay around $125?

[pertristis]

does anyone know what the cost of living in KC is? How does it compared to MN since MN firms pay around $125?

Extremely reasonable. Lived in KC and the surrounding area for years, and it's extremely affordable.

[Anonymous User]

Shook pays 5k above market i believe, they also have the highest avg partner pay in kc--but they're mostly litigation and I've heard that transactional people don't stand a chance there.

shook is basically products liability litigation.

[Roberts8000]

Which schools generally provide the placement opportunities for biglaw in KC? Assuming ties to the area are equal, would someone be better off going to a T14 or one of the local second tier schools, and if so, which one(s)?

Whether you come from a T14 school or not, ties to the area are important. If you go to a T14 and have ties to the area, that's great. You'll still get grilled about your commitment to KC because with so many candidates out there for so few positions, firms want to make sure that they're investing one of their slots in someone who will return.

[Anonymous User]

Which schools generally provide the placement opportunities for biglaw in KC? Assuming ties to the area are equal, would someone be better off going to a T14 or one of the local second tier schools, and if so, which one(s)?

Whether you come from a T14 school or not, ties to the area are important. If you go to a T14 and have ties to the area, that's great. You'll still get grilled about your commitment to KC because with so many candidates out there for so few positions, firms want to make sure that they're investing one of their slots in someone who will return.

cbs from BC, Husch, Shook and Polsinelli.

[Anonymous User]

Which schools generally provide the placement opportunities for biglaw in KC? Assuming ties to the area are equal, would someone be better off going to a T14 or one of the local second tier schools, and if so, which one(s)?

Whether you come from a T14 school or not, ties to the area are important. If you go to a T14 and have ties to the area, that's great. You'll still get grilled about your commitment to KC because with so many candidates out there for so few positions, firms want to make sure that they're investing one of their slots in someone who will return.

cbs from BC, Husch, Shook and Polsinelli.

congrats! can you share how you got them? through OCI? Mass mail? or Job fairs?