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rad lulz wrote:The Big D = Dallas. HTH.

rad lulz wrote:The Big D = Dallas. HTH.

NotMyRealName09 wrote:There are large firms that pay six figures to fresh out of law school associates. I work at one. You have to have good grades (generally), legit ties to the D-town area, and be personable. Most large firms in the area are fairly diversified, with offices in other states and different practice areas, which reflects the reality that to survive, a firm has to either grow or get eaten.

The economy hit some large firms differently than others. Of course, most were tied to the auto industry, and those that failed to stay diverse took a big hit and may have laid off associates / de-equitized partners / hired less SAs / didn't extend as many offers (or any at all). But, that storm seems to have passed, and firms now seem to conduct summer programs similar to before (but most are 10 weeks now - I had a 12 week summer program in summer 2009).

My firm seems to be doing well. And it is a buyer's market for law firms seeking law students - for example, UofM students can't find work in NY anymore, so they now look closer to home. That probably crowds out the market for other Michigan-based law schools to some degree, but we hire from all the local schools (not Cooley though).

More generally, Wayne County is a VERY Plaintiff friendly jurisdiction, so if you want to become a Plaintiff's attorney, Detroit isn't a bad place to work (but there are a TON of Plaintiff's attorneys).

All that said, I must say that my views must be understood in context - I work at a large firm in commercial litigation. The firm is also strong in bankruptcy, corporate, municipal, and healthcare, among other smaller specialties. I really can't speak to the economic strength of small law firms - I just don't know about their financials.

I can say that while I was in Law School (went to MSU College of Law, graduated 2010), I'm aware of highly qualified individuals (grades like mine, Law Review, Dean King Scholars, etc.) who could not secure a job like mine. People who were not top of the class probably had difficulty securing decent paying jobs. Not to mention that Cooley FLOODS the market with incompetent attorneys feeding from the bottom.

Thoughts? Get excellent grades and work hard during law school. And understand with eyes wide open - as it is everywhere now, Law School is a GAMBLE - you might strike it rich, but you could also lose your shirt. And with all gambling, the odds generally are not in your favor.

tedalbany wrote:But see 1:20 of "Mercy" by Kanye West. In this piece, Big Sean proclaims "I gave her that D, cuz that's where I was born and raised in". He is referring to Detroit. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sean. While, at first glance, it may appear Big Sean is referring to Detroit as just "that D" instead of "The big D" - the fact that it is a double entendre necessarily implies he is referring to a "big D". Therefore it only logically follows that Big Sean, a celebrity with considerable impact on popular opinions, further propagates that Detroit is indeed "The Big D".

rad lulz wrote:The Big D = Dallas. HTH.

BallHog wrote:Confused as to why you guys are fighting over the title "The Big D..."

patrickd139 wrote:

BallHog wrote:Confused as to why you guys are fighting over the title "The Big D..."

Mostly because discourse regarding teh job market in DeTTTTroiTTTT is less engaging.

flcath wrote:I did a CB at Honigman, and every attorney I met (sans the hiring partner, who is blonde-haired spray-tanned guy who lateralled from Kirkland Chicago) was from the Detroit metro area. I know a girl who is SA-ing there now who's from North Michigan, where there are no cities for her to run back to.

I just think it's an environment that no one will ever believe you really want to live/stay in unless you're from there. FWIW, if you haven't spent time in the area--and I love to be contrarian, so I hate to side with popular opinion here--it really is quite terrible.