UChicago OCI 2012 Forum

[Anonymous User]

edit - nvm just figured it out

[JollyGreenGiant]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

Firm, # of interview slots
Sidley Austin LLP 84
Latham & Watkins LLP 61
Schiff Hardin LLP 45
McDermott Will & Emery 63
Winston & Strawn LLP 42
Perkins Coie LLP 21
Pircher Nichols & Meeks 21
Kirkland & Ellis LLP 84
Holland & Knight LLP 21
Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP 42
Mayer Brown LLP 63
Paul Hastings LLP 31
SNR Denton US LLP 21
DLA Piper LLP (US) 21
Ropes & Gray LLP 21
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP 84
Jones Day 42
Reed Smith LLP 21
K&L Gates LLP 21
Jenner & Block LLP 63
Baker & McKenzie 21
Goldberg Kohn 42
Foley & Lardner LLP 42
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP 42
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP 37
Quarles & Brady 21
Greenberg Traurig 21
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP 21
Dykema Gossett PLLC 21
McGuireWoods LLP 21
Bryan Cave LLP 21
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP 21
Chapman and Cutler LLP 21
Locke Lord Bissell 10
Vedder Price PC 21
Faegre Baker Daniels LLP 21

There's nothing wrong with your selection of firms, but expect to get fewer interviews based on your bidding if your class is anything like mine. You'd get Sidley/McDermott/Latham/Kirkland if you dropped them lower purely based on the slots available. As it stands, you almost certainly won't get Katten/Baker/Ropes/etc.

[Jay W. Weatherman]

If you are interested in two markets for the same firm, and they have that symbol that says they are sharing interviewing, do you just ranking them one after the other?

ie
1. Latham& Watkins Chicago
2. Latham & Watkins NY

Will the system know that your number 3 is your true number 2?

I don't believe so, but my memory is a little fuzzy on how it works. It's a weird setup since if you get the bid for the Chicago interview, the New York one will just disappear, but if Chicago gets full before you get to it you can still grab an interview through NY.

One unsolicited piece of advice I wish I had gotten: I feel like the office of the person interviewing you matters a tremendous amount. A Chicago associate/partner probably knows very little about the New York office and what "fit" would work. They know their own office so it's easy to bring someone along because they like them, but I feel like they'd be more inclined to just pass on stronger candidates on paper if they're interviewing for an office they don't know. A related point: If a firm has associates from both NY and Chi (or any market) interviewing it's going to be hard to convince the New York-based associate to get you a callback in Chicago since the Chicago-based associate is already going to have a quota they're planning on meeting and you're going to have to be special to get added into that total (relatively) blindly.

[Emma.]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

Based on last year, bidding only Chicago was a kinda risky move for folks at median.

[Anonymous User]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

Your top four seem really high considering they have over 40 slots each. You could probably move them down and move up some of the firms with less interview slots.

NYC, whether or not it appeals to you, sounds like it might be a good decision as a second market. And NYC biglaw always > unemployment. Unless maybe you grew up in Chicago, in which case you have a better shot than the typical median student.

[Anonymous User]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

Your top four seem really high considering they have over 40 slots each. You could probably move them down and move up some of the firms with less interview slots.

NYC, whether or not it appeals to you, sounds like it might be a good decision as a second market. And NYC biglaw always > unemployment. Unless maybe you grew up in Chicago, in which case you have a better shot than the typical median student.

Thanks everyone! I do have strong ties to Chicago, but I will be mixing in some NYC firms as well, just to be safe(r). Suggestions on which NYC firms would be particularly good bid choices?

[Anonymous User]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

Based on last year, bidding only Chicago was a kinda risky move for folks at median.

My avg GPA is 179 and on secondary journal. Like the anon above, I was planning on bidding exclusively Chi. Can I do so without it being risky or should I also bid for a couple for NYC firms in my top 20?

[USAIRS]

A related point: If a firm has associates from both NY and Chi (or any market) interviewing it's going to be hard to convince the New York-based associate to get you a callback in Chicago since the Chicago-based associate is already going to have a quota they're planning on meeting and you're going to have to be special to get added into that total (relatively) blindly.

On this, I can't be sure, but I was under the impression that, where an interviewer is doing double duty for two offices like NY and Chicago, expressing a preference for the former effectively diminished your ability to get the latter. I had chalked it up to the idea that you basically let Chicago (in this example) know that they are a fall back and you have no intention of staying.

This can be particularly bad in the reverse, if you express a preference for the more difficult market (which you won't get in any circumstance) and tell them that NY is secondary (causing NY to pass on you because you obviously don't prefer to live there, which their egos can't handle).

This matters less if your grades are good, of course.

And 179 is really good. Expect an offer from at least one of your top choices.

[Anonymous User]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

Based on last year, bidding only Chicago was a kinda risky move for folks at median.

My avg GPA is 179 and on secondary journal. Like the anon above, I was planning on bidding exclusively Chi. Can I do so without it being risky or should I also bid for a couple for NYC firms in my top 20?

179 is a strong average which makes you a competitive candidate for some great Chicago firms. With that said, I would sprinkle in some of the larger NYC firms in the top 20. I think OCS said to expect getting something like 12-15 of our top 20 so I would throw 3 or 4 NYC firms in the late teens to make sure you get to interview with at least a couple of them.

[Emma.]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

Based on last year, bidding only Chicago was a kinda risky move for folks at median.

My avg GPA is 179 and on secondary journal. Like the anon above, I was planning on bidding exclusively Chi. Can I do so without it being risky or should I also bid for a couple for NYC firms in my top 20?

179 is a strong average which makes you a competitive candidate for some great Chicago firms. With that said, I would sprinkle in some of the larger NYC firms in the top 20. I think OCS said to expect getting something like 12-15 of our top 20 so I would throw 3 or 4 NYC firms in the late teens to make sure you get to interview with at least a couple of them.

With a 179 you are in a very different position. If you really want some safeties, you could bid NYC, but you will be very competetive for Chicago offices. You can always do NYC screeners then turn down/cancel callbacks once the Chicago callbacks start to roll in.

[JollyGreenGiant]

High 178-low 179 definitely puts you competitive everywhere in Chicago. But it also can be a weird middle spot where some firms won't give a CB because your grades are too high while others won't give a callback because they are looking for higher grades or good work experience. Unless you have special softs or some work experience, I would recommend a couple fall back NYC firms to be safe.

[badaboom61]

High 178-low 179 definitely puts you competitive everywhere in Chicago. But it also can be a weird middle spot where some firms won't give a CB because your grades are too high while others won't give a callback because they are looking for higher grades or good work experience. Unless you have special softs or some work experience, I would recommend a couple fall back NYC firms to be safe.

I've never heard of firms YPing before. Which Chicago firms do this?

[JollyGreenGiant]

Complete guess.

[Anonymous User]

I've never heard of firms YPing before. Which Chicago firms do this?

It definitely happens. There were firms at OCI last year that turned away every single person with Law-Review-level grades who did an interview with them.

[gyarados]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

(bid list)

If you're willing to bid firms that say they want a 178 high, why is Skadden so far down? Aside from Kirkland and Sidley, there's no one clearly better for corporate in Chicago.

[Anonymous User]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

(bid list)

If you're willing to bid firms that say they want a 178 high, why is Skadden so far down? Aside from Kirkland and Sidley, there's no one clearly better for corporate in Chicago.

I've been told from attorneys that are ostensibly in-the-know that as a satellite office, workflow at Skadden Chicago has been very slow lately.

[Anonymous User]

I would also appreciate any advice on my bidlist. Right at median, looking only at Chicago firms and leaning towards corporate/transactional. Thank you!

(bid list)

If you're willing to bid firms that say they want a 178 high, why is Skadden so far down? Aside from Kirkland and Sidley, there's no one clearly better for corporate in Chicago.

I've been told from attorneys that are ostensibly in-the-know that as a satellite office, workflow at Skadden Chicago has been very slow lately.

I've heard the same thing, even from people inside Skadden Chicago.

[gyarados]

I've been told from attorneys that are ostensibly in-the-know that as a satellite office, workflow at Skadden Chicago has been very slow lately.

I've heard the same thing, even from people inside Skadden Chicago.

Yeah me too. But it doesn't mean that you should take Mayer or Winston over Skadden if those are the three offers you have.

[Anonymous User]

.

[Anonymous User]

I've been told from attorneys that are ostensibly in-the-know that as a satellite office, workflow at Skadden Chicago has been very slow lately.

I've heard the same thing, even from people inside Skadden Chicago.

Yeah me too. But it doesn't mean that you should take Mayer or Winston over Skadden if those are the three offers you have.

Meh. In Chicago, it's Kirkland >> Sidley > Everyone else; at that point, you might as well take whichever of the three you liked best on your cb.

[Anonymous User]

for the firms that request cover letters (e.g. Paul Hastings, dla piper, Katten, Faegre Baker Daniels), do we submit these on Symplicity while bidding or do we just bring them to the OCI interview?

[Jay W. Weatherman]

for the firms that request cover letters (e.g. Paul Hastings, DLA Piper, Katten, Faegre Baker Daniels), do we submit these on Symplicity while bidding or do we just bring them to the OCI interview?

I brought mine to the interview last year, as did most of my classmates who were frantically banging one out in the lobby of Booth because they forgot to do it ahead of time. I don't think the interviewers actually read them.

[Anonymous User]

for the firms that request cover letters (e.g. Paul Hastings, DLA Piper, Katten, Faegre Baker Daniels), do we submit these on Symplicity while bidding or do we just bring them to the OCI interview?

I brought mine to the interview last year, as did most of my classmates who were frantically banging one out in the lobby of Booth because they forgot to do it ahead of time. I don't think the interviewers actually read them.

And that's why you always write a cover letter!

[a11 1n]

The Important Dates sheet for OCI says we will not get our bid results back until August 10th...is that true? Why so long to have a computer run an algorithm? Bleh.

[gyarados]

The Important Dates sheet for OCI says we will not get our bid results back until August 10th...is that true? Why so long to have a computer run an algorithm? Bleh.

5 minutes to run the program; a week for OCS to figure out three ways they can fuck it up afterwards.