The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls) Forum

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Dec 26, 2022 7:40 pm

Davis Polk Menlo Park posted for 3Ls on my school’s board.


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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Feb 09, 2023 1:37 pm

Any advice for 3L at a T20 school, median student, with still no post-bar job lined up? Ideally want to go into antitrust (end goal of working at DOJ or FTC) but understand that shipped has sailed to practice in that field for my first job post-grad. Have spent a semester with DOJ, summer’s were with smaller plaintiff class actions firms. Great experience, denied return offer because I couldn’t stand the firm/types of cases. Have struck out for any federal government honors position, and just not getting any responses from any firms/judges regarding clerkships. Been networking like crazy, but nothing has come from it. I have heard it’s harder to switch from transactional to litigation for fed government so trying to find something litigation related. Open to moving practically anywhere as long as it’s a larger city post-grad. Thanks for any advice!

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:25 am

@Anon above^

Specialize. I would try to get into ERISA/Employee Benefits law. Apply everywhere you have any ties. If you can get into a small firm, take whatever salary, do that for a few years and then try to lateral to Biglaw.

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by hannahs3 » Sun Jun 25, 2023 2:55 pm

Any advice for when to start cold emailing recruiters for postgrad jobs? Struck out at OCI for 2L. I'm getting mixed messages about waiting until the end of the summer when they know who accepted offers and emailing now to try to get in while spots could still be open.
BTW would be happy with midlaw, I know biglaw is basically impossible at this point.

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 04, 2023 10:53 am

Cold emailing recruiters is just one avenue for you @hannahs3. I would start reaching out to alumni 3-4 years out, ask if you could talk to them about their experiences, meet for coffee in person, ask them for any introductions or plain advice - create a long term relationship with the person you are meeting. Start now. If you are a list person - go through a list of firms with alumni in your area and do 5 introductory emails a day. You may get 1-2 bites, and take the time to meet with them. For me in person worked better, but a phone call may help too. You are trying to get the person on the other side of the table/phone to recognize you are a real person with a real issue they are suited to help with. Network until you ask yourself what the point of it is. Networking is less helpful when dealing with recruiters.

In 3L I would also try getting real experience in the area you want to practice in so that you can sell yourself hard in that area to anyone you speak to. If you push enough in one practice area, seemingly know what you want to do, and have a good pitch for why that area of the law/location, one jr. may know a sr. somewhere else in the same industry and the networking will push you down a road of informal interviews until something shows up.

I graduated without a job lined up, but sold hard in a specific area after networking from 2L and 3L. I had given up on biglaw and midlaw when a jr. reached out to me with an opening in their firm. Position was never even advertised. Got the offer 2 weeks later. The message is there is hope. Let go but don't give up!

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:05 am

Going into 3L with middle of the road grades, an ongoing large transit internship, and lots of school involvement including top 10 in the country trial ad involvement at a regional school in the midwest. No job offers for after school, should I continue paid internship with the transit organization w a 711 license doing corporate, litigation, and employment, or should I leave for an unpaid for credit internship at a mid-size law firm that has told me they might hire based on need and performance after passing the bar? Also, have an interview for a mid-size firm's newly opened satellite office where the managing partner was poached from BigLaw and is local. Any suggestions?

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by TTH » Thu Jul 06, 2023 11:00 am

Well, I'll be god damned. Eleven years later and this thread is still bumping along. It's a pity, but I'm happy to see the resource and community still going.
Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:05 am
Going into 3L with middle of the road grades, an ongoing large transit internship, and lots of school involvement including top 10 in the country trial ad involvement at a regional school in the midwest. No job offers for after school, should I continue paid internship with the transit organization w a 711 license doing corporate, litigation, and employment, or should I leave for an unpaid for credit internship at a mid-size law firm that has told me they might hire based on need and performance after passing the bar? Also, have an interview for a mid-size firm's newly opened satellite office where the managing partner was poached from BigLaw and is local. Any suggestions?
Continue with the transit agency. It sounds like you're getting good experience, and most importantly, it's paid. Any law firm offering unpaid internships should be ashamed of themselves, and they are blowing smoke up your ass with their talk about hiring you.

With respect to the transit agency, I'd suggest doing as much with their labor/employment lawyer as you can. Public sector labor law is a good niche practice area in the midwest, and having relevant substantive experience and establishing a network inside one public sector client will both be tailwinds for you. Get on Lexis/Westlaw and look up decisions involving transit agencies and note down the law firms that represent them. See if they are hiring junior associates or non-partner track attorneys in their L&E groups. If you're doing good work for your in-house boss, maybe see if he or she could arrange introductions for you with outside counsel or other people in their network doing that kind of work.

Good luck.

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by theexauntie » Fri Jul 28, 2023 4:07 pm

Rising 3L who did a nonprofit 2L summer, top 10% at a T14. I really enjoyed my summer job, but nonprofits in my field doesn't really hire straight out of law school, and I had not been warned how little opportunity there is for 3Ls who did nonprofits to find entry-level positions. I am only interested in some niche areas in public interest law, and am definitely willing to go into private sector litigation. (I really don't want to do transactions.) Where should I look past a not very productive 3L OCI?

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Jul 31, 2023 6:01 am

theexauntie wrote:
Fri Jul 28, 2023 4:07 pm
Rising 3L who did a nonprofit 2L summer, top 10% at a T14. I really enjoyed my summer job, but nonprofits in my field doesn't really hire straight out of law school, and I had not been warned how little opportunity there is for 3Ls who did nonprofits to find entry-level positions. I am only interested in some niche areas in public interest law, and am definitely willing to go into private sector litigation. (I really don't want to do transactions.) Where should I look past a not very productive 3L OCI?
Patterson belknap at 3L OCI might be a good fit?

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 13, 2023 7:09 am

Well…got no offered from my firm due to there not being any openings in my desired practice area. Even though I was told throughout my time at the firm, they told me there were plenty.

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Re: The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls)

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Sep 22, 2023 12:07 am

Have an offer in another city but my firm isn't letting me switch to my preferred office. Anyone hear about any openings in SF litigation firms?

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