"Traded up" as a 3L - taking questions Forum

[Anonymous User]

OP here, kinda bored as break stretches on even though I have a lot to do (journal work, in-house internship, clinic work, etc etc...ugh) so I am bumping this for more questions. As I mentioned before, if you want to give trading up a shot, you need to be getting your ducks in a row now, so it is time to start thinking about improving your resume. Shoot!

[Anonymous User]

Question about the in-house internship: are you working at a firm while in school? If so, could you answer a couple of questions about it, since I'm looking at doing something similar.

How many hours a week are you working there? Does your school and/or employer care you're working in-house? Do you get credits for it? Paid? How'd you connect with the in-house in the first place?

Thakns!

[Anonymous User]

I'm going to be an SA at a v30 this summer, in an IP group, but I'd actually rather do corporate work. My background is very solid for going into IP but I also have years of experience in financial services (I just didn't end up getting any corporate offers, only a commercial lit and an IP lit offer). I think I'll really enjoy the team I'm going to, but I figure once you go into IP it will be harder to transition into a transactional role down the road... I was wondering if it was worth it to try to upgrade after the summer (the firm I'm going to apparently has not no-offered anyone in a long time).

That said, I don't have the best grades, however I do have an upward trend. I doubt I would have gotten my current firm without a boost from work experience and the IP background, but I do have some honors/awards and a note.

Are the odds of landing a V5 or V10 offer high enough (with grades that likely don't hit their traditional cut offs for my school unless I manage straight As) to warrant trying the job search again? Are grades as important in the 3L round as the 2L round?

[Anonymous User]

TGW here. . .

My possible trading up situation is a bit unique (although I read where a few others faced the same predicament). I accepted a 2SA BigLaw-ish offer and a few days later I received a V-100 offer (even though I had emailed the V100 firm that I already accepted another offer. . . they checked and found that my email had been internally misdirected). After my 2L summer, if I decide to explore the V100 firm, should I wait until I receive an “offer” from my current firm or just open up a discussion citing our earlier “timing” misfortune? Should this discussion come through an OCI channel or direct contact with the V100 party who made the earlier offer?

Glad to see that 2L grades can be important. There is so much written on TLS claiming the opposite. . .glad to hear otherwise.

[Anonymous User]

Question about the in-house internship: are you working at a firm while in school? If so, could you answer a couple of questions about it, since I'm looking at doing something similar.

How many hours a week are you working there? Does your school and/or employer care you're working in-house? Do you get credits for it? Paid? How'd you connect with the in-house in the first place?

Thakns!

OP here....I don't have time to answer all the questions, but I will come back so hang tight everyone else!

Anyway, the internship is at a mid-sized public company so not a firm. I have heard of people working at their summer firms sometimes as 3Ls which probably would've been great also, but I like this because it is pretty likely I will go in-house after I work at the V5, and this gives me some knowledge and experience of basic corporate governance.

I actually got this through my school's symplicity. When I applied I thought it was a long shot even though I have a pretty good resume. It took them over a month to call me and then the interview didn't go so well. It turned out, though, that the V5 I will work at was their outside counsel. I told HR later that I was really glad to find this job because in-house positions are pretty rare, and she seemed to think that was weird, so maybe there are more than I realized.

The pay is $40/hour, and I do about ~15 hours a week. I am very satisfied with it. I would definitely recommend doing paying work during your third year if you can get it (or even non-paid work if you are getting relevant experience). The only issue for me is that I was already really busy before I took this job, and I couldn't drop anything so now I have a super busy third year, which kinda sucks. But the extra money and experience are worth it IMO.

I am not sure how to advise you about getting one of these jobs. I mean definitely apply to the ones that come up on your symplicity, but also call or maybe email companies in the area of your school and see if they have this type of position. It can't hurt. I did do some cold-emailing over the summer, and all I got were nice rejections, but you never know.

My school doesn't know about the job as far as I know. Since I am paid, I don't think I could get credits for it, but I like the $$ anyway. Plus it seems weird to me for me to pay the school to give me credits that I earn by working. It is like me paying to work. I know it happens a lot (I am in a clinic now, part of the reason I am so busy), but I guess it would bother me more in the private sector. Good luck!