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I'm going to be in NYC in a few weeks, and figured I'd see if I couldn't get some kind of networking stuff done while I'm there. I was planning on maybe emailing some alums from my school (T14) and asking if they would be interested in getting lunch, etc. The problem is, I'm having a hard time deciding which firms to do this at. Obviously I want to do it somewhere I'm likely to actually interview at OCI for, but that doesn't narrow it down, since I don't really know how to match up grades/vault rankings of places where I'd likely stand a chance at actually getting a bid. Right now I'm top 40% or so at my school, interested in doing some kind of finance/securities law (which I know also doesn't narrow it down among NYC firms much either).

Any suggestions/other networking advice in general?

If your school has a list of alumni who have offered to talk to law students, I’d start there (I did last year). I did this, and during one of my first interviews, the interviewer told me that he’d heard about me and was told to look out for me. It was nice, but it couldn’t make up for the fact that my grades weren’t what that firm was looking for. Also, find firms of various rankings to find alumni to talk to. Try to talk to people from firms who may not even come to your OCI, because they could also offer advice, and it’s not guaranteed you’ll end up working for a firm who you interview with during OCI (either because you don’t get a job there, or you might find a firm you might like better through networking, mass mailing, etc). You should also talk to people, not necessarily alumni from your school, who are well-known for that practice area. Just google “best xyz lawyer” and you’ll find a list. I’ve found that older and more experienced lawyers were less likely to sugarcoat things, and they’ll also know people. One thing I wish I had done was to ask each person with whom I had an informational interview if they could introduce me to another person.

I would recommend asking to take them out for coffee, rather than asking to do lunch. From an associate's perspective, I just wouldn't have time to meet a law student for lunch, especially if I'm being emailed out of the blue, but could probably swing 20 minutes for a chat at Starbucks. Just my two cents, but I think its something you should consider.

Are you a 1L? do it, a bunch of people in my class got their 2L jobs this way and skipped OCI.