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Didn't see a thread for this yet. Anyone registered?

i am trying to decide whether or not to register. is it pointless to go if I'm already doing OCI at a school where most lav law participants will already be attending? thanks.

Anonymous User wrote:i am trying to decide whether or not to register. is it pointless to go if I'm already doing OCI at a school where most lav law participants will already be attending? thanks.

No. Not at all. I have multiple friends who got jobs as a direct result of their table talk "interviews" at Lav Law at firms that came to my school's OCI the week before.

Even if you're a competitive candidate with multiple callbacks from OCI, showing up at a firm's Lav Law table with whom you have a callback is just another way of demonstrating interest (as well as helping to confirm your LGBT diversity status). It always helps to have another attorney at the firm, beyond your OCI interviewer, looking out for you and advocating on your behalf.

Additionally, there was one or two firms that I think were on the fence about giving me a callback post-OCI, and I definitely secured one just by stopping by their table and chatting for five minutes.

The only caveat to all of this, is if you are a very competitive candidate and do not plan on doing callback interviews in the Bay Area. Given the timing of Lav Law, it could cut in to your availability for callbacks which could be problematic. The general rule is to schedule callbacks as soon as possible, since many firms give offers on a rolling basis. Obviously, if you have callbacks in the Bay Area, then attending Lav Law shouldn't be an issue, and is really a no brainer. If you're focusing solely on East Coast cities, it may be a tougher call.

Worth it to go if I'm a PI gunner? The list of recruiters is very firm heavy. Also, I most likely won't live in nor have strong ties to the Best Coast.

I'm the poster who was asking about whether it was a bad idea to attend. I'm doing OCI in a major east coast city at the beginning of the month, so I'm wondering if I'm shooting myself in the foot by heading back west during that critical period for potential callbacks. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Need some advice. Lav Law conflicts with the last two days of my (midwest) school's OCI (I'm targeting Bay Area, Chicago, and NYC, so I'm sort of all over the place anyway for callbacks...assuming I get any). I was thinking of flying in Wed night and out Saturday morning, so that I'm only gone 2 1/2 days. Is this advisable during the critical callback time?

To take it one step further, what is the likelihood of getting a callback at Lav Law? I know people who had success at Lav Law, so I'm definitely into it. However, there are some firms that I may want to bid on at my school's OCI, but they interview on the Thurs and Fri of Lav Law. How should I proceed? Skip Lav Law? Or not bid on these firms (that I'm not that excited about anyway, but I should be cause, you know, I need a job)?

Go to LavLaw if you can. It's absolutely worth missing the last two days of OCI and absolutely worth scheduling callbacks around it. I got literally twice as many callbacks from LavLaw as I did through OCI. Several people I went to LavLaw with got their jobs through LavLaw.

Anonymous User wrote:Go to LavLaw if you can. It's absolutely worth missing the last two days of OCI and absolutely worth scheduling callbacks around it. I got literally twice as many callbacks from LavLaw as I did through OCI. Several people I went to LavLaw with got their jobs through LavLaw.

Thank you!

I'm going, too.

Anybody have an idea on the format? I understand its table, but do firms also do more formal interviews there?

Any tips on dress code? Is it suits all three days or does it get a bit more informal after the job fair?

Just curious: is LavLaw worth attending if one's 1L grades were ... well, let's just say unusually bad? I got off on a terrible foot my first semester, after entering law school following an extended sojourn in the professional world, and while my second-semester grades were an improvement, they were still merely "average." I am, however, what one would call a good people-person -- and what one would less charitably call a good schmoozer -- and my academic problems have less to do with an inability to analyze legal issues than difficulty adapting to a three- or four-hour exam format with a focus on spotting as many issues as possible in a limited time frame. The majority of my OCI bids were rejected, which could be because of my grades, the fact that I'm substantially older than the average student (upper 30s), or both.

I've also considered attending next year after 2L; I excel at mock trial, but 1Ls at my school can't join the team, so I plan to be an active participant this year, and I'm joining the ADR team as well. I also made it onto a surprisingly high-profile journal this summer, considering my grades (though obviously not law review).

Can someone who's been to Lavender Law shed some light on how the career fair works? Do we just approach employers at their table, chit chat with them, and leave a resume? I'm so confused as to the format of this.

Also, what materials should we have on hand? For example, how many resumes should I bring that day?

Anonymous User wrote:Can someone who's been to Lavender Law shed some light on how the career fair works? Do we just approach employers at their table, chit chat with them, and leave a resume? I'm so confused as to the format of this.

Also, what materials should we have on hand? For example, how many resumes should I bring that day?

Basically, it works exactly the way you said. Some firms are more "popular" than others, so there may be a wait. Things to bring: MANY copies of your resume (there are tons of firms there, some which you may just want to drop a resume and leave instead of chatting for a while-I'd bring at least 40), copies of your transcript (unofficial is fine), and copies of a writing sample (unless you think that it would work against you). It looks much better to have all three, even if the firms don't want a writing sample. Also, bring a nice portfolio to carry all of these things around in, and a briefcase/messenger so you can take (the good) swag that firms have.

Be strategic: (1) go through the list of recruiters on the lavlaw site, (2) make a list of those that have practice groups you're interested in, (3) go on nalp and see how many SAs the firm takes (in the office that you want to be in), (4) go on vault and see how many offers were given in 2012. That way, you'll narrow your list to probably around 20ish "priority" firms that you actually want to spend time talking to, and spend the rest of the fair quickly going to the "non-priority" firms.

I got callbacks from lavlaw last year from reed smith, fried frank, paul weiss, and kaye scholer. I think it was worth it, even though none of those firms gave me an offer (lol).

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Can someone who's been to Lavender Law shed some light on how the career fair works? Do we just approach employers at their table, chit chat with them, and leave a resume? I'm so confused as to the format of this.

Also, what materials should we have on hand? For example, how many resumes should I bring that day?

Basically, it works exactly the way you said. Some firms are more "popular" than others, so there may be a wait. Things to bring: MANY copies of your resume (there are tons of firms there, some which you may just want to drop a resume and leave instead of chatting for a while-I'd bring at least 40), copies of your transcript (unofficial is fine), and copies of a writing sample (unless you think that it would work against you). It looks much better to have all three, even if the firms don't want a writing sample. Also, bring a nice portfolio to carry all of these things around in, and a briefcase/messenger so you can take (the good) swag that firms have.

Be strategic: (1) go through the list of recruiters on the lavlaw site, (2) make a list of those that have practice groups you're interested in, (3) go on nalp and see how many SAs the firm takes (in the office that you want to be in), (4) go on vault and see how many offers were given in 2012. That way, you'll narrow your list to probably around 20ish "priority" firms that you actually want to spend time talking to, and spend the rest of the fair quickly going to the "non-priority" firms.

I got callbacks from lavlaw last year from reed smith, fried frank, paul weiss, and kaye scholer. I think it was worth it, even though none of those firms gave me an offer (lol).

Good stuff. How long does a table visit typically take? 10 min? 20 min? Should I have questions about the firm prepared as if it was a screener?

Is there any point in going if I was planning just on public interest? My grades aren't great, and nearly all (90%) of the recruiters seem to be Biglaw.

Anonymous User wrote:Is there any point in going if I was planning just on public interest? My grades aren't great, and nearly all (90%) of the recruiters seem to be Biglaw.

Wondering the same thing...

This is more for next year's group, so hopefully they'll read this later. GO TO LAV LAW!

I've been back for only 4 days, and I already have 3 CBs from the career fair. I won't disclose anything about myself, because it'll easily give me away. All 3 CBs are big law in a major market.

The career fair is basically expedited OCI w/o bidding. You get to choose who must interview you. And since most the recruiters there are gay, you instantly have something in common.

Plus, the networking is awesome, and they pick great mini-vacation spots--next year is NYC. I don't care if it's expensive. It's an investment in your future.

I'd agree, with the caveat that it would have been SO much more helpful before OCI. I got most of my bids, so by the career fair had already been CB-ed or rejected by all of the firms in which I was interested. Not very helpful on that front. Still, nice to touch base with firms pre-CB and have another point of contact.

Anonymous User wrote:I'd agree, with the caveat that it would have been SO much more helpful before OCI. I got most of my bids, so by the career fair had already been CB-ed or rejected by all of the firms in which I was interested. Not very helpful on that front. Still, nice to touch base with firms pre-CB and have another point of contact.

Agree with this. I approached the table of a firm that I had a CB scheduled with the following week, and that led to a great conversation that I was able to bring up at the CB. Got an offer.

Also agree about your timing point. There were several firms that I bid and screened with through OCI but didn't feel as much of a connection with as when I sat down with the same firms (for the fun of it) at Lav Law. Unfortunately, by that point, I had already been rejected through OCI and there was nothing that can be done.

The casual aspect of the table talks, and the fact that we already have something in common (being gay, obviously), means it's easier to get a conversation flowing and let your personality shine. Much easier to do than the rigid formality of OCI. Also, if there's no connection, you can just say thanks and goodbye, instead of waiting out a full 20 minutes.

I highly recommend Lav Law for future classes. Do it - it's worth it.

I def agree it would be more helpful before OCI. I had somewhat of a unique situation, but two of the CBs I received, I had actually dropped for at my OCI but didn't receive interviews. It's a great 2nd chance at those firms.