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Hi! I got rejected from all of my top choice firms. Thankfully I have 2 offers, but neither of them are quite what I'm looking for in a firm for various reasons (fit/practice area/geographical location). What do I need to know in order to set myself up for 3L OCI or lateralling? Would it be better to choose the V50 firm or the V100 with the slightly better fit and much better location? Do 2L and 3L grades matter now? Should I go for a clerkship?

Thank you!!

Anonymous User wrote:Hi! I got rejected from all of my top choice firms. Thankfully I have 2 offers, but neither of them are quite what I'm looking for in a firm for various reasons (fit/practice area/geographical location). What do I need to know in order to set myself up for 3L OCI or lateralling? Would it be better to choose the V50 firm or the V100 with the slightly better fit and much better location? Do 2L and 3L grades matter now? Should I go for a clerkship?

Thank you!!

It's hard to set yourself up for 3L OCI, because the odds are low of getting an offer that way. It would be better to do your own legwork through networking or making friends with a professor who can recommend you.

You certainly want to make sure you have an offer in hand at the end of next summer, so you don't look like damaged goods.

Also, though many people ignore this fact on TLS, 2L and 3L grades do matter. If you want to lateral, there is a good chance the new employer will want to see your law school transcript.

Clerkships always help, and if you get one in a desirable district or get a COA clerkship, you should have decent options after you're done. You can do this after 1-2 years at a firm, and use it to move up the food chain, so to speak.

You should take whichever firm has a higher offer rate. If it is the same, take the one you would like the best. 3L hiring last year was 83 people according to NALP. You can't count on getting a different job, so choose the firm that works best for you.
Over the year and the summer keep working contacts as much as you can/ networking. That will only help your career.

Clerkships are great for litigation and can open up other firms and markets for you. So go for that if you want.

are both the v50 and v100 in the same market? if so, is that market new york?

Thanks for the help!

The firms are not in NY, but are in 2 of the other "large" markets.

Also, does the ranking/prestige of the starting firm matter in terms of lateralling? I don't mean to be a snob, but it really seems like the higher up the Vault rankings you go, the more interesting the cases become. I want to do litigation, but I'm scared that my career is going to flounder after some point at the V100 firm. Is that true? If so, would the exit options be better from the V50 firm?

Also, does the ranking/prestige of the starting firm matter in terms of lateralling

I rarely type long posts either because I don't have time, or because I don't give enough of a shit, or because I find so much wrong in a post that it's not even worth it. But the coinciding of insomnia and boredom has made this day, of all days, your lucky one. Here goes...

1) Experience matters a lot more. If you're getting the kind of experience that would nurture skills transferrable and valuable to the kind of litigation a V5 or a V10 firm does, and you're getting good experience relative to your class year, then you're fine for really almost any but the most truly selective firms (i.e., WLRK or something like that).

2) You honestly might have just dodged a bullet. I would seriously give your summer firm a chance and get this "prestige" notion out of your head. The very concept is useful for making ignorant law students work egregious hours for less hourly pay (divide your market salary over the course of how many hours you bill in a year, and you'll see what I mean) and your partnership prospects might be considerably higher. In addition, while top firms might do more interesting cases (and this is not really that true), a lot of them are massive litigations with armies of lawyers. It's very reasonable that the only skill you'll own in your 4-5 years at that firm is how to conduct and manage doc review, which would ironically make you less marketable than as an associate with more substantive experience in the area at a "lower ranked" firm. This isn't to say that V10 lit is all doc review, but it is to say that just because the case is "more interesting," doesn't mean it's better.

3) There are plenty of litigation firms that do extremely interesting cases and where you can get a lot of great experience, but aren't necessarily V10s (or even ranked, for that matter, such as W&C, Susman, Boies, Munger, etc.)

4) If you're stuck on lit and you believe your grades were good enough for a V5-V10 (whatever that means; they're not that selective), you should consider clerking. A good clerkship will give you a good shot at having a second shot at some selective firms, and some that don't fall within the V5, V10 order of thinks (think W&C, Susman, Boies, Munger, etc.).

5) If you really do have the greats for a "V5" (again, whatever that means), think about doing a shit-ton of mock interviews. If you think you batted below average despite your grades, odds are your personality and/or interviewing skills are shit. Work on those pronto, because if they continue to be shit you will flunk out of 3L OCI, clerkship interviews and lateral interviews.