State of legal market Forum

[Anonymous User]

I heard of top 30% at HYS striking out this year. Are 1Ls concerned about the state of the legal market?

[thesealocust]

Anyone with a shred of situational awareness is concerned about the state of the legal market relative to the size of the law student population.

[09042014]

Top 30% at HLS striking out isn't the legal market, that person fucked up something awful bad.

But the legal market sucks and isn't going to get better.

[Anonymous User]

I'm at Y, and everyone I know has something. Everyone I know who bid seriously on NY has a V15 or higher.

[Anonymous User]

struck out after 21 interviews with top 25%/journal/WE at a school that typically places at least 33% in biglaw. Thinking about dropping out, even with a half scholly

[IAFG]

NYC TO 190

[09042014]

NYC TO 190

... billable hours per 2 week pay period.

[royilae]

I'm at Y, and everyone I know has something. Everyone I know who bid seriously on NY has a V15 or higher.

people who typically don't have something or don't have something they want usually don't advertise it. Know someone at Y who struck out (NYC) and is now getting some bites from mass mailing.

But none of these things really matter, people strike out at every school from Y down (less so at YHS but it happens all the same). It's definitely harder to strike out at a school like Y/S where there are only 2 real grade variations versus a school with a traditional grading system (A B C) or a super weird one (Uchicago).

[Anonymous User]

The market will probably be over-saturated for a few years.

[Anonymous User]

It's getting crappier no doubt about it. Class sizes are getting smaller. Speaking anecdotally though, at my CCN I would say most people are doing fine (I'd estimate approx 80% have at least something, disclaimer: this has no basis, just a guess), so you still have some cushion at the top schools. (I would imagine at YHS schools that number's probably closer to 90% or higher)

[Anonymous User]

struck out after 21 interviews with top 25%/journal/WE at a school that typically places at least 33% in biglaw. Thinking about dropping out, even with a half scholly

Almost my exact situation a year ago. Now I'm a 3L still searching for something permanent. Keep your head up.

[Gorki]

I heard of top 30% at HYS striking out this year. Are 1Ls concerned about the state of the legal market?

[
You should be concerned, w/o a doubt. And for more reasons than the fact that top 30% at HYS are striking out (but, tbh, not sure how one knows they are "top 30%" at these schools with their crazy grading systems). The jobs just are not there. Hell, even people with jerbs are having it fairly rough.

If you really need any more indication as to why you should worry, just look at 90% of the threads here on TLS...

Anyways, best of luck.

[Anonymous User]

Top 30% at HLS striking out isn't the legal market, that person fucked up something awful bad.

But the legal market sucks and isn't going to get better.

I disagree. I am at HYS and I have heard stories of people striking out with comparable credentials. Yes, when it happens, usually you can second-guess some of the person's decisions (bidding heavily on a market with very few SA spots available through OCI, for example), but I wouldn't describe that as "fucking up awful bad." Sometimes it's just plain bad luck. My advice to 0L's and 1L's is to be prepared for the possibility that you may strike out even with good grades at HYS or other highly ranked schools. I would start mass mailing even before OCI begins and don't stop until you have at least one offer in hand. It's probably overkill for someone who is top 30% at HYS, but from my point of view the opportunity cost of sending out a bunch of resumes pales in comparison with the potential cost of not landing a 2L SA.

[Anonymous User]

It's getting crappier no doubt about it. Class sizes are getting smaller. Speaking anecdotally though, at my CCN I would say most people are doing fine (I'd estimate approx 80% have at least something, disclaimer: this has no basis, just a guess), so you still have some cushion at the top schools. (I would imagine at YHS schools that number's probably closer to 90% or higher)

how do you know what people have though? especially if you're at CLS or NYU where there are tons of students. Chicago hasn't even started classes so how would people know?

[Anonymous User]

The legal market is bad at CCN in the sense that grades are not the be all, end all anymore. I know people at Chicago with top 1/3 grades that barely got any CBs in NY, and I know people like me that were much closer to median and got 4 V10 offers. Your resume needs to be well put together, you MUST interview well, and you must craft a story -- I think a lot of jobs are out there, but the decision calculus for firms has changed. Top 30% T6 is neither necessary nor sufficient.

[Jchance]

This question comes up a lot so I'm posting the new BCG search that just recently comes out for Spring 2014. I hope it helps narrowing down your law school's choices

http://www.bcgsearch.com/article/900021 ... pring-2014

(last year with more information: http://www.bcgsearch.com/article/900013 ... pring-2013)

[Danger Zone]

NYC TO 190

... billable hours per 2 week pay period.

Been sitting on that one, eh?

[kalvano]

NYC TO 190

... billable hours per 2 week pay period.

Been sitting on that one, eh?

Been sitting on that response a while, eh?

[84651846190]

This question comes up a lot so I'm posting the new BCG search that just recently comes out for Spring 2014. I hope it helps narrowing down your law school's choices

http://www.bcgsearch.com/article/900021 ... pring-2014

What a uselessly random collection of cities.

[09042014]

NYC TO 190

... billable hours per 2 week pay period.

Been sitting on that one, eh?

No but I was particularly proud of it.

[Danger Zone]

NYC TO 190

... billable hours per 2 week pay period.

Been sitting on that one, eh?

Been sitting on that response a while, eh?

Wow didn't realize that post was made in September. Good catch.

[oblitigate]

The legal market is bad at CCN in the sense that grades are not the be all, end all anymore. I know people at Chicago with top 1/3 grades that barely got any CBs in NY, and I know people like me that were much closer to median and got 4 V10 offers. Your resume needs to be well put together, you MUST interview well, and you must craft a story -- I think a lot of jobs are out there, but the decision calculus for firms has changed. Top 30% T6 is neither necessary nor sufficient.

This is intuitive. Just ask yourself, would you hire you? A lot of creatures from the darkest depths of the ocean come through interviewing w top grades @ top schools. We get a laugh after