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Hi, everyone

Basically stressed out of my mind whenever I think about work.
Here's a brief resume of things I've done:

I was in a tier 2 law school where I pulled a top 15% for my first year.
Did a summer program overseas where I worked at firm my first year

Transferred into a school around the mid 30s my second year.
Currently, ranked top 10% after my second year.
For my second year summer, I externed for a state superior court judge and worked as a research assistant for my school.

I went through the OCI process without any job offers.
I went through the Clerkship Oscar process, got two interviews. One is rejected, one is scheduled later on.
Both are with federal magistrate judges.
Never did law review, did inter-school moot court competitions.

So, basically no job offer (no clue how to hunt for a job after the OCI process), and one interview with a federal magistrate judge coming. Also probably will still try for some State Supreme Courts.

So a few things, assuming I want to work for BigLaw.
Is it likely/possible for me? If so, how do I go about trying to work for BigLaw?
If I end up taking the bar without any sort of offer, how likely is it I'll have a offer after I take the bar?

What is the job market like after you graduate from law school without a offer?

You need to be mass mailing firms ASAP. You should have started this almost a year ago. At this point, biglaw isn't going to happen. Get good experience through externships and do your best to get the clerkship.


Basically, focus on mid size firms and reach out to any connections you have. The good thing is you have good grades. Reach out to your judge, see if they have connections. There are lots of helpful threads here to direct your search.

goldeneye wrote:You need to be mass mailing firms ASAP. You should have started this almost a year ago. At this point, biglaw isn't going to happen. Get good experience through externships and do your best to get the clerkship.


Basically, focus on mid size firms and reach out to any connections you have. The good thing is you have good grades. Reach out to your judge, see if they have connections. There are lots of helpful threads here to direct your search.

OP here:

So how would I go about doing that? What do I include in mass mailings? Do I need to have a resume, cover letter, writing sample, and ect? Any where I can find what the materials that go into a mass mailing should look like?

Could I do a mass email with attachments?

Anonymous User wrote:

goldeneye wrote:You need to be mass mailing firms ASAP. You should have started this almost a year ago. At this point, biglaw isn't going to happen. Get good experience through externships and do your best to get the clerkship.


Basically, focus on mid size firms and reach out to any connections you have. The good thing is you have good grades. Reach out to your judge, see if they have connections. There are lots of helpful threads here to direct your search.

OP here:

So how would I go about doing that? What do I include in mass mailings? Do I need to have a resume, cover letter, writing sample, and ect? Any where I can find what the materials that go into a mass mailing should look like?

Could I do a mass email with attachments?

From my own mass-mailing, I've just been creating an excel spreadsheet with all of the firms I have/will mass-mail. With each firm, I have down the contact information (address/phone/email) of the main recruiting contact. Then, on another tab, I have down the practice areas the firm specializes in or, practice areas where I am very interested in.

Then, I just take 2 hours each day, editing my cover letter to match the firm, etc., and then emailing the recruiter with my information, and attaching my resume, cover letter and transcript with each email.

If it's been a week, and I haven't heard anything, I'll call the recruiter. Most of the time it goes right to voicemail.

For firms that are in my market, I actually drive down to the firm and drop off my applications in person.

I so deeply wish that my OCS would have told me about mass-mailing BEFORE OCI started. Like, we had training sessions on "How to Send an Email" and that was pointless. But, a thorough and organized training session on mass-mailing would have been SUPER useful. And yet, the OCS decided to take the time to plan such unhelpful events.

OP, just read this site. The answers to your questions are so complex that they are almost impossible to answer. The information you want is all over here. Look at the Vale of Tears thread (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=192753) - that should give you at least a solid background with which you can come back with more nuanced questions.

piccolittle wrote:OP, just read this site. The answers to your questions are so complex that they are almost impossible to answer. The information you want is all over here. Look at the Vale of Tears thread (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=192753) - that should give you at least a solid background with which you can come back with more nuanced questions.

Well I read about 10 pages of that forum, it seems to be just a bunch of people complaining and talking about how hopeless it is.

Keep reading. It's tips on how to get jobs. Also, how do you not know the process here? This is insane that your CSO has failed you so much. You're going to have to hustle your way to employment at this point, and with you'll need to change your attitude and be realistic. Things are bleak for everybody, especially once you get to 3L but it's still possible.

This website has lots of great threads to help you out and people who give advice, just gotta search for it.