Breaking into TX market Forum

[Anonymous User]

Currently a 2L at a T20 school not in Texas. I have a job lined up and locked down for Summer 2014, full time during summer and part-time during the school year.

Although I currently don't have substantial connections to Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas) at the moment, my parents are moving there and I'd like to remain close.

Any opportunity to break into the TX market as a 3L without prior experience in TX?

Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

Currently a 2L at a T20 school not in Texas. I have a job lined up and locked down for Summer 2014, full time during summer and part-time during the school year.

Although I currently don't have substantial connections to Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas) at the moment, my parents are moving there and I'd like to remain close.

Any opportunity to break into the TX market as a 3L without prior experience in TX?

Thanks.

As far as I know, there isn't much 3L biglaw hiring in the Texas markets. But "my family lives in ______ city" is definitely a tie to mention if you do snag an interview.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I appreciate your response. When do you think is a good time to start mass mailing or getting at Texas firms to explore their willingness to interview 3Ls?

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I appreciate your response. When do you think is a good time to start mass mailing or getting at Texas firms to explore their willingness to interview 3Ls?

You say it's important to be near your family, so I assume you are likely to visit them on vacations and/or at the end of your 2L summer. I would blast firms maybe 1 month before you visit each time, telling them you'll be in the area and would be available if they want to meet (especially at the end of your 2L summer, when they're recruiting and interviewing anyway). Also reach out to alums working in Texas and see if you can schedule coffee with them when you're there.

[texas_ranger]

OP here. I appreciate your response. When do you think is a good time to start mass mailing or getting at Texas firms to explore their willingness to interview 3Ls?

ASAP, considering most of the better firms have already hired their summer 2014 staffs. You could, however, "sneak in" under the radar and get a clerk job in the spring, which could very well translate into a summer job.

Btw mass mailing almost never works. Texas judges are old-school. The most appropriate way to deliver your resume, writing sample, and transcript is by showing up at a judge's office and delivering it in person. If you're too far away to do so, send it FedEx. Also, sending the same cover letter to 100 firms is pointless and transparent; start with the ones you truly like, and write them a personal letter citing something like an interest of theirs on their online bio.

[Anonymous User]

ASAP, considering most of the better firms have already hired their summer 2014 staffs. You could, however, "sneak in" under the radar and get a clerk job in the spring, which could very well translate into a summer job.

Btw mass mailing almost never works. Texas judges are old-school. The most appropriate way to deliver your resume, writing sample, and transcript is by showing up at a judge's office and delivering it in person. If you're too far away to do so, send it FedEx. Also, sending the same cover letter to 100 firms is pointless and transparent; start with the ones you truly like, and write them a personal letter citing something like an interest of theirs on their online bio.

Say what? Assuming OP is set with Summer 2014 employment, your timeline is off by a year. OP presumably can't take a spring internship with a firm in a different state from their school.

Firms: Big law probably doesn't hire many 3Ls here, the same as everywhere else. Just looking randomly on NALP though, V&E Houston hired 2 3Ls without prior summer experience, so it does happen. I would expect small or midlaw will be tough to get before you live in the state, and therefore I would just mass mail, rather than spending this much time tailoring the cover letter.

Clerkships: Hate to get all "new-school" on you, but I'm a UT 2L and all of our clerkship applications are done electronically. Again, your advice maybe makes sense with judicial internships, but that ship has presumably sailed for the OP. If you're looking for post-grad clerkships, start doing the same research you would for any other state and put together your application.

[texas_ranger]

Say what? Assuming OP is set with Summer 2014 employment, your timeline is off by a year. OP presumably can't take a spring internship with a firm in a different state from their school.

My bad: I was thinking OP was referring to an internship in his present locale. (Also, while the informal deadline for spring judicial internship applications is 11/1, I know for a fact that there are plenty available in larger cities, albeit probably not with the likes of a circuit court judge.)

Clerkships: Hate to get all "new-school" on you, but I'm a UT 2L and all of our clerkship applications are done electronically.

Ha! Yeah, I'm aware of that. We use Symplicity, as I assume UT does as well, and all our OCI bidding (among other things) has been done through it for longer than I even know. All jobs for students and alumni alike are listed on it, too, even for places that prefer for you to email them directly instead of through the Symplicity system. My point about hand delivery was entirely specific to judicial internships (not judicial clerkships, mind you).