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Hey guys,

So I'm a 2L at a lower T14 who has a 2L SA position lined up at a regional Mid-Atlantic firm. While I'm happy to have this gig, it's not my first-choice, and I was wondering what my chances of landing something at 3L OCI were? Obviously I know that grades are a huge factor, but will having an SA under my belt give me a shot at, say, NY big law?

If there are any associates who made such a transition, or have friends/classmates who did, any words of advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

They call it 3LOLCI for a reason: In general, you're not going to get biglaw from 3L OCI unless you had the grades to get biglaw in the first place. Biglaw firms don't hire junior attorneys from midlaw firms. They hire them straight out of law school and from other biglaw firms. That's just way it is. Sorry, man.

Biglaw_Associate_V20 wrote:They call it 3LOLCI for a reason: In general, you're not going to get biglaw from 3L OCI unless you had the grades to get biglaw in the first place. Biglaw firms don't hire junior attorneys from midlaw firms. They hire them straight out of law school and from other biglaw firms. That's just way it is. Sorry, man.

Unfortunately, this. 3L OCI isn't really a thing except for 3Ls that have offers from other biglaw firms gained through 2L OCI.

stillwater wrote:

Biglaw_Associate_V20 wrote:They call it 3LOLCI for a reason: In general, you're not going to get biglaw from 3L OCI unless you had the grades to get biglaw in the first place. Biglaw firms don't hire junior attorneys from midlaw firms. They hire them straight out of law school and from other biglaw firms. That's just way it is. Sorry, man.

Unfortunately, this. 3L OCI isn't really a thing except for 3Ls that have offers from other biglaw firms gained through 2L OCI.

OP here: I guess my firm would be considered a "big firm" within the state. Would that make any difference? What if I have a good reason for wanting to move?

Also if I wasn't clear I didn't mean a lateral to a V10 or something, just a firm that preferably paid market.

Nothing about your personal narrative will matter. Your only hope would be an unexpected boom in a practice area where folks have cut back. I think your most likely shot would be a surge in M&A activity.

But otherwise, don't get your hopes up. No firm likes the idea of hiring from leftovers, so folks avoid hiring from 3L OCI unless they are in desparate straits. If a firm needs to recruit for a more immediate need than can be accomplished through traditional 2L recruiting, they're much more likely to shop for some clerks.

Anonymous User wrote:

stillwater wrote:

Biglaw_Associate_V20 wrote:They call it 3LOLCI for a reason: In general, you're not going to get biglaw from 3L OCI unless you had the grades to get biglaw in the first place. Biglaw firms don't hire junior attorneys from midlaw firms. They hire them straight out of law school and from other biglaw firms. That's just way it is. Sorry, man.

Unfortunately, this. 3L OCI isn't really a thing except for 3Ls that have offers from other biglaw firms gained through 2L OCI.

OP here: I guess my firm would be considered a "big firm" within the state. Would that make any difference? What if I have a good reason for wanting to move?

Also if I wasn't clear I didn't mean a lateral to a V10 or something, just a firm that preferably paid market.

OP,

3L OCI is something of a joke simply because it is so small; if it's assumed that you're at an NLJ 250 firm (which it sounds like you might be), you're actually pretty competitive for a 3L OCI slot, provided that you get an offer from the NLJ 250 that you're with. The problem is that "competitive" still means a very small shot - something like 90 offers IN TOTAL were given out at law schools last year. Not 90 per school, 90 offers nationwide, across all law schools.

But this doesn't mean you won't be competitive, only that "competitive" doesn't count for much. You should still try for it.

For what its worth, there is a way out beyond 3L OCI if you get an offer your 2L summer. I know a few attorneys that started at firms that are NLJ 250 but not v100 (think Schiff Hardin, Sedgwick, Fox Rothschild), and then lateraled to v100 firms, ITE (class of 2009/2010), once they were a few years into practice. It will require some work on your part, you will need to ensure you get non-doc-review type experience so that you are marketable in the lateral market, and above all you will NEED to pull an offer this summer. But, in the grand scheme of things, getting to a market paying firm in ~3 years time isn't too bad.

Of course, this all assumes that you're currently at a firm in the NLJ 250 range, and that you can get an offer from said firm this summer - this might be too big an assumption on my part (you didn't even mention if your firm gave summer offers), but given your description, it sounds like you could be.