Boston biglaw from Stanford Forum

[redsox]

Apologies if this is a stupid question - but how easy/hard is it to land a job in Boston coming from Stanford? Have significant ties there (grew up in MA, went to school in Boston, worked there a couple years) - but the small alumni network/extreme geographical distance does concern me a little. Not sure I'll want to come home after three years in California...but at this point I'd at least like it to be an option.

[Old Gregg]

Apologies if this is a stupid question - but how easy/hard is it to land a job in Boston coming from Stanford? Have significant ties there (grew up in MA, went to school in Boston, worked there a couple years) - but the small alumni network/extreme geographical distance does concern me a little. Not sure I'll want to come home after three years in California...but at this point I'd at least like it to be an option.

You'll be fine.

[stillwater]

sounds more like a humblebrag. youre at S, youre fine.

[Anonymous User]

You'll be fine. You will just need to do a little more work to find the opportunities, but once you find them, the S brand will carry you anywhere you want.

For example, you will not get as much access to Boston firms at OCI, but a fairly quick mass mail will solve that. And by mass mail, this means mailing maybe 20-30 firms as opposed to the hundreds that someone targeting NY would need to.

[jbagelboy]

It will come down to ties, since you're secure on pedigree. They will know and assume you are smart. If you can play the part of "local boy" who knows names of sports teams, high schools, a few restaurants or where traffic gets really bad on a thursday at 4PM, ect., you will be liked and very successful at coming home. If you seem alien, disconnected and CA-bound/driven, you could be seen as a flight risk and miss that market. Be careful what you say about location preferences and such. At least this has been my and my friends limited experience coming from a top school, looking to open up a home or other secondary market away from that school.

[redsox]

It will come down to ties, since you're secure on pedigree. They will know and assume you are smart. If you can play the part of "local boy" who knows names of sports teams, high schools, a few restaurants or where traffic gets really bad on a thursday at 4PM, ect., you will be liked and very successful at coming home. If you seem alien, disconnected and CA-bound/driven, you could be seen as a flight risk and miss that market. Be careful what you say about location preferences and such. At least this has been my and my friends limited experience coming from a top school, looking to open up a home or other secondary market away from that school.

Interesting. Thanks. Yeah...I don't think I'll have any trouble playing the Boston boy, still having trouble imagining living somewhere else for three years, so...

[jbagelboy]

It will come down to ties, since you're secure on pedigree. They will know and assume you are smart. If you can play the part of "local boy" who knows names of sports teams, high schools, a few restaurants or where traffic gets really bad on a thursday at 4PM, ect., you will be liked and very successful at coming home. If you seem alien, disconnected and CA-bound/driven, you could be seen as a flight risk and miss that market. Be careful what you say about location preferences and such. At least this has been my and my friends limited experience coming from a top school, looking to open up a home or other secondary market away from that school.

Interesting. Thanks. Yeah...I don't think I'll have any trouble playing the Boston boy, still having trouble imagining living somewhere else for three years, so...

Hehe. When you get to California and spend a winter without a series of polar vortex(es) shitstorms, you'll never want to leave. But don't say that to Boston firms. Say you love having "the seasons."

[legends159]

I think this is a legitimate question if you're debating something like H vs S. It's not super hard getting a job in Boston but it's not super easy either. The reason is that only the large firm like ropes or goodwin will come do OCI at SLS since frankly only 1 or 2 people go to Boston every year. Those firms will care about grades to some extent - you should have at least 1 H. If you strike out of Boston, which is not unheard of (again those people had all P's) you will need to do leg work to get a job at a smaller firms that does not do SLS OCI and getting a job that way is unpredictable. If you cast a wide net and bid on NY and CA as well you should be fine; a lot of people with all P's get biglaw every year but doubtful that everyone does (at that point i blame bad bidding, bad interviewing skills or just bad luck).

[redsox]

I think this is a legitimate question if you're debating something like H vs S. It's not super hard getting a job in Boston but it's not super easy either. The reason is that only the large firm like ropes or goodwin will come do OCI at SLS since frankly only 1 or 2 people go to Boston every year. Those firms will care about grades to some extent - you should have at least 1 H. If you strike out of Boston, which is not unheard of (again those people had all P's) you will need to do leg work to get a job at a smaller firms that does not do SLS OCI and getting a job that way is unpredictable. If you cast a wide net and bid on NY and CA as well you should be fine; a lot of people with all P's get biglaw every year but doubtful that everyone does (at that point i blame bad bidding, bad interviewing skills or just bad luck).

Thank you, appreciate the response. This is really useful. It's more like Columbia or S at this point since I don't think H is going to be an option.

[patogordo]

i would go to H and live at home to save $$

[jbagelboy]

I think this is a legitimate question if you're debating something like H vs S. It's not super hard getting a job in Boston but it's not super easy either. The reason is that only the large firm like ropes or goodwin will come do OCI at SLS since frankly only 1 or 2 people go to Boston every year. Those firms will care about grades to some extent - you should have at least 1 H. If you strike out of Boston, which is not unheard of (again those people had all P's) you will need to do leg work to get a job at a smaller firms that does not do SLS OCI and getting a job that way is unpredictable. If you cast a wide net and bid on NY and CA as well you should be fine; a lot of people with all P's get biglaw every year but doubtful that everyone does (at that point i blame bad bidding, bad interviewing skills or just bad luck).

Thank you, appreciate the response. This is really useful. It's more like Columbia or S at this point since I don't think H is going to be an option.

This is becoming more of a choosing thread, but I'd say if you:
1) want to remain on the east coast for the long term and aren't sure about moving away;
2) want biglaw, and not committed to DC gov work or clerking, and
3) get $ at CLS,
Columbia is credited as your best option.

Obviously if any of these don't hold, theres a very strong argument for S.

[legends159]

I think only reason to do CLS over SLS is if you get a lot more money from CLS. Living in NYC is expensive; palo alto is also expensive but a bit less so (you can rent a room in a house for $800 a month and bike/drive to campus). Plus you never know if you want to go back to Boston - I know a bunch of people who were die hard born and raised on east coast (including one person who never left MA before law school) who are now working and living in CA.

[mx23250]

You're pretty much screwed trying to get a biglaw job in Boston. With a Stanford law degree you're basically restricted to CA. No one on the east coast has heard of Stanford and I'm sure they're unaware of how good or bad the academics are. Instead they'll continue hiring TTT applicants well ahead of you.

I was outed for anon abuse.

[patogordo]

You're pretty much screwed trying to get a biglaw job in Boston. With a Stanford law degree you're basically restricted to CA. No one on the east coast has heard of Stanford and I'm sure they're unaware of how good or bad the academics are. Instead they'll continue hiring TTT applicants well ahead of you.

solid anon use

[soj]

sheldon cooper avatar. shocking

[Anonymous User]

Apologies if this is a stupid question - but how easy/hard is it to land a job in Boston coming from Stanford? Have significant ties there (grew up in MA, went to school in Boston, worked there a couple years) - but the small alumni network/extreme geographical distance does concern me a little. Not sure I'll want to come home after three years in California...but at this point I'd at least like it to be an option.

be a little concerned. stanford is notoriously slow to recruit (you guys are last in terms of oci, i believe), and boston offices have small summer classes. network during the year. call everybody you know who can help you. make sure the spots don't fill up before you can get your foot through the door. ***

*** this does not apply if you are URM or super smooth + law review

source: last year's oci

edit: i forgot to mention that your choice in law school is fine. unless you got into HLS/YLS and didn't go, this was your best choice. (there's nothing CCN can do for you that S can't do for you)

[redsox]

Yeah...wasn't trying to make this a choosing thread, which is why I deliberately left out other options in the OP...though I do appreciate the advice. Not at all sure I'd want to come back to Boston...just trying to get an idea of how much it would be a possibility if it turns out that I do want that.

Not a URM, don't think I have the numbers for much money at CLS (171/3.8x, no money with acceptance letter).

Appreciate the snarky responses too...though the humblebrag one wasn't clever or accurate. No offense to all of you, but I'd rather do my humblebragging at bars with people I can see, and potentially sleep with.

[A. Nony Mouse]

You're pretty much screwed trying to get a biglaw job in Boston. With a Stanford law degree you're basically restricted to CA. No one on the east coast has heard of Stanford and I'm sure they're unaware of how good or bad the academics are. Instead they'll continue hiring TTT applicants well ahead of you.

solid anon use

Quick reminder: please don't comment (however accurately) on anon abuse in thread, just hit the report button (as someone did here) and we'll take care of it.

Edit for another reminder of something I totally missed the first time around: 0Ls, you are not allowed to post in the Legal Employment forum.