Am i missing something here... Forum

[Anonymous User]

from what I've seen so far, there's a huge obsession with OCI. I'm a 1L at a T2 school and in the top 10% (to my surprise)...but before I came to law school I had no interest in big law nor do I have any interest now...

Am I wrong to not be interested in these fancy firms? I get it that its the high salary route...but I've always and still do want to practice family law. I mean I'm just not sure I see the point in doing OCI if I don't wanna do that kind of work...no? But its being shoved down my throat so I feel an obligation...thoughts?

[prezidentv8]

It depends

[bk1]

Who's shoving it down your throat? If it's your school then it's likely because the school looks better the more people it can employ in biglaw. If it's your classmates then it's probably based on some notion of prestige as well as "you can actually try to get this thing that most of us can't, so you should take that opportunity." But just because you can get something doesn't mean you should if it doesn't fit your career goals.

If you want to practice family law, that's perfectly fine. You probably shouldn't go into biglaw if that's the case.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Schools tend to want their highly-ranked students to do OCI because they're the students who have the best shot at getting jobs with the big fancy firms, and the more people get jobs at big firms, the more alumni are out there to help students get jobs at those firms down the line. Also, the more people get jobs through OCI (which the CSO people organize), the better the CSO looks. If you don't want to work for any of the firms at OCI, don't apply. It's easy to get sucked into the OCI path as the path of least resistance, but there's nothing wrong with you not doing OCI.

(I'm assuming that since you went in with the goal of doing family law you're going to be incurring debt that's manageable on that plan.)

[2014]

It's bad for business for schools to have unemployed graduates or insolvent graduates. Filtering students to big law is a pretty effective way at covering both of those. If you are confident you can be employed and make your loan payments doing family or whatever kind of non big-law go for it. Most can't.

[IAFG]

I met someone making $20k/yr as first year fam law assoc

So that might be what you're missing

[JusticeJackson]

.

[dead head]

I met someone making $20k/yr as first year fam law assoc

So that might be what you're missing

So you make fun of law students who would like to go into biglaw and you make fun of students who don't see the appeal of going into biglaw?

Even if OP is 100% certain she wants family law and nothing else, she should still do OCI. I mean, if she has the chance to make $30k over 2L summer there's not much risk, especially since she could probably work part time or intern at a family law place during the school year. And it's a great credential if it turns out she'd rather do something else.

[IAFG]

I met someone making $20k/yr as first year fam law assoc

So that might be what you're missing

So you make fun of law students who would like to go into biglaw and you make fun of students who don't see the appeal of going into biglaw?

Even if OP is 100% certain she wants family law and nothing else, she should still do OCI. I mean, if she has the chance to make $30k over 2L summer there's not much risk, especially since she could probably work part time or intern at a family law place during the school year. And it's a great credential if it turns out she'd rather do something else.

I am not making fun of OP for not wanting biglaw I am making fun of OP for being willfully blind. As much as biglaw sucks private practice outside of biglaw is no picnic. Long hours, difficult to get hired, low pay, tons of competition.

[sd5289]

I met someone making $20k/yr as first year fam law assoc

So that might be what you're missing

So you make fun of law students who would like to go into biglaw and you make fun of students who don't see the appeal of going into biglaw?

Even if OP is 100% certain she wants family law and nothing else, she should still do OCI. I mean, if she has the chance to make $30k over 2L summer there's not much risk, especially since she could probably work part time or intern at a family law place during the school year. And it's a great credential if it turns out she'd rather do something else.

I was in a very similar position as OP at the end of my 1L year. I entered LS after time in the work force for one very specific purpose, and it wasn't BigLaw (now at the end of my 2L year and that hasn't changed). Also got the "why aren't you bidding?" question from OCS. I agree that if someone isn't 100% sure of their post-grad goals, that they should do OCI because it's better to have options, but if she is 100% sure that practicing family law is it, it'd be a waste of time for her to do OCI (unless there are some smaller family law firms there). Think about how that interview will go: "so, why X firm?" "erm, you had a cool name?"

Doing OCI if you're 100% set (which is rare) on a particular track is a waste of your time and their time. "So why do you want to be an associate in our firm?" "Um, I don't."

That said, IAFG is right on typical family law practice. Unless you're looking at some type of nonprofit setting that will also offer you decent benefits, it's hard to make it work. Spending your 2L summer as an SA will look pretty weird to the nonprofit come hiring time (i.e. why do you want to work here and make in one year what you made in one summer, why didn't you get an offer during that 2L summer, etc etc).

[NYSprague]

from what I've seen so far, there's a huge obsession with OCI. I'm a 1L at a T2 school and in the top 10% (to my surprise)...but before I came to law school I had no interest in big law nor do I have any interest now...

Am I wrong to not be interested in these fancy firms? I get it that its the high salary route...but I've always and still do want to practice family law. I mean I'm just not sure I see the point in doing OCI if I don't wanna do that kind of work...no? But its being shoved down my throat so I feel an obligation...thoughts?

Yes, do OCI. You do not understand the struggle to find jobs in every area of law. You need to explore every area of possible employment. You need to practice interviewing with real interviewers. You need to meet lawyers who practice in your area for future networking opportunity. You have nothing to lose by going to these interviews and it will be time well spent if only to get interview practice and see how people react to your resume.

The job market is brutal. This is the only time employers who are looking to hire are going to line up and want to talk to you, even screening interviews. You should not just throw away this chance that is being handed to you.

[Anonymous User]

.

[Prairie]

NY Sprague is correct.

This is the only time employers who are looking to hire are going to line up and want to talk to you, even screening interviews. You should not just throw away this chance that is being handed to you you are paying good money for.

edit: accidental anon use.

[NotMyRealName09]

Do what you want. But there are attorneys scrambling for OWI defense gigs, let alone work in family law, so take the best job you can get and decide your options from there. Hustle, network, reach out to family law lawyers about job opportunities - but NEVER forgo OCI, because though it might surprise you--that might be your only option in the end. That, or unemployment.

Doing OCI if you're 100% set (which is rare) on a particular track is a waste of your time and their time. "So why do you want to be an associate in our firm?" "Um, I don't."

Lawyers advocate for their client's best interests all the time. In a job interview, you are your own client, and you should advocate as zealously as you can - even if that job isn't your number one choice. I know you don't actually mean to say someone who was actually in an interview would say "I don't want to work for you." But the job marketing is HORRIFYINGLY BAD compared to the cost of getting a degree - if you get ANY interview, you go in, smile, having researched the firm, and ready to tell them why their firm is the best fucking firm in the world and they would be fools not to hire you.

I wanted to work in civil rights (whatever that meant) when I wrote my law school admissions essay. But then I realized I'll need money to eat, and good work to become a better lawyer, and holy shit people are willing to pay me a good amount of money to be a commercial litigator, so here I am in my job now. You've got to flexible. Have a plan, but adapt as needed. Good luck.

tl;dr - DO OCI ALWAYS.