Critique my Bid List - Top 10% at GULC Forum

[Anonymous User]

GULC student - finished in top 10%. Have 3 years of policy work experience in DC and doing a 1L SA in a secondary market. Looking at either NY or DC. Leaning towards lit but also open to transactional. Any glaring holes? Tried to keep a few reaches in the top 10. Gtown is doing 30% preselect this year but not sure how that will shake out.

• 1. Gibson Dunn DC/NY
  2. Skaddedn Arps, Slate NY
  3. Paul Weiss NY
  4. Sullivan & Cromwell NY
  5. Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton DC
  6. Kirkland & Ellis NY
  7. Kirkland & Ellis DC
  8. Sidley Austin DC
  9. Ropes & Gray DC/NY
  10. Davis Polk & Wardwell NY
  11. hogan lovells DC
  12. Latham & Watkins NY
  13. Shearman & Sterling LLP NY
  14. Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett NY
  15. Covington & Burling DC
  16. Debevoise & Plimpton NY
  17. Paul Hastings NY
  18. Jones Day NY
  19. Morrison & Foerster DC
  20. Boise, Schiller & Flexner NY
  21. Arnold & Porter - DC
  22. Milibank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy NY
  23. Proskauer Rose NY
  24. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP NY
  25. WilmerHale NY
  26. Akin Gump NY/DC
  27. hogan lovells NY
  28. O'Melveny & Myers NY
  29. Wiley Rein DC
  30. Weil, Gotshal & Manges NY
  31. White & Case DC
  32. Brown Rudnick NY
  33. Chadbourne & Parke, LLP NY
  34. White & Case NY
  35. Baker Botts DC
  36. Clifford Chance NY
  37. Cahill Godron & Reindel NY
  38. Chadbourne & Parke, LLP DC
  39. Dechert DC
  40. Willkie Farr & Gallagher NY
  41. freshfields bruckhaus deringer NY/UK
  42. Allen & Overy London/HK
  43. Latham & Watkins UK
  44. Dechert London
  45. Drinker Biddle DC/PA
  46. Pepper Hamilton PA
  47. Venable NY/DC

[rambleon65]

Holland & Knight?

[Anonymous User]

OP here - I wasn't sure about Holland and Knight because they only had a few interview slots and tons of bids last year, but I might see where I can put them in.

Should I spread Kirkland offices out or is it worthwhile to keep them near each other since I'm kind of split on either? (they make you interview at each office separately)

Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

I know that TLS leans conservative but with a 1L SA, Top 10%, and 3 years W/E before that you seem like the prime candidate for firms to preselect. Since preselects are run first, it might make sense to drop some of the firms at the bottom of your bidlist, you don't want those to cancel out interviews with firms you'd actually want. If your bidding firms that you wouldn't prefer to your 1L SA I'd definitely drop them.

[Anonymous User]

I know that TLS leans conservative but with a 1L SA, Top 10%, and 3 years W/E before that you seem like the prime candidate for firms to preselect. Since preselects are run first, it might make sense to drop some of the firms at the bottom of your bidlist, you don't want those to cancel out interviews with firms you'd actually want. If your bidding firms that you wouldn't prefer to your 1L SA I'd definitely drop them.

(Not OP). I agree. I would cut it down to 35, cutting out the firms you'd rather pick your 1L SA over. I think it would be a huge gamble to rely too heavily on the pre-selects though-- some firms (e.g., Gibson Dunn in NY) have 21 interview spots so only 6 measly preselects. If you're in the top 10%, there are, what, 50 or 60 people up there with you? And Gibson is going to pick the candidates they think will be a really good fit. That plus the fact that 5-8 seems to be the median amount of interviews picked up by lottery, means that it will be very difficult to reach the 18 limit. OCS agreed with me on that and said I should include all the firms I would work for and not worry too much about the 18 limit b/c it will be difficult to reach.

[Anonymous User]

Adding mine as well. Top 10% with a good amount of military and govt experience. Looking for Energy/Environmental Regulatory in D.C. metro area only. I know sticking with D.C. may be risky, but I think I'm a pretty competitive candidate. Only using about half of my bids so I don't have any preselects take up a high lottery slot. In talking with OCS, they mentioned that you may run into time conflicts here which would lower your lottery slots. Thoughts?

Sidley Austin
Pillsbury
Williams & Connolly
Hunton & Williams
Latham Watkins
Covington & Burling
Arnold & Porter
hogan lovells
Skadden
WilmerHale?
Vinson & Elkins
Crowell & Moring
McDermmot Will & Emory
Jones Day
Gibson Dunn
Akin Gump
Kirkland Ellis
Baker Botts
Venable
Milbank
Hollingsworth
Morgan Lewis
K&L Gates
White & Case
Bingham

[Anonymous User]

Adding mine as well. Top 10% with a good amount of military and govt experience. Looking for Energy/Environmental Regulatory in D.C. metro area only. I know sticking with D.C. may be risky, but I think I'm a pretty competitive candidate. Only using about half of my bids so I don't have any preselects take up a high lottery slot. In talking with OCS, they mentioned that you may run into time conflicts here which would lower your lottery slots. Thoughts?

Sidley Austin
Pillsbury
Williams & Connolly
Hunton & Williams
Latham Watkins
Covington & Burling
Arnold & Porter
Hogan Lovells
Skadden
WilmerHale?
Vinson & Elkins
Crowell & Moring
McDermmot Will & Emory
Jones Day
Gibson Dunn
Akin Gump
Kirkland Ellis
Baker Botts
Venable
Milbank
Hollingsworth
Morgan Lewis
K&L Gates
White & Case
Bingham

Why Hollingsworth? It's a litigation boutique, isn't it? Do they do energy/environmental litigation?

[Anonymous User]

OP here - that makes sense about being concerned about having preselects of firms that I don't really want. OCS doesn't really have a sense on how the preselects are going to work do they? I was pessimistic because of how large the top 10% pool is but also don't want to end up having that come back to bite me. I can probably bag those UK offices and a few others near the bottom that I had sort of just put in there.

Consensus would be that 35 is a more workable number?

[Anonymous User]

GULC student - finished in top 10%. Have 3 years of policy work experience in DC and doing a 1L SA in a secondary market. Looking at either NY or DC. Leaning towards lit but also open to transactional. Any glaring holes? Tried to keep a few reaches in the top 10. Gtown is doing 30% preselect this year but not sure how that will shake out.

• 12. Latham & Watkins NY
  21. Arnold & Porter - DC
  23. Proskauer Rose NY
  24. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP NY
  29. Wiley Rein DC
  30. Weil, Gotshal & Manges NY
  40. Willkie Farr & Gallagher NY
  43. Latham & Watkins UK
  47. Venable NY/DC

(New Anon) As a 3L at Georgetown with a similar bid list last year, I've gone through and bolded the few that I think you may have trouble getting if you do not get pre-select. The sheer numbers of folks that over-reach and bid firms like L&W when they should not means that some legitimate candidates will not get spots- and that may happen to you.

I would re-evaluate and swap some around a bit. Don't rely too much on pre-select; play the game as if pre-select doesn't exist to ensure that you're happy when you end up.