Duke OCI Bid List Critique (Within .1 of Median) Forum

[Anonymous User]

No journal or moot court, previous work experience. Interested in transactional. GPA is below median but within .1 of the 3.3 median.

All firms NYC unless otherwise noted. # is ('13 SA's) (amount of interview slots).

1. Proskauer (39) (21)
2. Schulte Roth (34) (21)
3. Winston & Strawn (18) (30)
4. Haynes Boone (DAL) (?) (9)
5. Lowenstein Sandler (26) (21)
6. Seward & Kissel (11) (21)
7. Cahill (40) (21)
8. Strook & Strook (23) (21)
9. Bracewell Giuliani (7) (21)
10. Morgan Lewis (12) (21)
11. Fried Frank (34) (21)
12. Allen & Overy (15) (21)
13. Milbank (36) (42)
14. White & Case (32) (42)
15. Curtis Mallet (8) (21)
16. Norton Rose Fulbright (DAL) (?) (21)
17. Cadwalader (27) (84)
18. Dechert (11) (21)
19. Shearman Sterling (43) (42)
20. Baker Botts (DAL) (10) (27)
21. Vinson & Elkins (DAL) (9) (42)
22. Thompson & Knight (DAL) (?) (21)
23. Latham (LA) (?) (31)
24. Paul Weiss (84) (21)
25. Mofo (LA) (?) (21)
26. Hunton & Williams (LA) (?) (42)
27. Simpson Thacher (?) (48)
28. Weil (46) (63)
29. Sullivan & Cromwell (?) (42)
30. Cravath (?) (38)

THANK YOU

[Anonymous User]

Seems like your #20-30 bids are kind of a waste. The grade cutoffs for those firms (Latham, S&C, Weil) are way above your GPA. You should use those bids for more realistic firms.

[Anonymous User]

I like your 1-20 placement (based on 25/median/75 and whats available). Its unfortunate your Texas preference (I'm sure for good reason) is Dallas rather than Houston, as Houston's numbers are slightly lower. On that note, I would bid V&E earlier as their numbers are move favorable. Throw out all of those reach firms in the 20-30s places. Finding an SA out of this OCI will be as a stretch as it is, you don't want to make things harder on yourself.

Most important, start mass mailing NOW. If you are interested in Dallas, mail all of the mid-size firms asap.

[Anonymous User]

Randomly, I would either remove or at least move down Cahill if there is another viable firm within your GPA range. They seem to reserve most of their CBs and offers for people around top third.

Also, I would probably move up Seward & Kissel and Morgan Lewis.

Just my two cents. I think my advice is solid but a lot of this is a guessing game unfortunately. Best of luck!

[Anonymous User]

Move White & Case way up. Its lack of grade selectivity makes it way popular. Move Cadwalader up. Its large amount of bid slots doesn't mean it will last that long. Move Cahill down too, because it's unlikely you'd get any kind of callback from them.

You are probably about bottom third. You are unlikely to get anything out of OCI, though it's not impossible. As has already been said, start mass mailing right now if you haven't already. And definitely drop all of those highly selective grade-conscious firms out. They are a complete waste.

If you are in either Dallas or LA right now? Try to make connections with alums at firms there.

[SLS_AMG]

Agree with those above re: 21-30. You don't have even a remote shot with SullCrom, Cravath, Latham, etc. You are totally wasting those bids. Also, do you have any ties to LA at all? If not (and be honest with yourself), don't bid LA firms. They're not going to take a below median East Coast kid when they have plenty of students at California schools and other T14s to choose from that have good grades and ties.

[Anonymous User]

OP here, all good advice so far. My ties to CA are marginal so I am thinking about dropping the LA firms.

[Anonymous User]

No journal or moot court, previous work experience. Interested in transactional. GPA is below median but within .1 of the 3.3 median.

All firms NYC unless otherwise noted. # is ('13 SA's) (amount of interview slots).

1. Proskauer (39) (21)
2. Schulte Roth (34) (21)
3. Winston & Strawn (18) (30)
4. Haynes Boone (DAL) (?) (9)
5. Lowenstein Sandler (26) (21)
6. Seward & Kissel (11) (21)
7. Cahill (40) (21)
8. Strook & Strook (23) (21)
9. Bracewell Giuliani (7) (21)
10. Morgan Lewis (12) (21)
11. Fried Frank (34) (21)
12. Allen & Overy (15) (21)
13. Milbank (36) (42)
14. White & Case (32) (42)
15. Curtis Mallet (8) (21)
16. Norton Rose Fulbright (DAL) (?) (21)
17. Cadwalader (27) (84)
18. Dechert (11) (21)
19. Shearman Sterling (43) (42)
20. Baker Botts (DAL) (10) (27)
21. Vinson & Elkins (DAL) (9) (42)
22. Thompson & Knight (DAL) (?) (21)
23. Latham (LA) (?) (31)
24. Paul Weiss (84) (21)
25. Mofo (LA) (?) (21)
26. Hunton & Williams (LA) (?) (42)
27. Simpson Thacher (?) (48)
28. Weil (46) (63)
29. Sullivan & Cromwell (?) (42)
30. Cravath (?) (38)

THANK YOU

Possible additions: Hughes Hubbard, Bryan Cave, McDermott, Chadbourne, Kasowitz, Kaye Scholer.
Move Morgan Lewis and maybe Dechert up.
Overall, pretty good list (the bottom does not matter that much anyways). But make sure to mass mail because OCI is going to be a tough uphill sled. Best of luck!

[Anonymous User]

No journal or moot court, previous work experience. Interested in transactional. GPA is below median but within .1 of the 3.3 median.

All firms NYC unless otherwise noted. # is ('13 SA's) (amount of interview slots).

1. Proskauer (39) (21)
2. Schulte Roth (34) (21)
3. Winston & Strawn (18) (30)
4. Haynes Boone (DAL) (?) (9)
5. Lowenstein Sandler (26) (21)
6. Seward & Kissel (11) (21)
7. Cahill (40) (21)
8. Strook & Strook (23) (21)
9. Bracewell Giuliani (7) (21)
10. Morgan Lewis (12) (21)
11. Fried Frank (34) (21)
12. Allen & Overy (15) (21)
13. Milbank (36) (42)
14. White & Case (32) (42)
15. Curtis Mallet (8) (21)
16. Norton Rose Fulbright (DAL) (?) (21)
17. Cadwalader (27) (84)
18. Dechert (11) (21)
19. Shearman Sterling (43) (42)
20. Baker Botts (DAL) (10) (27)
21. Vinson & Elkins (DAL) (9) (42)
22. Thompson & Knight (DAL) (?) (21)
23. Latham (LA) (?) (31)
24. Paul Weiss (84) (21)
25. Mofo (LA) (?) (21)
26. Hunton & Williams (LA) (?) (42)
27. Simpson Thacher (?) (48)
28. Weil (46) (63)
29. Sullivan & Cromwell (?) (42)
30. Cravath (?) (38)

THANK YOU

Possible additions: Hughes Hubbard, Bryan Cave, McDermott, Chadbourne, Kasowitz, Kaye Scholer.
Move Morgan Lewis and maybe Dechert up.
Overall, pretty good list (the bottom does not matter that much anyways). But make sure to mass mail because OCI is going to be a tough uphill sled. Best of luck!

Good additions, but Kasowitz and Kaye Scholer aren't coming to OCI or doing resume collect, so you have to mass mail them.

And OP if your ties are marginal to LA, completely drop LA and replace it all with New York.

[Anonymous User]

.

[Anonymous User]

Not a CA expert (and also the difference between a 3.4 and 3.5 is huge).

BUT you should move up Ropes & Gray and Schulte as they are solid target firms that you may not get in the position where you bid them.

Also, Kirkland (LA) and Debevoise in the top 10 seem like pretty big reaches (especially Debevoise). I would probably throw Jones Day, Sidley and Cadwalader in there instead if I were you.

[Anonymous User]

Are fried frank or Seward very selective? Or will they dip below median?

[Anonymous User]

Are fried frank or Seward very selective? Or will they dip below median?

Seward seems like a good bet. Fried frank is debatable and including them will largely be driven by how risk adverse you are. If I was below median and there were 10-15 viable firms besides them coming to OCI, I would bid those more target-ish firms first

[Anonymous User]

Added Hughes Hubbard and McDermott in the high teens. We'll see if I get them. This whole OCI bid thing seems like a crapshoot, there has to be a better way haha