3L w/offer: 13 mass mail letters sent on 8/1, no word since Forum

[Anonymous User]

Any 3Ls, past or present, who have gotten contacted for interviews thru mass mail care to comment? I sent 13 applications (resume, cover letter, & transcript) out to the contact person listed on the Nalp Directory. Since then, I've heard nothing. Does that mean I should give up?

For the record, I have an offer at a firm I really enjoyed working at this summer. My GPA stayed the same from 1L to 2L. I'm looking to switch because I picked my firm last year for its litigation practice, and during 2L I started taking transactional classes. Realized that's what I want to do.

[kalvano]

13 applications is nothing. I would expect to hear from maybe 1 out of every 40-50 firms you contact.

Does your firm not have a transactional practice you can ask to switch to?

[crumpetsandtea]

Did you mass mail as a 2L? Because "mass mailing" is not 13 apps and that's it. It means you find every NALP firm with a transactional practice and apply to all of them. Especially as a 3L, mass mailing is hard and it takes a lot of work and time. If you're serious about shifting firms, you certainly shouldn't give up after just 13 applications.

[Anonymous User]

OP. I can and have switched to my firm's transactions practice. I'm just sending out a few applications to the firms I would have explored more last summer had I known I enjoyed transactions so much. There are only 13 offices (10 total firms) I would rather work at rather than my current firm. I really enjoyed my time at my firm this summer, and I'm in a place where I can be a little picky. That's why only 13 applications.

Good to know your take. Thanks guys. My takeaway: mass-mailing so few firms means I'm probably not going to get any bites.

[Tiago Splitter]

Are you trying for the NYC firms near the top of the Vault rankings? That's where a big part of 3L hiring happens. If not, be prepared to go back to your old firm. I mass mailed about 25 offices outside of NYC in late July and have one rejection and one request to do a screener at OCI which turned into a callback. Radio silence everywhere else.

[Anonymous User]

OP. They happen to be at the top of the vault rankings. Used Chambers & Partners Corporate rankings to target them.

Since I waited until I had my offer to mail them, I'm wondering if I missed my window of opportunity and now the recruiters are too inundated with applications to consider mine. Or more likely, I'm not that spectacular of a candidate. Either way thanks for the input.