I'm bored studying for finals (procrastinating for finals...) so I've been wandering around TLS. It seems like there are a lot of threads recently with people going to regional schools asking about employment prospects outside of their regions. So out of curiosity (because I know there are some lucky people out there), who has somehow snatched big (or mid) law in a region outside of their regional school? Please, if you wouldn't mind, give your approximate school rank, how big the firm is, what city/state, and your approximate ranking.
NOTE: This is not to encourage people to attend regional school's when their plan is to practice outside of that region. Anyone who will be posting on here will be one of the lucky few. I'm just bored and curious. Thanks!
Breaking Big Law at a Regional School Forum
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Anonymous User
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Re: Breaking Big Law at a Regional School
Go to a lower t-50 regional school. I know of 2 people that will be going to v-20s outside the region. They're top 5% + LR. Other than them, everyone else I know of that got big law SAs were in the region.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Breaking Big Law at a Regional School
Top 3% at Tier 2 California school. 2L SA at V10 DC/NYC firm. If you want to talk about my experience with this, let me know.
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sflyr2016
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Re: Breaking Big Law at a Regional School
Tier 1 school and had offers from a V40 and a boutique that is considered "biglaw" in a secondary market (100+ attorneys). Took the latter. Friend will be going to a v5 in DC (#3 in class). Few friends landed other vault firms in DC too (all in the top 10%). Other than that, mainly big/midlaw in the region if within the top 10-15%. Placing outside of the region is doable but very hard. And by no means is anything guaranteed, even with LR and top 10%. Transferring is always an option (one I considered but am happy I turned down; however, if I wanted to leave the region my school places into then transferring would easily have been the better choice).
Last edited by sflyr2016 on Sun Dec 07, 2014 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Breaking Big Law at a Regional School
T30 Midwest School. Had offers at V20 NYC, took a boutique on East Cost (not NYC).
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Anonymous User
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Re: Breaking Big Law at a Regional School
T2 in a major coastal market. Will SA this summer at a V20 in same major coastal market. School doesn't release ranking, but through word of mouth, I'm top 5% and on LR.
It's important that OP mentioned that this is not to encourage this path even though some people succeed. The margin for error is so slim. There are people in my class as smart (if not smarter) and just as capable as I am that are not in the same position. The difference between an A and an A- can be tiny. Do that on a couple exams, and suddenly you're not in line for Big Law. That's not even to mention how hard it is to get even that A-.
That's not to say there aren't good reasons to go to a regional school, but in the vast majority of cases, retake and shoot for T14 (which isn't even a Big Law guarantee).
It's important that OP mentioned that this is not to encourage this path even though some people succeed. The margin for error is so slim. There are people in my class as smart (if not smarter) and just as capable as I am that are not in the same position. The difference between an A and an A- can be tiny. Do that on a couple exams, and suddenly you're not in line for Big Law. That's not even to mention how hard it is to get even that A-.
That's not to say there aren't good reasons to go to a regional school, but in the vast majority of cases, retake and shoot for T14 (which isn't even a Big Law guarantee).
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sflyr2016
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Re: Breaking Big Law at a Regional School
I agree completely. This was a gamble and a retake would have been the smarter decision.Anonymous User wrote:The margin for error is so slim. There are people in my class as smart (if not smarter) and just as capable as I am that are not in the same position.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Breaking Big Law at a Regional School
Poster of above quoted. I was in a situation where, with my UG GPA, I was likely closed out from the T14 even with a phenomenal (170+) LSAT score. But I knew I really wanted to be a lawyer (based on years of consideration and discussion with practicing attorneys), and while I was interested in Big Law, I knew going into it that it was a long shot, and I was willing to accept non-Big Law outcomes.joeant wrote:I agree completely. This was a gamble and a retake would have been the smarter decision.Anonymous User wrote:The margin for error is so slim. There are people in my class as smart (if not smarter) and just as capable as I am that are not in the same position.
It worked out for me, but I'm lucky. On so many levels I'm an outlier. Please, please people who may stumble on this thread, extrapolate nothing from my success. It was a combination of hard work and dumb luck. The vast majority of people should retake.
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Anonymous User
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Re: Breaking Big Law at a Regional School
It will be school specific. You should look at prior graduates to gauge what is possible and what stats are needed. At my tier 2, you need a fed. Coa clerkship to land big city biglaw, and even then you might not get it.
