I haven't seen much on this topic so I thought I'd see if anyone had any insights. I'm a junior associate at a V20 and my girlfriend is a 1L at a low tier-1. First round of grades is in and she looks to be coming in around the top-1/4 mark, so I know big law is a bit of a long shot and we have to be active and aggressive. I perused threads such as this (Networking/Hustling) which got me wondering:
How instrumental, if at all, should/could I be in her networking and job search? Obviously I am concerned about leaning on coworkers or peers in ways that are in any way inappropriate. TLS urges job-seekers to be uber-assertive and repeats the mantra "you have nothing to lose," which isn't exactly true on my end. At the same time, I would think/hope that having me in the picture is an edge she can exploit somehow.
I would appreciated any insights. Thanks!
Big Law Attorney -- Best Ways to Help S.O. in Job Search? Forum
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Anonymous User
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MyNameIsFlynn!
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Re: Big Law Attorney -- Best Ways to Help S.O. in Job Search?
how serious is the relationship? the level of energy id expend on her behalf depends on that
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runinthefront
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Re: Big Law Attorney -- Best Ways to Help S.O. in Job Search?
If any of your friends at your firm are on the hiring committee, then obviously I'd ask if they would interview her.
Im a similar vein, what about the friends you made in law school who are at different firms? If you have some close(r) friends around the market she is targeting (or any market really), why don't you ask them if they're close to anyone of the hiring committee of their firm who can at least get your S.O. a phone interview? I don't think it presents a big issue at all...isn't nepotism pretty commonplace in biglaw?
Im a similar vein, what about the friends you made in law school who are at different firms? If you have some close(r) friends around the market she is targeting (or any market really), why don't you ask them if they're close to anyone of the hiring committee of their firm who can at least get your S.O. a phone interview? I don't think it presents a big issue at all...isn't nepotism pretty commonplace in biglaw?
Last edited by runinthefront on Sat Jan 27, 2018 12:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Big Law Attorney -- Best Ways to Help S.O. in Job Search?
OP here: It's got legs. Assume I would be fine acting merely as a bystander to her job search if I didn't see us together in 5 years.MyNameIsFlynn! wrote:how serious is the relationship? the level of energy id expend on her behalf depends on that
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Anonymous User
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Re: Big Law Attorney -- Best Ways to Help S.O. in Job Search?
OP here: I will keep these notes in mind in the summer and fall. Although I'd obviously like to be helpful in her 1L job search, I'm also assuming she ultimately won't have trouble landing at least some kind of judicial or PI externship; she already has an RA lined up. I want to use any capital I have for her 2L (and beyond) job search, so I'm thinking it's a bit early to talk to hiring committee connections about formal phone interviews, yeah?runinthefront wrote:If any of your friends at your firm are on the hiring committee, then obviously I'd ask if they would interview her.
Im a similar vein, what about the friends you made in law school who are at different firms? If you have some close(r) friends around the market she is targeting (or any market really), why don't you ask them if they're close to anyone of the hiring committee of their firm who can at least get your S.O. a phone interview? I don't think it presents a big issue at all...isn't nepotism pretty commonplace in biglaw?
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Anonymous User
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Re: Big Law Attorney -- Best Ways to Help S.O. in Job Search?
OP here: If I'm understanding the timeline correctly from people who have had success turning networking/hustling into job opportunities (I was fortunate, in hindsight, to land a job with a pretty vanilla OCI approach), 1L spring is the time to seek some "informational interviews" and plant some seeds that could pay dividends down the road. To that end, I could see myself reaching out to some acquaintances at other firms (the more midlevel/senior, the better) with an approach along the lines of, "My girlfriend is a 1L and very interested in your practice area; would you be willing to chat with her and answer some questions?" Perhaps coming from me rather than coming cold from a 1L herself, these approaches would have a higher rate of success.
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Re: Big Law Attorney -- Best Ways to Help S.O. in Job Search?
My husband was an investment banker and his company was a client of a big law firm so he introduced me to his lawyers.
I think it's better to introduce her to people either a) casually at a firm event of yours or law networking event
or b) tell people (esp at other firms) that she's a 1L and interested in learning about xyz practice area and you'd appreciate it if they/soemone at their firm can meet her for coffee or you can connect them over email etc.
She would have OCI for her 2L job 7 months so I think this is the best time to get her familiar with people so that if her name comes up in a pile they will know her and be able to vouch for her potentially. Just asking someone in July might be too late/unhelpful.
My $0.02
I think it's better to introduce her to people either a) casually at a firm event of yours or law networking event
or b) tell people (esp at other firms) that she's a 1L and interested in learning about xyz practice area and you'd appreciate it if they/soemone at their firm can meet her for coffee or you can connect them over email etc.
She would have OCI for her 2L job 7 months so I think this is the best time to get her familiar with people so that if her name comes up in a pile they will know her and be able to vouch for her potentially. Just asking someone in July might be too late/unhelpful.
My $0.02
