Mass mail Qs. Forum

[Scuppers]

OCI bids are in, but I'ma be mass mailing. I've read through most of the related threads in this forum, but would like to ask a couple questions/request some clarifications/grovel for encouragement.

1) Most of the mass mail advice on here seems to be by and for the t14 crowd. Does it apply to mediocre regional T1s too? (I'm at Fordham.) I mean, I understand that you should mass mail every state even if you have no ties, as a Columbia student. What about us lowly T30s? Just target my hometown? Or should I still NALP carpet bomb this great, wide land?

2) I've read that you shouldn't mass mail firms coming to your OCI. Makes sense. But for Fordham, this presents something of an issue because most of the NYC legal market is coming, and I can only bid on approximately 1/4th of them. Does that mean that I can't mass mail the rest of them? Ouch.

2b) Is there any sense in mass mailing firms that you bid on and did not receive? I mean, I don't know, it sounds pretty stupid, but at the same time they get a limited number of interview slots. Maybe they happened to get all duds? But then if they had any interest maybe they would hold on to your resume from the first time you submitted it (with the bid)?

3) I'd like to summer in Asia, but it seems to me most of the international firms do not send summers to overseas offices (especially Asia, with a few exceptions). Looking through the firm directories, it also seems that most of those overseas Americans are partners. I haven't seen many Fordham alums in Asia either. Does it still make sense to email the American partners/associates in those overseas offices?

3b) If interviewing with a firm for a new york office, during OCI, would it make sense to mention to them that I'd also be willing to work in one of their overseas offices? I can't decide whether or not the benefit of them passing that along to the right people is worth the risk of potentially hurting my NYC bid.

Thanks.

[Scuppers]

Don't feel compelled to answer all 4 at once. I shoulda done these one at a time.

[Kratos]

Don't feel compelled to answer all 4 at once. I shoulda done these one at a time.

there's a stickied thread for questions about this

[Scuppers]

Don't feel compelled to answer all 4 at once. I shoulda done these one at a time.

there's a stickied thread for questions about this

Thanks, but it was only after reading through all 28 pages of that stickied thread, and others after searching "mass mail," that I posted these questions. (I tried to hint as much with the first sentence of my post.) For instance, the fact that the vast majority of that sticked thread are students who are 1) T14 or 2) regionals mass mailing home markets, led directly to my question #1. Advice about not mass mailing OCI led directly to my question #2. Etc.

[pancakes3]

sounds like you've got low t research skills bro

[lacrossebrother]

Did I post this in the wrong forum: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 0&t=250522

[Scuppers]

sounds like you've got low t research skills bro

No doubt. Hence the reason I need to mass mail. The ol' catch 22.

[gregfootball2001]

1) Most of the mass mail advice on here seems to be by and for the t14 crowd. Does it apply to mediocre regional T1s too? (I'm at Fordham.) I mean, I understand that you should mass mail every state even if you have no ties, as a Columbia student. What about us lowly T30s? Just target my hometown? Or should I still NALP carpet bomb this great, wide land?

I went to a T30, and I only massmailed my target markets. It can't hurt to send out to other markets, but with NY being a big market for you, you're only gonna have time for so many hundreds of emails. Do NYC, then pick another market or three where you have ties, or where ties aren't really needed (maybe DC?), and go to town. In the end, let's be honest - you're not gonna get a job in Cali without ties anyway, so use your time wisely.

2) I've read that you shouldn't mass mail firms coming to your OCI. Makes sense. But for Fordham, this presents something of an issue because most of the NYC legal market is coming, and I can only bid on approximately 1/4th of them. Does that mean that I can't mass mail the rest of them? Ouch.

Not sure why you wouldn't massmail firms coming to OCI. You might not get to interview with them at OCI, and if they turn you down after you've emailed, they turn you down. Better to try than not. You could always wait and see what you get in OCI, but yeah, these are firms that show an interest in your school - send em an email.

2b) Is there any sense in mass mailing firms that you bid on and did not receive? I mean, I don't know, it sounds pretty stupid, but at the same time they get a limited number of interview slots. Maybe they happened to get all duds? But then if they had any interest maybe they would hold on to your resume from the first time you submitted it (with the bid)?

You never know why you got or didn't get an interview. Maybe the secretary that picked em didn't like the font of your resume. What would it hurt to send them an email?

3) I'd like to summer in Asia, but it seems to me most of the international firms do not send summers to overseas offices (especially Asia, with a few exceptions). Looking through the firm directories, it also seems that most of those overseas Americans are partners. I haven't seen many Fordham alums in Asia either. Does it still make sense to email the American partners/associates in those overseas offices?

Also coming form a non-T14, I can't stress how important contacts are. While going to Asia is cool, you need to be in the city (or whatever market you're interested in) so that you can meet people. You wanna be a US lawyer, stay in the US.

3b) If interviewing with a firm for a new york office, during OCI, would it make sense to mention to them that I'd also be willing to work in one of their overseas offices? I can't decide whether or not the benefit of them passing that along to the right people is worth the risk of potentially hurting my NYC bid.

I've always heard that you tell the people you're interviewing with that you're interested in their office. Unless they're specifically looking for people to go overseas, you might come off as someone that would jump ship for a better opportunity. (not that you wouldn't, but you shouldn't seem that way)

[BigZuck]

I would just give up on the Asia thing, I don't see it happening either through the back door or the front door. Just focus on getting a job in NYC, that would be a solid coup.

I think everything else has been covered extensively.

[Scuppers]

Thanks for the thoughtful responses, Zuck and Greg.

Let me push my luck and test your patience, though.

1) My sense from the other thread was that if you didn't bid them, then it's not going to look very good when you mass mail them. Who cares at that point, I guess? Okay I guess I answered my own question.

2) To be clear, I didn't mean just summering in Asia, I meant staying there. Lived there previously, ties and all that, fine with going back. Most of the firms that come to Fordham, even the truly global monsters, still specify that they are only interviewing for NYC. Career services said to mention willingness to go overseas in both the cover letters and at the interview if the firm has overseas offices. I was very suspicious of that advice.

Thanks.

[chuckbass]

Do you know if Fordham shows firms everyone who bid on them, including those that didn't get an interview through the lottery? While you can't lie and say you bid on them, Fordham is a decent-sized school so they may just assume you bid but didn't get an interview. Regardless this is a very important couple of months, and it's certainly not a waste of your time to mass mail all of these firms.

[Scuppers]

They show everyone who bids because 60% of their slots are pre-select. I'll just MM everyone, as per this board. Thanks, fam.