LavLaw 2015 [rainbows etc. etc.] Forum

[cricketlove00]

Hey guys and gals and everyone else -

Was wondering if anyone is attending the career fair/conference in Chicago this year. I just registered and was hoping to meet some people aka not be alone for the whole time.

[malleus discentium]

Who is going!

[chuckbass]

Checking in just for you (sorry I'm not coming don't hate me forever)

[Wustlmike19]

Will be there

[Wustlmike19]

I'm gonna attend

[malleus discentium]

Woah did our threads just get combined?

[sublime]

..

[sublime]

..

[cricketlove00]

Can't wait to watch my Grindr explode.

[sanjola]

I'm still debating as there are very little options for a 3LOL. Should be a lot of fun though!

[abvrhsn]

I'll be there!

[Anonymous User]

I'll be there interviewing you runts. And definitely go if you can. (Many law schools will pay for you to attend; mine did when I was a rising 2L and would have when I was a rising 3L.) The career fair is a big deal and actually does get people jobs. My firm makes 3-5 offers to people we first met at LavLaw every year.

[cricketlove00]

I'll be there interviewing you runts. And definitely go if you can. (Many law schools will pay for you to attend; mine did when I was a rising 2L and would have when I was a rising 3L.) The career fair is a big deal and actually does get people jobs. My firm makes 3-5 offers to people we first met at LavLaw every year.

Any hints? Bring lots of resumes/cover letters/writing samples?

[callmekimba]

I'll be there! So excited for this. Heard really awesome outcomes.

[Anonymous User]

Any hints? Bring lots of resumes/cover letters/writing samples?

I'll be there interviewing as well.

Bring your resume and a grade report - I was particularly impressed a couple years ago with a guy who had a resume on one side and transcript on the other. We don't want to fly with tons of paper either.

Spend a bit of time building a shortlist of firms you want to see. That will help you be more efficient and reduce your chances of looking like an idiot. Just because a firm has a Cancun location does not mean they practice XYZ law there.

Show some style and personality in your attire but remember that law, and particularly biglaw, is a conservative profession. Give us a reason to advocate for you. Don't make us concerned about what you will wear or say to a client.

Don't grind a recruiter. This isn't a casting couch and may only serve to make things awkward for you both as a summer associate.

Have fun. Be personable. Network hard and try to keep cultivating connections. I still maintain strong relationships with attorneys I interviewed with at LavLaw. You are starting to Build Your Brand now. Like an IPO, value yourself properly.

[Anonymous User]

First interviewer anon again. Agreed with anon above on all interviewing advice. Also, sometimes firms will invite people to drinks/dinner afterward--definitely go. This is a positive sign.

[Anonymous User]

Great insights, thank you both.

Any advice for 3Ls specifically? Lav conflicted with my school's OCI last year and I didn't go but from what I've read about the format it seems like there's lots of room for extra awkwardness for 3Ls.

[Anonymous User]

This advice is assuming top-25% (or higher) at a solid regional school (or better).

3L hiring generally tends to be practice-group specific, so you need to be even more diligent about knowing which firm has which practice in which city so you can emphasize your ties appropriately. Practice groups probably don't know their needs for September 2016 (likely when you'd be starting), and if they do have a need, it's probably immediate -- they'll take a recent bar passer or junior lateral who can begin now rather than waiting for you.

In the end, it's important for 3Ls to be both memorable and realistic. You want someone to advocate for you when a slot does open. That you recognize the potential awkwardness demonstrates a lot of self awareness that your peers often lack. At least for my firm, be resolute in the area you wish to practice. If your research shows a firm has a first-year associate rotation pool, then that's less important, but even for these, you're probably not going to stick in someone's mind if you give the milquetoast answer "well I'm not sure if I want to do transactional or litigation since I've never done either."

At this stage of the game, if your back is against the wall, swing, don't bunt. I'll fight for you if you give me a reason.

[Anonymous User]

Yes on the above. On the other hand, don't waste people's time, and be practical about who you're meeting with. Target as much as you can firms that have specialties where you have a background or at least some familiarity/the ability to talk cogently about that specialty.

Although, given that most firms will have 1-2 interviewers, the specialties can be a total crapshoot. I know my firm is, by coincidence, sending two attorneys in the same practice group, and no other practice groups will be represented. That doesn't mean we're only hiring 3Ls in that practice group (actually not sure if we're hiring 3Ls at all, though we have for the last couple of years), but this is mostly about us liking you. Recruiting will sort out which 3Ls we're interested in from a specialty standpoint based on your resume and reported interest(s) later on, and we'll just be the tiebreakers for who gets called back based on how much we liked you.

[Anonymous User]

tag

[cricketlove00]

Will be in chi town tonight. Anyone want to grab a drink?