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I attend a T2 that is considered good in the region and my resume lends itself well to a certain niche area. Some firms in the market have this practice area. Should I email the heads of the practice groups my application or should I just stick with the recruiters?

Anonymous User wrote:I attend a T2 that is considered good in the region and my resume lends itself well to a certain niche area. Some firms in the market have this practice area. Should I email the heads of the practice groups my application or should I just stick with the recruiters?

Similar position here. I've had some success going this route. However, I have gotten a much better response rate via an alum, even if its a different practice area. Its a more organic way to start a conversation. But if there isn't a partner alum in a somewhat related practice group, might as well go for it.

At the same time, I have had very little success (or at least responses) from saying "hey, im interested in this, and want a summer job" vs. "hey, im interested in your practice area because of my background, is there a time I could talk about it with you." --> the latter gets you a conversation, and then a forwarded email backed up w/ the partner (hopefully) saying Jane/John Doe is a good guy, give him/her a shot.

EDIT: I have also had success emailing a partner from a similarly ranked/located school. i.e. "Hey - I know your firm does not typically recruit from such and such schools, could you schedule a time to meet/talk w/ me regarding your path to this firm."

I would suggest emailing the head of the practice group. During my mass mail campaigns I always would email a partner instead of the recruiter.

Also agree with the above poster. I tried to find the most ties to a partner at the firm and I would email that partner. Generally I would look for whether they went to my UG or whether they were on my law school's Law Review.