Any hope for the hopeless? Forum

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Anonymous User
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Re: Any hope for the hopeless?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:53 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Thank you everyone so much for your feedback and advice.
I am currently externing with Legal Aid (Juvenile). (I did do an internship here before law school with criminal defense)
I also interned with children's services.
I am also working on 3 pro bono projects.

And I was just informed that one of my independent study papers will be published in a local county's bar journal in the summer.

For the summer, I applied at 2 places. The Queens DA's office (heard nothing yet) and a non for profit organization that helps with civil services (family law, housing, education)-- I interviewed with them and should hear back in 2 weeks.

If nothing works out by mid march, I might apply for a judicial internship.

I guess I can apply to nassau (but their website says to send a transcript or letter of good standing)..not sure.
:shock:

Anonymous User
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Re: Any hope for the hopeless?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:56 pm

Well, I guess that means I am an idiot.

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rinkrat19

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Re: Any hope for the hopeless?

Post by rinkrat19 » Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:05 pm

You should be applying to dozens (hundreds if possible) of places and not stopping until you get something. Why in god's name would you think that applying to TWO is sufficient? If the #1-ranked student at Yale told me he was only applying to two employers, I would tell him he's an idiot. And you are not top of the class at Yale.

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abogadesq

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Re: Any hope for the hopeless?

Post by abogadesq » Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:11 pm

Yeah man! You should apply to a lot more. It's nothing personal; it's just statistics. There's almost always going to be a superior job applicant. You should mass apply so that you maximize your chances of being hired. When I graduated I mailed at least a hundred different offices and I heard back from maybe 10 of them. I only got offers from 3. 3 out of 100! And that's despite applying exclusively in the legal market where my school is the best ranked.

It's all about numbers and then distinguishing yourself at each interview you get. I was like you; my grades sucked. However, like you, I also did a lot of pro bono and externship hours, and that helped me survive the job search after a LOT of mailing and driving to interviews.

eagle2a

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Re: Any hope for the hopeless?

Post by eagle2a » Fri Feb 19, 2016 9:40 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Poldy wrote:
andythefir wrote:Your situation is a great one to demonstrate how radically different the various markets across the country are. You probably are in a world of trouble if you are trying to get one of the more coveted DAs offices, including NYC, LA, SF, etc. But if you had passed the bar anywhere you could walk into a job tomorrow in southern NM. I'm sure the same is true of Wyoming, the Dakotas, Montana, and so on.

You might indeed be hopeless if you refuse to move or live in a non-metropolitan city. But if you are willing to move to a small town, there will always be work somewhere. The hype on this site is real for people who only can survive on biglaw or a federal clerkship or employment with the small handful of employers that ever get mentioned. But right this second there are hundreds of legal jobs that can't hire anyone because literally no one applies.
Wouldn't count on this plan. Of all the attorneys I know practicing in one of the states you mentioned, all a but one went to school in the state. Some of that could be self-selection but I know ties matter. Also, the district/county attotney's offices tend to be 1-3 people.
I can confirm rural NM DA offices are always hiring and could care less about where you come from.
Where are these jobs advertised? I'm not planning on applying for one but I'll feel better knowing that there is at least something out there

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andythefir

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Re: Any hope for the hopeless?

Post by andythefir » Mon Feb 22, 2016 12:25 am

eagle2a wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:
Poldy wrote:
andythefir wrote:Your situation is a great one to demonstrate how radically different the various markets across the country are. You probably are in a world of trouble if you are trying to get one of the more coveted DAs offices, including NYC, LA, SF, etc. But if you had passed the bar anywhere you could walk into a job tomorrow in southern NM. I'm sure the same is true of Wyoming, the Dakotas, Montana, and so on.

You might indeed be hopeless if you refuse to move or live in a non-metropolitan city. But if you are willing to move to a small town, there will always be work somewhere. The hype on this site is real for people who only can survive on biglaw or a federal clerkship or employment with the small handful of employers that ever get mentioned. But right this second there are hundreds of legal jobs that can't hire anyone because literally no one applies.
Wouldn't count on this plan. Of all the attorneys I know practicing in one of the states you mentioned, all a but one went to school in the state. Some of that could be self-selection but I know ties matter. Also, the district/county attotney's offices tend to be 1-3 people.
I can confirm rural NM DA offices are always hiring and could care less about where you come from.
Where are these jobs advertised? I'm not planning on applying for one but I'll feel better knowing that there is at least something out there
http://www.nmbar.org/nmstatebar/Publica ... 16abd33707

http://nmdas.com

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