Is law review important for me? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Posting in legal employment because it relates to likelihood of desired employment. Also, I'd like to keep anon b/c transfer.

Should I go through the write-on process at my current school if:

1. I am very likely transferring (apps already being sent)
2. Targeting large firm corporate
3. No desire to do clerkship
4. No desire to do litigation

If LR is still important, should I try to write on at the school I transfer to (assuming I can)? Or should I still do it at my current school in the unlikely event that I stay, or if it can still help at OCI?

Thoughts?

[Effingham]

Posting in legal employment because it relates to likelihood of desired employment. Also, I'd like to keep anon b/c transfer.

Should I go through the write-on process at my current school if:

1. I am very likely transferring (apps already being sent)
2. Targeting large firm corporate
3. No desire to do clerkship
4. No desire to do litigation

If LR is still important, should I try to write on at the school I transfer to (assuming I can)? Or should I still do it at my current school in the unlikely event that I stay, or if it can still help at OCI?

Thoughts?

It still helps. Try if you can. Don't worry about why, just push that urge to chill away for a few more weeks and get it done.

[Foghornleghorn]

What tier school are you at?

[Anonymous User]

T1 (30-50)

[mvp99]

T1 (30-50)

I don't think youre in a position to not try get law review (and it sucks bc I really think law review is a waste of time). But if you don't get it, at least know that it probably doesn't matter much if your aiming for corporate. I don't think most partners/recruiters would care (what matters is your gpa really).

[lurklaw]

You need law review

[Anonymous User]

I don't really mind doing it I would just rather only do it once (transfer school's LR). But if for any reason I end up staying or can't do/get LR from the transfer school I'm wondering how much getting it (hopefully) from my current school will help me in OCI for corporate biglaw (at the transfer school b/c it would obviously help at my current school).

[Anonymous User]

You need law review

[KunAgnis]

I don't really mind doing it I would just rather only do it once (transfer school's LR). But if for any reason I end up staying or can't do/get LR from the transfer school I'm wondering how much getting it (hopefully) from my current school will help me in OCI for corporate biglaw (at the transfer school b/c it would obviously help at my current school).

In that very specific situation I don't think it would help; correct me if I'm wrong, but you're asking how much LR on your old school would help at your new school if you don't get LR at the new school, correct?

The firms coming to your new school are looking for students from the new school-I'm not quite sure they'd care too much about whatever you did at your old school, unless the firms overlap (they OCI at your old and new school) in which case I could see LR help somewhat. But the fact that you put on your old LR would imply you missed the new school's LR, which would still put you below them, right? I could see it help very marginally for your hypothetical. Just my 2 cents

[Johann]

You need law review

[shock259]

I don't really mind doing it I would just rather only do it once (transfer school's LR). But if for any reason I end up staying or can't do/get LR from the transfer school I'm wondering how much getting it (hopefully) from my current school will help me in OCI for corporate biglaw (at the transfer school b/c it would obviously help at my current school).

Do the write on as insurance. If you don't transfer, you'll be thanking us. If you do transfer and you're accepted to your old school's law review, you can put it on your resume ("X Law Review - Invited").

And I think most schools that accept transfers allow students to get on at least some journal. At Columbia we couldn't do Law Review but other journals held spots open for transfers. Everyone that wanted a journal got one.

It's dumb, but it's not worth taking a chance on. Play the game until you have that offer. And then play the law firm game.

[Anonymous User]

Cool, that's what I was asking. I've always wondered how much of an actual disadvantage it is to not get LR as a result of transferring. Particularly if you aren't targeting litigation or clerkships.

Any experience with employer's opinions regarding secondary journals as opposed to LR?

Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

Cool, that's what I was asking. I've always wondered how much of an actual disadvantage it is to not get LR as a result of transferring. Particularly if you aren't targeting litigation or clerkships.

Any experience with employer's opinions regarding secondary journals as opposed to LR?

Thanks!

I was a transfer who did write on, and then got onto a secondary at the next school. It was mentioned at about every other interview, whether or not it made a difference who knows.

[kcdc1]

I think you should try to put some extracurriculars on your resume, but they don't have to include journal. My sense is that a lot of interviewers won't care about journal, but if you're not doing anything besides your classes, then you better have done really well in those classes. Also, you want to have something to make small talk about for your interviews.

If you don't have anything useful to talk about from your 1L year (besides your grades), it's probably best to write on because it's too late to add anything else before OCI.

FWIW, my impressions are formed from my interviewing experience coming from a lower T14 school. It might be a different story at lower-ranked schools where your credentials might get more scrutiny.

[lurklaw]

I think you should try to put some extracurriculars on your resume, but they don't have to include journal. My sense is that a lot of interviewers won't care about journal, but if you're not doing anything besides your classes, then you better have done really well in those classes. Also, you want to have something to make small talk about for your interviews.

If you don't have anything useful to talk about from your 1L year (besides your grades), it's probably best to write on because it's too late to add anything else before OCI.

FWIW, my impressions are formed from my interviewing experience coming from a lower T14 school. It might be a different story at lower-ranked schools where your credentials might get more scrutiny.

It's definitely a different story. For the most part, your post is credited for someone coming from a lower T14. But as a student at a T30-50, OP will need top grades and law review to land the biglaw SA he desires. Even if he is able to transfer to a T14, the firms he interviews with at OCI are going to evaluate him as if he were a student at his 1L school.

[nick417]

This really isn't even a question. Some employers (even at OCI) require law review and may not even consider your application (at the very least it is a red flag). The answer is certainly yes.

I think everyone who has went through law review realizes it is a waste of time. The value you receive from it is minimal, unless you publish something. However, that is box that law students have to check if they want to make themselves a more attractive candidate for employment. At my school it was law review and moot court.

[Anonymous User]

Cool, that's what I was asking. I've always wondered how much of an actual disadvantage it is to not get LR as a result of transferring. Particularly if you aren't targeting litigation or clerkships.

Any experience with employer's opinions regarding secondary journals as opposed to LR?

Thanks!

I was a transfer who did write on, and then got onto a secondary at the next school. It was mentioned at about every other interview, whether or not it made a difference who knows.

IT MATTERS. DO IT. It is not a waste of time. Your editing skills improve quickly.

I am at a TTT school. Top 10% with LRW. This summer I will be a SA in Biglaw.

Reasons I was offered from OCI: I interviewed well & LRW.

[1styearlateral]

Cool, that's what I was asking. I've always wondered how much of an actual disadvantage it is to not get LR as a result of transferring. Particularly if you aren't targeting litigation or clerkships.

Any experience with employer's opinions regarding secondary journals as opposed to LR?

Thanks!

I was a transfer who did write on, and then got onto a secondary at the next school. It was mentioned at about every other interview, whether or not it made a difference who knows.

IT MATTERS. DO IT. It is not a waste of time. Your editing skills improve quickly.

I am at a TTT school. Top 10% with LRW. This summer I will be a SA in Biglaw.

Reasons I was offered from OCI: I interviewed well & LRW.

I assume you mean law review, not legal research and writing.

LR is never a waste of time. I've heard some firms won't even consider your app if you're not on LR.

[jbagelboy]

Cool, that's what I was asking. I've always wondered how much of an actual disadvantage it is to not get LR as a result of transferring. Particularly if you aren't targeting litigation or clerkships.

Any experience with employer's opinions regarding secondary journals as opposed to LR?

Thanks!

I was a transfer who did write on, and then got onto a secondary at the next school. It was mentioned at about every other interview, whether or not it made a difference who knows.

IT MATTERS. DO IT. It is not a waste of time. Your editing skills improve quickly.

I am at a TTT school. Top 10% with LRW. This summer I will be a SA in Biglaw.

Reasons I was offered from OCI: I interviewed well & LRW.

I assume you mean law review, not legal research and writing.

LR is never a waste of time. I've heard some firms won't even consider your app if you're not on LR.

You heard wrong. Maybe at lower tier schools the flagship becomes a necessary condition, and if that's all your comment meant to imply I apologize, but at T14s this is ridiculous. There are no firms that truly won't consider your app without law review--even Bill and Conny, although they come closest to that standard--and for some students it truly is a waste of time.

For this OP, it's not: you should be taking every advantage you can get. Suck it up and do the goddamn write on.

[Glasseyes]

The closer you are to a K-JD the more this kind of thing seems to matter. Journals are substantively worthless and an epic timesuck, but it's a box you check to show you're willing and able to jump through the right hoops. The less you have on your resume, the more important these hoops become. Like everything else on a legal resume, it's a small certification to the fact that you suck less than the person without the same credential.

fwiw, i'm older and have a substantial resume; I did a secondary journal at my lower t14, which is almost certainly a waste of time for me, but it still came up in several interviews. randomly, both of my OCI interviewers from my summer firm were both on the same secondary as me. did it help? who knows, but it was a topic of conversation and probably contributed to some vague notion of "fit".

[1styearlateral]

You heard wrong. Maybe at lower tier schools the flagship becomes a necessary condition, and if that's all your comment meant to imply I apologize, but at T14s this is ridiculous. There are no firms that truly won't consider your app without law review--even Bill and Conny, although they come closest to that standard--and for some students it truly is a waste of time.

For this OP, it's not: you should be taking every advantage you can get. Suck it up and do the goddamn write on.

Yeah, I mean I'm just communicating what I heard; nothing that I have experienced myself. However, I do believe LR opened doors for me that would otherwise not be available, but I also went to a TTT. So you're probably correct.

In any event, we both agree: OP should try to get onto LR because there's literally no downside in OP's scenario.

[Anonymous User]

OP Here: Just so we're all on the same page, we're talking about LR from my current school? It is a good idea to try to get on LR at my current school for OCI purposes at the school I transfer to?

Again, I think maybe some of the purpose of my post is lost. I'm not debating whether or not to do law review period, the question is (assuming I can do LR at the transfer school) should I still do it at my current school?

I'm guessing the answer still is yes because (1) it's not 100% certain I will transfer, and (2) the transfer school I attend may not allow me to/I may not get on LR.

If this is what everyone means, then cool I'll suck it up and do it (possibly twice)!

Thanks.

[yost]

OP Here: Just so we're all on the same page, we're talking about LR from my current school? It is a good idea to try to get on LR at my current school for OCI purposes at the school I transfer to?

Again, I think maybe some of the purpose of my post is lost. I'm not debating whether or not to do law review period, the question is (assuming I can do LR at the transfer school) should I still do it at my current school?

I'm guessing the answer still is yes because (1) it's not 100% certain I will transfer, and (2) the transfer school I attend may not allow me to/I may not get on LR.

If this is what everyone means, then cool I'll suck it up and do it (possibly twice)!

Thanks.

What are your grades? Are you targeting the T-14? These are very important questions. If you are top 1% and expecting to transfer to Chicago or somewhere comparable, no, don't bother with LR. If you have median grades and are transferring laterally, it might be a better idea.

[Anonymous User]

OP Here: Top 10% grades. Targeting T-14.

[1styearlateral]

I think the point was to do LR at your current school so that if you transfer and can't get on your new school's LR, you can at least indicate on your resume that you were invited to LR at your prior school. The absence of LR at your new school would offer the presumption that you were not eligible for LR as a transfer (and hopefully not that you didn't make the cut).

If you don't transfer, well, then at least you're on LR. Can't imagine a scenario where a top 10 percenter wasn't on LR.