Do you need ties for Chicago and if so, how strong? Forum

[OhBoyOhBortles]

Don't really have ties, but I really liked Chicago when I was visiting for NU last year and would probably prefer it over NY. Possible to make it happen, or just suck it up and bid NY like everyone else?

[trebekismyhero]

Some of the biggest firms might not care if you can sell how much you like Chicago. I know that there are some people at both Sidley and Kirkland from the East Coast with no ties to Chicago. If you are from the midwest that is all you need for Chicago. Ties in chicago are not as important as some people on TLS say, but if you are not from the midwest and have no real ties to Chicago it gets dicey. Bid NYC mostly to be safe, but no harm in adding a few of the top Chicago firms and mass mailing

[Johann]

come visit this weekend; tinder; meet gf say you have fiance here. youll get an SA if youre at a T14 with good grades.

[RaceJudicata]

Manipulate any connection/potential connection you have so that it creates a "tie" to the Midwest. Chicago firms love hearing about the Midwest

[OhBoyOhBortles]

Cool, I'll definitely give Chicago a shot then. Thanks all.

[Anonymous User]

I am not from the midwest and am only here for law school, spent 1L summer in Chicago and it was pretty easy to use that in interviews of why Chicago and I did fairly well during OCI and am currently an SA at a firm in Chicago.

But ultimately, it really didn't seem like that big of a factor

[Anonymous User]

If you're at a V10 in NYC (2nd/3rd year corporate) and want to transfer to Chicago with no ties (or very loose Midwest ties) - how difficult would this be?

[Anonymous User]

I found it very difficult to crack the good Chicago firms with minimal ties.

[Anonymous User]

I am not from the midwest and am only here for law school, spent 1L summer in Chicago and it was pretty easy to use that in interviews of why Chicago and I did fairly well during OCI and am currently an SA at a firm in Chicago.

But ultimately, it really didn't seem like that big of a factor

Same story here but +1 year. Not sure if OP is at school in Chicago, but if you are and that is your only tie then I think staying in Chicago for 1L can be very beneficial. I found it was very easy to simply say I loved the city and wanted to stick around, but people that went back home during 1L seemed to have a much harder time.

[20160810]

Anecdata- dude I clerked with was a bro from LA who went to school on the west coast and ended up working for a large firm in Chicago. They didn't seem to care as long as he passed the Illinois bar.

[TLSModBot]

These ties should be strong enough

[Anonymous User]

You didn't say what type of jobs you'd be applying to. Sounds like the big firms don't care as much, but ties can be much more important to small/mid-sized firms. I was trying to establish ties in Chicago by getting an internship with a boutique firm. I contacted every Chicago boutique in my specialty, and many that responded said specifically, "We only hire from XYZ local schools." I was eventually successful (thanks to an alum I networked with), but it took a lot more legwork.

[Anonymous User]

As a statistic on “ties”:
T14 / Above Median, heading to a V10 satellite.
-I went to undergrad in Boston. I interviewed with 15 Boston firms, received 10 callbacks, went on 6 of those and had 5 offers.
-I grew up in NY. I interviewed with 10 NY firms, received 8 callbacks, went on 1 of those and had 1 offer.
-My family (parents and brother) has lived in Chicago for 7 years. I also have a shitton of extended family in Chicago (8 first cousins and 2 second cousins, all of whom I am close with). I interviewed with 10 Chicago firms, received 1 callback and never heard back for an offer. Also never heard back from 1 of the screeners but the rest were rejections.
-I have 0 ties to Texas. I interviewed with 3 Houston firms, received 3 callbacks and 2 offers and accepted 1 of those offers before I heard back from the 3rd.

TL;DR: For Chicago, grades might have more swing than ties. For other markets (Boston), ties might have more of an impact. Some markets (surprisingly Texas), ties might not matter at all if you sell yourself well. NYC is NYC.

[gk101]

These ties should be strong enough

chicago is all business casual man. no ties needed