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Transferred from a T4 to a bottom ranged T1. Jumped over 150+ rankings on US News/ smart rankings/ ATL, etc. Proud of that. But only managed to get 2 screeners at OCI which also seem unsure. Why did I get 2 screeners? well I assume you can get the idea of where I was attending and how far I've jumped up to tell what kind of school it was. I was in the top 15 percentile at old school. Currently In the process of mass mailing. Don't really hustle because I have no friends at this new school but have managed to tailgate the heck out of career counseling. Not sure of my interview skills. Probably think they are a bit mediocre, may need to do a mock but I'm having no luck with screeners yet. Once I get more screeners, I will do a few mocks with career counseling. Am I doing everything I can at this point to get a SA? I'm not giving up!

By the end of December if I get no luck is it okay to assume that I struck out and it was not meant to be?

No, because you still have a year and a half of law school. Keep fighting. Some people get 3L SAs which become jobs.

Hope springs eternal.

What city are you in?

If it's non-NYC, join all of the mixer groups, ABA groups, professional networking groups, etc. that you can and if you can develop an interest in a practice area that is booming in that location, all the better. A lot of attorneys at smaller firms aren't "looking" for an SA, but they're open to the idea if they meet someone they know will be professional, polite, hard-working, etc.

Be open to working during the school year for a semi-shitty wage (like $15/hour) to make connections, if the people seem like decent, responsible professionals. You don't want to work in a sweatshop so don't work for anyone sleazy or anyone who seems to rely on underpaid student labor. That said, working part-time for smaller firms can be really rewarding and give you a great local reference.

There is networking hustling to be done---you just have to look outside of your classmates.

Good luck, I have tons of respect for what you're trying to do.

landshoes, thanks for the words. I am targeting mostly Houston and Dallas BigLaw. These small law firms may take me on as a SA and if they do provide transactional work or corporate expertise and finance, I may be able to lateral, but that's not the ultimate goal. I want to start of BigLaw and not have to worry about lateraling later or 3L OCI.

Now coming from a bottom ranked T1 as a transfer may be a different story.

Anonymous User wrote:landshoes, thanks for the words. I am targeting mostly Houston and Dallas BigLaw. These small law firms may take me on as a SA and if they do provide transactional work or corporate expertise and finance, I may be able to lateral, but that's not the ultimate goal. I want to start of BigLaw and not have to worry about lateraling later or 3L OCI.

Now coming from a bottom ranked T1 as a transfer may be a different story.

Is your new school in Texas? If not, this pipe dream is going to be next to impossible.

Also, Get some practical experience at a firm during the school year...see where it takes you.