Top Law Schools

I'll keep it brief: Top 20% at a T20, non-URM, no real w/e, but a reasonably good interviewer. Big law is still plausible, correct? If so, am I locked into my T20's region? (Sorry for the vagueness.)

Possible, sure, but exact likelihood is difficult to assess without knowing the specific school and region you're targeting.

Regardless: work connections, network like a motherfucker, mass mail, target the big Biglaw markets like NY, and apply outside of Biglaw to be safe.

Anonymous User wrote:I'll keep it brief: Top 20% at a T20, non-URM, no real w/e, but a reasonably good interviewer. Big law is still plausible, correct? If so, am I locked into my T20's region? (Sorry for the vagueness.)

Yes, it's plausible. Best chances will be in your law school's region + NYC.

Thanks, guys. That's about what I figured. NYC isn't really a preference of mine, but I guess I'll bid heavy there regardless. Chicago or DC would be the dream, but I know those are tough to get.

Anonymous User wrote:Thanks, guys. That's about what I figured. NYC isn't really a preference of mine, but I guess I'll bid heavy there regardless. Chicago or DC would be the dream, but I know those are tough to get.

Is your school near DC or Chicago? If not, I'd probably steer generally away from both. As Rpupkin said, your school's region + NYC -- that will be your best chance.

The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

Anonymous User wrote:

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

Definitely worth it.

Anonymous User wrote:

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

This is a bit of a strange question. It doesn't matter if it's DC or Boise, if you want to work in a given market, you need to be mass mailing it.

Anonymous User wrote:

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

Yes, it's worth it to mass mail in that the cost to you is low while the upside is high. It's not likely that you'll get big law in DC or Chicago through mass mailing, but why not try?

By the way, your refusal to identify your law school is weird. You're anon, and the specific law school you go to is actually relevant to your questions. You'll get better advice here if you just say which "T20" you attend.

rpupkin wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

Yes, it's worth it to mass mail in that the cost to you is low while the upside is high. It's not likely that you'll get big law in DC or Chicago through mass mailing, but why not try?

By the way, your refusal to identify your law school is weird. You're anon, and the specific law school you go to is actually relevant to your questions. You'll get better advice here if you just say which "T20" you attend.

Point taken. WUSTL. Also, great avatar.

Anonymous User wrote:

rpupkin wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

Yes, it's worth it to mass mail in that the cost to you is low while the upside is high. It's not likely that you'll get big law in DC or Chicago through mass mailing, but why not try?

By the way, your refusal to identify your law school is weird. You're anon, and the specific law school you go to is actually relevant to your questions. You'll get better advice here if you just say which "T20" you attend.

Point taken. WUSTL. Also, great avatar.

You should get 10+ NY/chi interviews from interview programs.

Anonymous User wrote:

rpupkin wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

Yes, it's worth it to mass mail in that the cost to you is low while the upside is high. It's not likely that you'll get big law in DC or Chicago through mass mailing, but why not try?

By the way, your refusal to identify your law school is weird. You're anon, and the specific law school you go to is actually relevant to your questions. You'll get better advice here if you just say which "T20" you attend.

Point taken. WUSTL. Also, great avatar.

If you are a decent interviewer should be able to get Chicago biglaw. Maybe with a few offers too.

D.C. is meh, but worth the mass mailing campaign.

I'd bid heavily Chicago (and mass Mail Chicago too), and use remaining free bids for NYC/DC + Mass mail there.

You want NYC just as a backup option, but given school and stats you probably won't end up using it.

favabeansoup wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

rpupkin wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

Yes, it's worth it to mass mail in that the cost to you is low while the upside is high. It's not likely that you'll get big law in DC or Chicago through mass mailing, but why not try?

By the way, your refusal to identify your law school is weird. You're anon, and the specific law school you go to is actually relevant to your questions. You'll get better advice here if you just say which "T20" you attend.

Point taken. WUSTL. Also, great avatar.

If you are a decent interviewer should be able to get Chicago biglaw. Maybe with a few offers too.

D.C. is meh, but worth the mass mailing campaign.

I'd bid heavily Chicago (and mass Mail Chicago too), and use remaining free bids for NYC/DC + Mass mail there.

You want NYC just as a backup option, but given school and stats you probably won't end up using it.

I went to WUSTL

OP has unlimited bids since at WUSTL. You can also bid Bryan Cave/TC/Polsinielli/LockeLorde and say you want to summer in their Chicago office.

favabeansoup wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

rpupkin wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

androstan wrote:The hiring market is better than it was, you have a real shot, but as others have said you'll need to target NYC heavily. And you should be ready to convince them that NYC is your dream.

Understood. I'll be sure to bid NYC + school's region aggressively. Is it worth it to mass mail to DC and Chicago? I'll take NYC if need be, but would still like to have options.

Yes, it's worth it to mass mail in that the cost to you is low while the upside is high. It's not likely that you'll get big law in DC or Chicago through mass mailing, but why not try?

By the way, your refusal to identify your law school is weird. You're anon, and the specific law school you go to is actually relevant to your questions. You'll get better advice here if you just say which "T20" you attend.

Point taken. WUSTL. Also, great avatar.

If you are a decent interviewer should be able to get Chicago biglaw. Maybe with a few offers too.

D.C. is meh, but worth the mass mailing campaign.

I'd bid heavily Chicago (and mass Mail Chicago too), and use remaining free bids for NYC/DC + Mass mail there.

You want NYC just as a backup option, but given school and stats you probably won't end up using it.

I went to WUSTL and I think the opinion here may be slightly too optimistic regarding geography. WUSTL doesn't place as well in Chicago as one would expect given the proximity, the only students I know working Chicago biglaw were somewhere around the top 10-15%.

You have unlimited bids and I'd highly suggest bidding strongly in Chicago and gunning for it (both at OCI and MM), but you'll also have to do the NY interview programs (and should probably do DC as well if it's a city you want, just know DC is highly competitive). Don't leave NYC as a backup or assume that you'll get Chicago, most WUSTL students end up in NYC and that's your most likely outcome. It's better to be there than to strike out