Top Law Schools

Hi Mods - Please delete.

You're going to have to be more specific about the school and your class rank to get any decent answers. But at a lot of T2s, I think you still have a decent chance of getting a job. It just likely won't be a job you get through OCI.

A summer position at a big law firm is going to be tough.

bobbyflayed wrote:A summer position at a big law firm is going to be tough.

Well the truth is that no biglaw firm will take OP. (sorry OP). A 2.7 from a T2 school will just not get biglaw. If this is a true "Tier 2" school, then he would need to be in the top 5-10% to have even a shot.

OP you focus needs to be on small to medium size firms and gov agencies. Forget about biglaw.

Your best bet is networking. You need to be going to bar events and meeting actual attorneys. Network. If they see you as proactive and determined, some might give you the chance at a summer clerkship and then a post grad offer.

You need to be doing some serious hustling if you have those grades at a Tier 2 school for gainful legal employment.

Second bet is to obviously get those grades up before graduation.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but you're at the bottom of the class at a TT. Chances of biglaw are almost zero. I say almost zero because there was recently a story about a law student saving a biglaw partners life, and the partner hired this student as an SA. There's a chance, however remote, that something like that happens. You only have a shot at firms that don't care about your grades, and these firms don't go to OCI.

There are a lot of "what are my chances" threads on here recently and I think they paint a too rosy picture of the job market. There's a big firm SA job for about 1/10 law students. These jobs are tough to land. My impression is that the legal market is quite healthy, there are just way too many grads. Frankly, I'd recommend dropping out, but that can be tough to hear. You aren't unemployable, but you'll have to hustle hard and the work won't be glamorous.

OP said he would be fine with any kind of job, no need to beat the dead horse here

Do not rely on OCI to snag you a job - you need to hustle given your stats. Search out other firms that don't do OCI/diversity fairs; network your ass off; look at government, non-profit, in-house in addition to firm jobs; see if your contacts at your old firms could give you leads on jobs; etc.

There are jobs out there for you, but it might take a while so hang in there.

I read your previous thread you created. You lost your scholarship at your TTT (not TT). What will be your total COA?

OP should drop out if OP lost his/her scholarship.

Thanks for all the comments and feedback guys, highly appreciated. I think I'll proceed with the mentality that I wont snag a job off of OCI and start applying to small/medium firms to government agencies. That said, does anyone have any suggestions as to how to access a list with all the small/medium firms? I'll definitely do my research but I'm looking for ways to execute it efficiently.

Also I said TT because I was using the ranking off of lawschoolstart and not U.S. Best News. Sorry for the confusion. I'll call it TTT.

On the other hand, luckily enough (not trying to brag) but I will be graduating debt free so the loss of scholarship is just an incentive for me to do better. I can regain my scholarship if I get over a certain GPA by the end of next year. I really regret treating law school half assed first semester and I'm sure you guys see it too.

Anyway, keep the comments coming - I enjoy reading them. Thank you again.

No one is going to have a list of all the small firms in your area, because we have no idea where you are. That list is going to be entirely region-specific.

Your school's OCS (you should really be talking to) will have the information you want.

Also, if you're at a TTT, where does a 2.7 put you on the curve? Those schools have much less certain job outcomes in general.

Quick update: I'm in the Philly region. As for the curve, I'm a little bit under because I believe the curve is set at a 3.0 (maybe 2.9). I know I'll be floating around a 2.9 to 3.0 by the end of next semester.

MrHan wrote:Quick update: I'm in the Philly region. As for the curve, I'm a little bit under because I believe the curve is set at a 3.0 (maybe 2.9). I know I'll be floating around a 2.9 to 3.0 by the end of next semester.

Villanova? If so, that may be a saving grace. Nova has a great reputation in Philly, so that may get your foot in the door at less coveted places (think DA Office (but not Philly county), PD Office, Gov't, clerking for local judges, small law firms) irrespective of gpa (but that'll obv. play a role in whether you get a job).

Edit – If not Nova, and you're at Drexel, or (hopefully not) Widener, you're going to have a tough time as others have stated. I personally know several graduates from these schools, as I am from the area as well, and I can tell you first hand with good GPA's they've struggled to find employment. Best of luck to you.

How is your legal writing?

Yep, I'm at Drexel. My legal writing is getting better everyday and in addition, I'm doing the appellate litigation clinic this year. I feel that this will give me a significant boost to my legal writing. I'm just going to keep improving myself to market myself better.

What are your legal writing grades? Your previous posts suggest that you aren't that great...

Anonymous User wrote:What are your legal writing grades? Your previous posts suggest that you aren't that great...

They were mediocre but...I felt that my professor had a bias against me. Pretty sad actually... not to mention she brought in 2 judges to grade us on our oral argument (1 of them being her boyfriend which I thought was pretty unprofessional - giving me the same exact grade as the professor). I had a few other professors review my writing and they told me that it didn't deserve the grade that I received. Regardless, I'm over it and I'm moving on. Lets also say that this professor is also infamous..

Try to get as much legal experience as you can. Apply to PD's offices and small 1-2 persons personal injury/criminal defense firms. The more you can build up your experience, the better your outcomes will be.