Firm-specific OCI bidding advice w/extenuating circumstances
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2017 8:49 pm
Hey guys, I posted a few months ago about compiling my bid list for OCI at a lower-T14 school. I have median grades (with one top-of-class award). HOWEVER, I have NO 1l job and no extracurriculars for my 1l year. Yes, I have reasons. I was pregnant and on bed rest for most of my fall 1L semester, my son was born very prematurely and passed away and I wasn't in the right place to take my spring 1L finals. I ended up taking a year off to process and went back to join the 2019 graduating class (was originally 2018). I'm pregnant (and facing medical issues again) at the moment, so my 1L plans went out the window.
First of all, I know I'm pretty screwed. You don't need to tell me HOW screwed I am, my constant anxiety does a good job at reminding me hourly. Also, I'm sure a lot of you have opinions on me being pregnant twice and having two pregnancy-related excuses for different things, but you don't know my situation. The second pregnancy was very much unexpected as we had been diagnosed with unexplained fertility, so getting pregnant the second time was a shock. This thread isn't about my personal life choices, it's about maximizing my bid list based on my slim odds, grades, and personal circumstances.
NOW, having said that, I have grabbed all of the bidding data for firms attending my school, and I need help optimizing it. Right now, this is EVERY FIRM with an office in one of my target markets (Dallas - strong unquestionable family ties, Orange County/LA - lived there for 11 years and did my undergrad there, NY - it's NY). If you guys have any advice on firms that I should focus on or rule out and not waste a bid on, it's much appreciated.
Akin, Gump - LA
Allen Matkins - Irvine, LA
Alston & Bird - Dallas, LA, NY
Arnold & Porter - LA
Axinn - NY
Baker Botts - Dallas, NY
Boies Schiller - NY, LA
Bryan Cave - Santa Monica
cades schutte - Honolulu (I have reasons that aren't "because hawaii")
Cadwalader - NY
Cleary, Gottlieb - NY
Cooley - NY
Covington & Burling - LA
Cox, Castle & Nicholson - LA
Crowell & Moring - Irvine
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt - NY
Davis Polk & Wardwell - NY
Dechert - NY
DLA Piper - LA
Drinker Biddle & Reath - LA
Faegre Baker Daniels - LA
Fenwick & West - NY
Foley & Lardner - LA
Fox Rothschild - Dallas
Freshfields - London, NY
Gibson Dunn - Dallas, LA, OC
Gibson Dunn - NY
Goodwin Procter - LA
Gunderson Dettmer - NY
Haynes & Boone - Dallas, OC
Hogan Lovells - LA
Hooper Lundy & Bookman - LA
Hunton & Williams - Dallas
Irell & Manella - Century City
Irell & Manella - Newport
Jones Day - Irvine
Jones Day - LA
Jones Day - Dallas, NY
K&L Gates - LA
King & Spalding - NY
Kirkland & Ellis - LA
Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern - LA
Latham & Watkins - NY
Latham & Watkins - OC
Latham & Watkins - London
Lewis Roca - LA
Littler Mendelson - Dallas, LA, NY
Manatt Phelps - LA
Mayer Brown - LA, NY
McDermott Will & Emery - LA
Michelman & Robinson - Irvine, LA, NY
Milbank, Tweed - NY
Milbank, Tweed - LA
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius - LA
Morrison & Foerster - LA
Morrison & Foerster - NY
Munger, Tolles & Olson - LA
O'Melveny & Myers - LA
O'Melveny & Myers - Century City
O'Melveny & Myers - Newport
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe - Irvine
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe - LA
Paul, Weiss - NY
Perkins Coie - LA
Pillsbury Winthrop - LA
Proskauer Rose - NY
Proskauer Rose - LA
Reed Smith - LA
Ropes & Gray - NY
Rutan & Tucker - Orange County
Sheppard Mullin - Century City
Sheppard Mullin - Orange County
Sheppard Mullin - LA
Sidley Austin - LA
Simpson Thacher - LA
Simpson Thacher - NY
Sullivan & Cromwell - LA, NY
Susman Godfrey - LA, NY
Vinson & Elkins - Dallas, NY
White & Case - LA
White & Case - NY
WilmerHale - LA
WilmerHale - NY
Wilson Sonsini - LA
Winston & Strawn - Dallas, LA, NY
I'll start. It seems like I should rule out Latham, Sheppard, and V&E just based on grades. I have a huge spreadsheet of all the firms with their expected class sizes for each office, and how successful last year's candidates were. I need to get into my CDO so I can look at the GPA data obviously. Just wanted to see if anyone could help me narrow my list a bit or give me ideas for firms to focus on based on personal experience. Most of these firms won't let me interview for multiple firms, so obviously I'll be prioritizing the one with the largest class size unless there are circumstances that make it more feasible to bid another office (i.e. Dallas has a slightly smaller class size than LA but is much less selective).
First of all, I know I'm pretty screwed. You don't need to tell me HOW screwed I am, my constant anxiety does a good job at reminding me hourly. Also, I'm sure a lot of you have opinions on me being pregnant twice and having two pregnancy-related excuses for different things, but you don't know my situation. The second pregnancy was very much unexpected as we had been diagnosed with unexplained fertility, so getting pregnant the second time was a shock. This thread isn't about my personal life choices, it's about maximizing my bid list based on my slim odds, grades, and personal circumstances.
NOW, having said that, I have grabbed all of the bidding data for firms attending my school, and I need help optimizing it. Right now, this is EVERY FIRM with an office in one of my target markets (Dallas - strong unquestionable family ties, Orange County/LA - lived there for 11 years and did my undergrad there, NY - it's NY). If you guys have any advice on firms that I should focus on or rule out and not waste a bid on, it's much appreciated.
Akin, Gump - LA
Allen Matkins - Irvine, LA
Alston & Bird - Dallas, LA, NY
Arnold & Porter - LA
Axinn - NY
Baker Botts - Dallas, NY
Boies Schiller - NY, LA
Bryan Cave - Santa Monica
cades schutte - Honolulu (I have reasons that aren't "because hawaii")
Cadwalader - NY
Cleary, Gottlieb - NY
Cooley - NY
Covington & Burling - LA
Cox, Castle & Nicholson - LA
Crowell & Moring - Irvine
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt - NY
Davis Polk & Wardwell - NY
Dechert - NY
DLA Piper - LA
Drinker Biddle & Reath - LA
Faegre Baker Daniels - LA
Fenwick & West - NY
Foley & Lardner - LA
Fox Rothschild - Dallas
Freshfields - London, NY
Gibson Dunn - Dallas, LA, OC
Gibson Dunn - NY
Goodwin Procter - LA
Gunderson Dettmer - NY
Haynes & Boone - Dallas, OC
Hogan Lovells - LA
Hooper Lundy & Bookman - LA
Hunton & Williams - Dallas
Irell & Manella - Century City
Irell & Manella - Newport
Jones Day - Irvine
Jones Day - LA
Jones Day - Dallas, NY
K&L Gates - LA
King & Spalding - NY
Kirkland & Ellis - LA
Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern - LA
Latham & Watkins - NY
Latham & Watkins - OC
Latham & Watkins - London
Lewis Roca - LA
Littler Mendelson - Dallas, LA, NY
Manatt Phelps - LA
Mayer Brown - LA, NY
McDermott Will & Emery - LA
Michelman & Robinson - Irvine, LA, NY
Milbank, Tweed - NY
Milbank, Tweed - LA
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius - LA
Morrison & Foerster - LA
Morrison & Foerster - NY
Munger, Tolles & Olson - LA
O'Melveny & Myers - LA
O'Melveny & Myers - Century City
O'Melveny & Myers - Newport
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe - Irvine
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe - LA
Paul, Weiss - NY
Perkins Coie - LA
Pillsbury Winthrop - LA
Proskauer Rose - NY
Proskauer Rose - LA
Reed Smith - LA
Ropes & Gray - NY
Rutan & Tucker - Orange County
Sheppard Mullin - Century City
Sheppard Mullin - Orange County
Sheppard Mullin - LA
Sidley Austin - LA
Simpson Thacher - LA
Simpson Thacher - NY
Sullivan & Cromwell - LA, NY
Susman Godfrey - LA, NY
Vinson & Elkins - Dallas, NY
White & Case - LA
White & Case - NY
WilmerHale - LA
WilmerHale - NY
Wilson Sonsini - LA
Winston & Strawn - Dallas, LA, NY
I'll start. It seems like I should rule out Latham, Sheppard, and V&E just based on grades. I have a huge spreadsheet of all the firms with their expected class sizes for each office, and how successful last year's candidates were. I need to get into my CDO so I can look at the GPA data obviously. Just wanted to see if anyone could help me narrow my list a bit or give me ideas for firms to focus on based on personal experience. Most of these firms won't let me interview for multiple firms, so obviously I'll be prioritizing the one with the largest class size unless there are circumstances that make it more feasible to bid another office (i.e. Dallas has a slightly smaller class size than LA but is much less selective).