Honors - Does it matter?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 11:04 pm
I'm a 2L at a T14, with a V100 SA in a non-NYC market next summer. My GPA is 3.3+, closer to 3.4 actually. There is no way for me to graduate with magna, unless I somehow get all As for the next 2 years. My most realistic goal is cum laude, which requires an average of 3.7+ for the remaining credits. I can take easy seminars to game this a little bit, but I know I still need to work my ass off the next two years if that's the goal. Personally I enjoy taking doctrinal classes (with harsher curves), which are more relevant to the practice areas I'm interested in.
So the question is: Does graduation with honors matter down the road? I know law is a prestige-driven field, but at which point will my GPA/honors stop being a measurement of my ability? Once I become a SA (then a junior associate), will not-graduating-with-honors become a negative factor in career advancement, or is it mainly about how well I do the job?
I have no desire to clerk. I'm honestly not sure about my career goal: maybe last long enough in Big Law to be a senior attorney/counsel (it's good to be a partner, but my husband makes $150K+ in his non-legal job, so I find no reason to gun for partnership), maybe in-house when the right opportunity comes, but I currently have no intention to go to mid-law and small firms.
So the question is: Does graduation with honors matter down the road? I know law is a prestige-driven field, but at which point will my GPA/honors stop being a measurement of my ability? Once I become a SA (then a junior associate), will not-graduating-with-honors become a negative factor in career advancement, or is it mainly about how well I do the job?
I have no desire to clerk. I'm honestly not sure about my career goal: maybe last long enough in Big Law to be a senior attorney/counsel (it's good to be a partner, but my husband makes $150K+ in his non-legal job, so I find no reason to gun for partnership), maybe in-house when the right opportunity comes, but I currently have no intention to go to mid-law and small firms.