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Hi everyone,

Anon because others may know who I am based on stats. I searched the threads and could not find any information on the minimum gpa to be competitive at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas specifically. 3L with a 3.0 at a T40s (Maryland/Wake Forest/UF/UNC). Anyone know if I have a shot? I have lots of pro bono, public interest work, and clinic experience. Any advice would be great! Also, please let me know if you can find a thread discussing this since I was not able to find any. Thanks

You don't mention your language skills. I would guess serious spanish skills would be pretty key for those places...and might give a boost.

Oh yes I am fluent in Spanish! Thanks for that. Also an URM.

Same person as above. I was t14, top quarter but crappy Spanish and not from the South. Got turned down for a summer internship at TRLA. I don't know anything other than I didn't get it, but I could definitely see how your background might be more appealing to them. Good luck!

No experience with these offices, but I worked at a different civil legal aid org and sat in on hiring a couple of times. Although hiring was competitive with many applicants for each position, I never heard anyone mention a candidate's GPA--I'm not sure if we even asked for transcripts. By far the biggest factors were a) relevant internship and clinic experience, not just where you worked but also how much you actually did substantively, and b) ability to sound like someone who understands what legal aid work is, wants to do it for the right reasons, and will be able to hit the ground running (in interviews and cover letters). Yes, there was some extra consideration for candidates from fancier schools or with local ties. In short you should apply, and if you don't get the job it will likely be because someone else's experience or interviewing was more impressive, not because of your grades.

Wow thank you both so much for the responses! I will definitely take the time to reflect on why I want to work there and make sure I do more research about the organization and its services. Thanks

Just interviewed with Legal Aid of NWT. Didn't ask about my GPA at all, but wanted to know everything I did at all prior internships. Spanish didn't come up at all. But I am pretty positive that Spanish is almost a requirement for TRLA.

Wait seriously?!! Are you a recent grad or 3L? What vibe did you get from the organization during the interview? To be frank, I don't know much since i'm out of state. :/

Anonymous User wrote:Wait seriously?!! Are you a recent grad or 3L? What vibe did you get from the organization during the interview? To be frank, I don't know much since i'm out of state. :/

Yep. I'm a recent grad waiting on bar results. Interviewed with them for a fellowship position. They all seemed very nice. All business though. Looking for someone that is committed to the cause and is best qualified for the position. If you want more details and feel comfortable outting yourself, I will message you.

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Wait seriously?!! Are you a recent grad or 3L? What vibe did you get from the organization during the interview? To be frank, I don't know much since i'm out of state. :/

Yep. I'm a recent grad waiting on bar results. Interviewed with them for a fellowship position. They all seemed very nice. All business though. Looking for someone that is committed to the cause and is best qualified for the position. If you want more details and feel comfortable outting yourself, I will message you.

Congrats on the interview! I'm interested in more details if you're willing to share - feel free to message me (I'm not the anon poster above).