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I'm a 1L at a lower T14 originally from the Baltimore area and planning on returning there upon graduation, hopefully to practice in big law. I landed a summer internship with a Federal Judge in Baltimore and am looking forward to it as I'm primarily interested in lit and have heard working for a judge is a great opportunity.

I plan on trying to network with attorneys at firms this summers but there aren't very many alumni from my school in Baltimore so I'm not really sure where to start. I know Venable, DLA Piper, and Hogan all have Baltimore offices but other than that are there any other firms I should be targeting? I'd be willing to work in mid law as long as the salary isn't drastically lower.

I also know that the Baltimore offices of these firms don't come to OCI at my school, does this basically mean I need to secure an offer from them pre-OCI? How do I go about doing this? Do I basically just reach out to recruiting after some networking with attorneys in the firm and apply for 2L SAs?

Lastly, how grade sensitive are these firms when it comes to hiring from t14s, I know they generally hire top students from local schools and I don't have grades back yet, but I'd like to know if I'm even in the running.

Any advice or insight into the Baltimore market in general would also be appreciated. I searched for info about Baltimore but the newest TLS thread about Baltimore is from 2013. Thanks in advance!

Miles & Stockbridge, Gallagher, Gordon Feinblatt are some mid law firms that garner respect in this area that come to mind. There are more. You are correct that the big law firms you name tend to fill their class with the top students from Maryland/Baltimore Law. Particularly this year, Maryland Law placed very well in the area. However, they always reserve spots for students from tHe T14 and beyond, which are usually people who want to work in Baltimore and make that known. I would just reach out to recruiting pre-OCI. I believe they have the same grade requirements or probably in the same range.

Take a look at Baker Donelson's office there, too—they bought up Ober Kaler, another respected midlaw firm in town. Saul Ewing is another one that comes to mind, though I'm not sure they have a summer program.

There are a few more names here: https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/b ... firms.html — it's a list by headcount.

ETA: Womble Bond, formerly Womble Carlyle before merger with a UK firm, has a small office there as well.

I'm at one of BigLaw shops in Baltimore, and I also do interviews for entry to mid-level positions in the firm. FWIW, while I did graduate high in the class, I find the firms here cared more about fit and commitment to Baltimore than they did about where I finished in the class. I think as long as you are in the top 1/3 at T14, you will get bites, but you will have to demonstrate an interest in the town and a commitment to staying here.

You identified 3 of the big ones. Some others to think about --

BigLaw firms with small shops in Baltimore:
mcguirewoods
Womble Bond
Baker Donelson
Ballard Spahr
Duane Morris

Some MidLaw firms in Baltimore:
Miles & Stockbridge
Whiteford Taylor
Gordon Feinblatt
Saul Ewing
Gallagher Evelius
Kramon Graham
Tydings Rosenberg
Jackson Lewis
Wilson Elser
Zuckerman Spaeder
Semmes Bowen & Semmes

Out of all of those, only a handful run summer programs in their Baltimore offices. Some only do summer programs for 1Ls (including LCLD), and some firms will bring you in for an informational interview so you can meet the folks in recruiting and get fast-tracked for 2L summer hiring (where you will get an auto call back). Some firms also don't advertise a summer program, but they hire clerks for the summer. For many of them, your best bet is to reach out to recruiting early and get on their radar.

I was at a Baltimore big law firm, and it went a long way when people networked their way in over the summer - when I did summer associate interviews, we basically already had given the green light to someone because they had contacted the firm over the summer and had lunch with the partner and the partner liked them. Get your judge to hook you up with some folks, and if you judge can't/won't/you don't want to ask the judge, just figure out any passable connection and email people in like, June.