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Subject says it all (not HYS)

Anonymous User wrote:Subject says it all (not HYS)

Don't know specifically about those firms, but I am at a peer firm with top ~10% from non-HYS T14. Full-time hiring at many litigation boutiques hinges much more on your clerkships than your GPA (if you're asking about summer positions, I am of little help to you). Without my D. Ct. and 2/9/DC COA clerkships--and particularly the latter--I can assure you I would not be where I am.

Do all BL firms generally have a cutoff? Would having a fed clerkship make up for the fact that you don't have the non-stellar gpa from non HYS?

Anonymous User wrote:Do all BL firms generally have a cutoff? Would having a fed clerkship make up for the fact that you don't have the non-stellar gpa from non HYS?

Most BL firms will have GPA/class rank cutoffs for each school. Not impossible to get past them, but difficult without something stellar on your resume. Recruiting usually just trashes anything below the cutoffs (again, unless there's something crazy), so the recruiting committee never sees them.

Clerkships can get firms to overlook a GPA they might normally pass on, but it depends on the clerkship. And most of the clerkships that would do this are GPA competitive themselves. It also matters what kind of clerkship and what kind of job. DE Chancery is better for some jobs than a generally more competitive COA clerkship, for example.