2L No Offer So Far, waiting 2 CBs, but not hopeful Forum

[Volga9673]

3.4 (3.3 is average; 3.5 = 30%) at T20, Secondary Law Review, 1L Summer Judicial Intern.
I have absolutely no idea how to get into any kind of firm now. Perhaps I'd better start looking for Non-Law Jobs lol.
I feel like I've applied to at least 200 places so far, had 20 ~ 30 screeners. Guess I sucked at interviews.

Any advice on further job search or advice against keep attending law school?

[baskan1234]

I was in a similar situation recently and still can't say my situation is too different. It is better in some ways, worse in other ways.

I am a 2L at a lower T14, with a slightly above median GPA, similar to yours. No law review, but in moot court. I have similarly had no luck with firms until recently where I got a month-long internship in a regional law firm. I still trying to figure what to do for the rest of the summer.

What I have been told by career services/upperclassmen is to try out for in-house positions especially in locations/firms I even might have a slight connection to. So certainly apply to those positions(you can find a lot of positions on LinkedIn)

Regarding dropping out, you already paid 2/3 of law school and still have a great shot at finding legal employment down the line. You can try out for gov't positions as well. I am an international student so, that is not an option for me. I think if you want to be a lawyer it is not like you won't find anything, maybe not BigLaw but even that is probably a possibility. Of course, I don't know your debt and how much you pay to your school, but I don't see many ways where dropping out would be the better choice, it is not like you are failing law school or signaling that you won't be a good lawyer.

Good luck with your job search!

[cavalier1138]

I agree that you are nowhere near exhausting your possibilities yet. It sounds like you've only been applying to firms (and possibly in a very non-focused way). There are way more legal jobs out there, and it's hiring season for a lot of PI/government summer positions right now.

That said, this bit concerns me:

I feel like I've applied to at least 200 places so far, had 20 ~ 30 screeners. Guess I sucked at interviews.

Two callbacks out of that many screeners is a red flag, as is your impression that your interviewing might be the issue. You need to figure out if you're sabotaging yourself in interviews ASAP. Go to your career services office, find a service, ask a friend, etc. But don't keep banging your head against the wall if you know that this is an issue.

[QContinuum]

I agree that you are nowhere near exhausting your possibilities yet. It sounds like you've only been applying to firms (and possibly in a very non-focused way). There are way more legal jobs out there, and it's hiring season for a lot of PI/government summer positions right now.

That said, this bit concerns me:

I feel like I've applied to at least 200 places so far, had 20 ~ 30 screeners. Guess I sucked at interviews.

Two callbacks out of that many screeners is a red flag, as is your impression that your interviewing might be the issue. You need to figure out if you're sabotaging yourself in interviews ASAP. Go to your career services office, find a service, ask a friend, etc. But don't keep banging your head against the wall if you know that this is an issue.

If OP has a <1/10 screener->CB conversion rate, I think it's pretty much indisputable that there's something badly wrong with their interviewing skills. (I had a 1/3 screener->CB conversion rate and that was relatively low among my peers.) Go to Career Services and tell them this. Tell them they must help you figure out what you are doing/saying wrong.

I think once OP fixes whatever they're doing wrong in interviews, they will do fine. Their ability to get 20-30 screeners shows their resume is strong enough to attract interest from firms. They just need to figure out how to seal the deal at the interview stage.