How important is your first legal job right out of law school? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Long story short. I struck out at OCI, got a gig at a mid-sized firm after hustling for months. I knew the firm didn't give return offers, but it was quite valuable experience, and I assumed it would help with 3L OCI. I was wrong. I spent 3L hustling like crazy again. I MM'd to thousands of employers. I applied to literally every state that I can imagine myself living. I registered with state bar associations and tried to find time to show up for events and network. But so far, efforts haven't paid off at all. A few hours ago I received the first offer ever since the summer of 2018. It was supposed to be exciting news, yeah?

BUT.... it is from a very local solo/small law firm. Not the kind of boutiques owned by billionaire solos like Richard Scruggs or William Lerach. I'm talking about the "ARE YOU INJURED?" type of solo/small law firms which you see on TV commercials or random billboards along the highways. The firm has its own website, but it hardly functions. There are fewer than 5 full-time attorneys in total, and It's not difficult to tell that the firm is not really making any $$$.

My friends and OCS all urged me to turn it down right away. To be 100% honest, nothing about the job excites me. It's a dead-end job. I will be working on very petty cases and dealing with the least reasonable clients. Even worse, it could be a "career suicide" job. That being said, the prospect of graduating without a job to pay bills really freaks me out. With this job, at least I can afford half a basement and maybe pay off some student loans.

I really need some advice from TLS. Do you think I should take this job? Is it better than nothing? Or should I assume the risk, forego this offer and continue to look for better options?

I'm not sure if there are better options. Hustling is a very soul-crushing process. I've been hustling and living in despair for 2 years. It's difficult to keep my spirits up when nothing is going well. I apologize if my writing is like trash. It's 5:00 a.m., and I'm drowsy, but somehow I have trouble falling asleep.


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For your reference, here is some info about me. I keep it as vague as possible just in case I get identified.

3L, T14 law school (non-HYS, non-CCN). Not K-JD, but only very generic WE. Not eligible for patent bar. No military service, non-URM.
Below median GPA. A very large number of B+'s, two or three B's, a couple of A's, but I screwed up the entire thing with a D.
Non-EIC position of a secondary journal, leadership roles in 2-3 decent-sized student orgs but retired.
Did mock interview with every counselor in OCS. They told me my interview skills were quite good.
1L in federal government. Then summered at a mid-sized law firm, got no-offered. (Edit: No-offered at 2L firm is not my problem. They hire based on their needs, unlike V100 firms. My boss likes me a lot and is willing to get me connected with people)
RA'd for a professor for 3 semesters, but she never practiced law after graduating from her (HYS) alma mater, so she's not really helpful. 1 semester as an extern at a small law firm.
Also 1 semester in and out of hospital because I was sick, but I'll leave this out.

[beeoBoop]

No do not take this job. Go to career services. Get a fellowship, clerkship, year long internship, anything that can give you a year to get your long term plans together

Look for short term spots offered by state and federal agencies. Your school may have a research position. Find something. Shitlaw is impossible to get out of

What did you get a D in and how?

[Anonymous User]

First tho - are you Class of 2019 or 2018? As someone who's been in somewhat similar shoes, I feel your pain, but I'd recommend turning down the offer if you could afford to do so. I know how soul-crushing the hustle can get, but it seems like it would be very hard to spin your experience in any meaningful way to move up to a better opportunity.

Does your school offer fellowships? I did a fellowship through my school with an investment manager, and because of my experience there, I was able to parlay it into big law job offers (I was not able to take those positions for personal reasons, but that's another story... the moral of the story is - it's possible!). Keep your head up high OP. You can do it!

[objctnyrhnr]

If you told the same story from a tttt I’d say take it, but you’re t14. Turn it down. If it makes you feel better, I turned stuff down when I was a 3L and I’ve landed a nice little path that includes govt fedclerk and biglaw, and my credentials weren’t much better than yours. Keep your head up.

[Anonymous User]

Don’t take the job unless you absolutely need the money. You will still graduate from a T14 and that will help you land something after some fellowship or something. Obviously if you’re at Georgetown, it’ll be slightly more difficult.

Have you applied to low level state/local court clerkships?

Your first job will matter. I was in a somewhat position as you when I graduated. I was barely median. I received a C- in a course that destroyed my GPA. Even though more than half of my grades were A/A-, I wasn’t able to recover grade-wise.

I ended up at a midsize firm for a year. Then I was able to get a job at a large law firm. Had I started at a solo, I would never have been considered given my mediocre grades.

So, just keep hustling for now.

Good luck.

Anon because I don’t want people who know me knowing about my C-

[floatie]

This might not be the answer you want to hear, but your options are probably going to dramatically increase (both in terms of # of offers and the quality) once you pass the bar, and you might have to hang in there until then.

Also - did your mid-size firm specifically no-offer you, or was it just their practice not to hire their summers? If the latter, you could consider reaching out to them to let them know you're looking, as someone at the firm might have a lead or might be able to introduce you to someone.

[lavarman84]

Based on how you described the firm, I'd say turn it down. But are you sure the firm is how you see it? There are some great small law firms out there with very accomplished lawyers. Yes, even in the personal injury world.

[JHP]

Agreed with all of the above that you should turn this down. While legal experience is good and important to get on your resume for the next step towards a job you might actually want, this doesn't sound like the right step and may end up being a toxic job that drags you down rather than setting you up for something better. Your stats don't sound bad and you're doing all the right things to hustle. Sometimes, the hustle doesn't pay off right away even though we want/expect it to--a lot of the non-OCI recruiting is the long-term fishing game. You put out a lot of lures and hope you get the bites sometime down the road. Focus on passing the bar--that should be your greatest effort and focus in the summer.

Anecdotally, I do know people who got jobs (and some big law jobs, at that) after graduation and during bar prep. It's not all hopeless, it's tough not to see results right away but that's the name of the game and you'll find something. Easier said than done, but don't get dejected--the desperation and frustration will leak through in interviews and also taint your mindset when you need it to be healthiest.

[clarion]

I echo everything that's been said w/r/t turning down this offer.

As someone who didn't get a job offer until halfway through 3L year, I know that the uncertainty can create an unbelievable amount of stress/anxiety/disappointment/etc. Especially at a T14 where many of your friends may have had jobs lined up for well over a year now. I am sure accepting even this job offer sounds kinda great if it means you can just be done with it all. But this gig really just isn't worth it. I don't think one's first legal job is necessarily super important. It can be, such as by causing you to be pigeonholed, or working at a biglaw/preftigious firm/AIII clerkship/etc that sets you up for fairly smooth sailing. But it doesn't have to be. This firm however sounds like the opposite of the things I listed--closing doors rather than helping you get more opened.

So if you can, just try to hang in there for a while longer. I may be wrong, but I sincerely doubt that any future version of yourself will wish you had taken this offer. Good luck to you, whatever you decide!