Fordham Law OCI 2019 Forum

[Anonymous User]

Getting this going... EIW schedule outcomes?

[Anonymous User]

While I think it's a great sign that our class has not been super active on TLS, these threads have definitely been useful to me in navigating this process, so I can rationalize this as paying it forward...

Stats: somewhere between 20-25%, Law Review, ~3 years of work experience, e-board seat on a student group

18 EIW at first drop. I bid pretty conservatively, and did so with some specific practice areas in mind. We'll see what happens after opt-in closes on Wednesday and schedules are finalized, but based on past years, there might be 1-2 additions .

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For future readers:

Take all of this with a grain of salt, because it's just what I've gleaned from conversations with other people in my section, and honestly, none of it is really groundbreaking stuff. It tracks with advice I've read here/heard from CPC counselors, so it's probably not that far off, but it's also definitely not authoritative.

- In terms of ranking strategy, it really seems like it doesn't matter at all outside of your 1-5, and even then, it's not a lock. Don't lose any sleep trying to figure out where to rank your 22 vs. your 27. On the upside, you can be pretty sure that if you get screeners from the firms nearer to the bottom of your list

- Journals and moot court both make a significant difference; less sure about what the other competition teams do for you, but obviously they can only help. I've spoken to people with (much) better GPAs than I have that got fewer interviews at the first drop, and the difference is mainly their lack of a team or journal. So, while it really, really sucks to go through finals, THEN UWC, THEN moot court/DRS/Trial Ad tryouts, it's unquestionably a good idea to do those things.

- Bidding conservatively probably does get you more interviews. Again, speaking to people with better GPAs than me who bid on the "most prestigious" firms (think the very top of the Vault rankings) got fewer EIW interviews, and on top of that, the more grade-conscious firms are also (anecdotally) more likely to hold the Fordham degree against you in the long run anyway.

- Do pre-OCI. I did not, but I know several people with offers at great firms already. They all reached out before bid lists were due and are either sitting out OCI entirely, or were at least able to cancel a bunch of interviews at places they're less excited about than the ones they are holding offers from. Consider it a service to your fellow classmates, because it opens up more OCI interview seats. These interviews are usually the result of some connection to a firm, which you can build on your own throughout the year or over the summer at networking events, and some firms are less shy about advertising this than others. Weil comes to mind--they were hyper-aggressive in making sure we all knew that we didn't have to wait for OCI to apply to them.

[Anonymous User]

"Bidding conservatively probably does get you more interviews. Again, speaking to people with better GPAs than me who bid on the "most prestigious" firms (think the very top of the Vault rankings) got fewer EIW interviews, and on top of that, the more grade-conscious firms are also (anecdotally) more likely to hold the Fordham degree against you in the long run anyway."

This is not true. Bid based on your grades/ extracurriculars and do not be afraid to bid on the highly ranked firms. They may be grade-conscious and hire fewer people from Fordham but they do not hold your fordham degree against you. If you stand out at Fordham and show you can work hard and well you are viewed extremely favorably and other Fordham alumni look out for you. Whoever you are hearing that information from is probably just bitter that they didn't get the job they wanted.

[Anonymous User]

"Bidding conservatively probably does get you more interviews. Again, speaking to people with better GPAs than me who bid on the "most prestigious" firms (think the very top of the Vault rankings) got fewer EIW interviews, and on top of that, the more grade-conscious firms are also (anecdotally) more likely to hold the Fordham degree against you in the long run anyway."

This is not true. Bid based on your grades/ extracurriculars and do not be afraid to bid on the highly ranked firms. They may be grade-conscious and hire fewer people from Fordham but they do not hold your fordham degree against you. If you stand out at Fordham and show you can work hard and well you are viewed extremely favorably and other Fordham alumni look out for you. Whoever you are hearing that information from is probably just bitter that they didn't get the job they wanted.

Definitely didn't mean to suggest you SHOULDN'T UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES APPLY to those firms. By all means, if you want to work there, and you have the grades and extracurriculars, go for it! These places have taken and will continue to take Fordham grads! I'd agree with the quoted poster there. I would push back a little bit, though, because I don't know that your advice applies to 90-95% of the people that might be looking at Fordham down the line. What I wrote out originally was meant to be mainly for people in the 20th-50th percentile, which I should probably have qualified earlier.

I should also clarify that some of these firms have a GPA cutoff that is practically much softer than the SBA spreadsheet might suggest. For example, a firm might be categorized as a 25th-33rd percentile firm, and in reality, they don't particularly care if you're actually 35th or 40th if you're bringing something else to the table for them. There are always exceptions.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: A hair below median, 7 interviews, 1 pre-OCI, secondary journal, worked FT as same time as undergrad [for three years], e-board on two student groups, diverse.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: top 10%, LR, K-JD

5 pre-oci callbacks. 1 offer. Haven't heard back from the other 4.

22 Interviews. Cancelled 11 and now have 11.

[Anonymous User]

Stats: top 33%, secondary journal, WE
20 interviews + 1 via opt-in

[Anonymous User]

Stats: Cusp of Top 33%, secondary journal, 6+ years WE
12 interviews, canceled most after pre-OCI offer.

I bid conservatively and networked hard. I don't care about prestige all that much other than perhaps exit opportunities. I also had another callback (went well) at a firm that I expect to result in an offer because I've got a couple of partners who have really got my back. I have a fairly unique background that they share and that tie really paid off for me.

[Anonymous User]

Now that the first day is (almost) over, let's post any CBs we receive. They should trickle in over the next two days according to previous year's threads.

Also, let's commiserate (or celebrate!) over bombed (or crushed!) interviews. I blew my first interview to bits but thought my second went extremely well. Very happy since I prefer the second firm.

[Anonymous User]

Hahn & Hessen CBs are out

[Anonymous User]

Akin CBS went out.

[Anonymous User]

OMM Cb's out

[Anonymous User]

Anyone hear from Cadwalader?

[BrainDrain2021]

OMM Cb's out

Can you provide interviewer initials?

[Anonymous User]

Troutman Sanders CBs are out

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from King & Spalding or Kelley Drye by any chance?

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from King & Spalding or Kelley Drye by any chance?

Heard from a friend they got a Kelley Drye CB.

[Anonymous User]

Dinged at Clifford.

[Anonymous User]

Dinged by Skadden at noon.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from King & Spalding or Kelley Drye by any chance?

Heard from a friend they got a Kelley Drye CB.

Ah darn. That's awesome for your friend though! Thanks for the update.

[Anonymous User]

Has anyone heard from King & Spalding or Kelley Drye by any chance?

Heard from a friend they got a Kelley Drye CB.

Ah darn. That's awesome for your friend though! Thanks for the update.

Of course, but don't lose all hope! Previous year's threads make it seem possible that CBs can trickle out over the week. I missed OMM but I'll hold out for a few days. You never know. Just focus on what you can over the next few days. Good luck!

[Anonymous User]

Arnold & Porter CB. Skadden Ding.

[Anonymous User]

Anything from today’s firms?

[Anonymous User]

Friends heard back from Fried Frank. Interviewer A.B.

[Anonymous User]

Does direct approach or hospitality suite asking for an interview ever work?