How important is having a journal on resume for biglaw litigation? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Title says everything. Joining a v10 litigation group this fall/winter. It seems like everyone is on a journal except me. Am I kind of screwed in terms of career advancement? Will I be better off switching to corporate?

[jarofsoup]

No one cares about journal once you get a job. Just do good work.

[snehpets]

Title says everything. Joining a v10 litigation group this fall/winter. It seems like everyone is on a journal except me. Am I kind of screwed in terms of career advancement? Will I be better off switching to corporate?

Other than the small handful of people who like to remind everyone that they were on their school’s law review, I have literally never heard anyone discussing journals post-law school. I certainly have no idea what journals (if any) anyone I work with might have been on. The only time my journal work has even been remotely relevant is MAYBE when bluebooking, but I still have to check the bluebook whenever I have to cite anything other than a case.

[Whatislaw]

Exactly what was said above.

[Anonymous User]

This is a very tenuous connection, but there are some firms that care about clerkships, or require clerkships to return to the firm and/or advance, and journal membership is usually an important factor for getting a clerkship (but there are also judges who don't care about clerkships). Outside of this very narrow category of firms, no one gives a crap.

[Anonymous User]

This is a very tenuous connection, but there are some firms that care about clerkships, or require clerkships to return to the firm and/or advance, and journal membership is usually an important factor for getting a clerkship (but there are also judges who don't care about clerkships). Outside of this very narrow category of firms, no one gives a crap.

Is it safe to say those firms are litigation boutiques, so not biglaw?

[Anonymous User]

This is a very tenuous connection, but there are some firms that care about clerkships, or require clerkships to return to the firm and/or advance, and journal membership is usually an important factor for getting a clerkship (but there are also judges who don't care about clerkships). Outside of this very narrow category of firms, no one gives a crap.

Is it safe to say those firms are litigation boutiques, so not biglaw?

Probably, although some lit groups within biglaw (particularly V10) care more about clerkships.

[sparty99]

Title says everything. Joining a v10 litigation group this fall/winter. It seems like everyone is on a journal except me. Am I kind of screwed in terms of career advancement? Will I be better off switching to corporate?

This is a dumb question.

[Wild Card]

law review membership signals that you know the rules of English grammar and the Bluebook citation rules

both are very important to know, and it's conceivable that you might not have a strong grasp on both despite having "made it"

lack of journal membership won't hold you back, but the inability to write and format properly will--partners will blow up on you for this, midlevels who have to redo all of your work will hate your guts for this, and this is what would hold you back

[purplegoldtornado]

law review membership signals that you know the rules of English grammar and the Bluebook citation rules

both are very important to know, and it's conceivable that you might not have a strong grasp on both despite having "made it"

lack of journal membership won't hold you back, but the inability to write and format properly will--partners will blow up on you for this, midlevels who have to redo all of your work will hate your guts for this, and this is what would hold you back

When you are talking about writing that would piss off a midlevel or partner, are you talking primarily about form or substance?

[transferquestiontls]

law review membership signals that you know the rules of English grammar and the Bluebook citation rules

both are very important to know, and it's conceivable that you might not have a strong grasp on both despite having "made it"

lack of journal membership won't hold you back, but the inability to write and format properly will--partners will blow up on you for this, midlevels who have to redo all of your work will hate your guts for this, and this is what would hold you back

When you are talking about writing that would piss off a midlevel or partner, are you talking primarily about form or substance?

Bump.