Reputation: negative encounters with law school classmates in practice Forum

[Anonymous User]

Law students are often advised to be kind and courteous and sociable and not a dick during law school because many of their classmates, especially at Big Law feeder schools, will later be your co-workers / opposing counsel / judges / and otherwise in your general geographic or practice-area milieu. Yet certain aspects of law schools social life are obviously still toxic and cliquish and unnecessarily hostile and paper-chasey.

For folks in practice now, does you think law school reputations actually carry through? Have you ever encountered people you didn't get along with in law school later in practice? To what extent do these sorts of social connections and burned bridges actually carry over after graduation?

[Anonymous User]

Some of this is going to depend on your market. I went to law school in a small market, and would guess that I have classmates or law school acquaintances in a big majority of the good firms in that market. I moved to another (small) market so I can’t say for certain how it plays out, but everyone here knows each other and reputation and good will are really important. I do feel like I could reach out to a bunch of my classmates if I went back to my law school market, too.

If you’re in a massive city with a huge law school, no idea how it plays out.

(That said, I liked almost all my classmates who were remarkably normal people. Only exception I can think of is a person who went on to do men’s rights family law - the kind where they think all women are out to get all men and all judges favor all women - so I doubt my friendship or lack thereof with this person would have made any difference to future professional contacts.)

[Anonymous User]

In law school, a classmate’s girlfriend texted me unsolicited pics and he found out. Did not stop his firm and group from offering to lateral hire me despite his unwillingness to vouch for me. Still was very awkward. My experiences working across from classmates I thought didn’t care for me were professional and fine.

[Anonymous User]

When I clerked, we tossed more than one otherwise-promising clerkship application because one of us remembered that the applicant had a bad reputation in law school. (Excessive gunner behavior, didn't play well with others, that sort of thing.) We had many more qualified applicants than we could interview, so we took any reason we could to cross people off the list.

Hasn't ever come up for me in practice, although there are one or two law school classmates that I'd give "candid" feedback about if they tried to lateral to my firm.

[Definitely Not North]

In law school, a classmate’s girlfriend texted me unsolicited pics and he found out. Did not stop his firm and group from offering to lateral hire me despite his unwillingness to vouch for me.

lol nice

[Anonymous User]

In law school, a classmate’s girlfriend texted me unsolicited pics and he found out. Did not stop his firm and group from offering to lateral hire me despite his unwillingness to vouch for me. Still was very awkward. My experiences working across from classmates I thought didn’t care for me were professional and fine.

Weird non-target school flex but okay

[Prudent_Jurist]

I think the name and reputation you make for yourself in practice matters much more. But better to not be an asshole whether you’re a law student or an attorney.

[nixy]

In law school, a classmate’s girlfriend texted me unsolicited pics and he found out. Did not stop his firm and group from offering to lateral hire me despite his unwillingness to vouch for me. Still was very awkward. My experiences working across from classmates I thought didn’t care for me were professional and fine.

I’d think the more pertinent question would be whether his firm would hire her, if she sent them to you unsolicited.

[bajablast]

In law school, a classmate’s girlfriend texted me unsolicited pics and he found out. Did not stop his firm and group from offering to lateral hire me despite his unwillingness to vouch for me. Still was very awkward. My experiences working across from classmates I thought didn’t care for me were professional and fine.

Lmao how did he find out and did he stay with her? Can't really be mad at you I guess lol