Am I crazy for trying to punch above my weight in DC? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Given my fairly specific profile I feel there's a non-negligible chance I could be outing myself but I've been losing sleep over this so here goes nothing:

I'm a median student at a T14 and a current 1L biglaw summer associate in DC. Prior to law school I had non-technical regulatory experience at a fairly niche government agency, but in an area with a relatively sizeable biglaw practice in DC. Through past relationships and through just sheer networking I've been connecting with firms in DC that take generally only take students who are far above me in class rankings, and I think my past work experience has been a real door-opener for me. However - therein lies the rub - I didn't share my grades with anyone that I connected with, and I have the nagging feeling that they probably made incorrect assumptions about my grades based on my 1L biglaw summer role. I've been dragging my feet on pre-OCI applications as a result. Also, I quite like my current firm, so there isn't a powerful impetus to "trade-up", though my firm isn't really that strong in the niche practice area that I have experience in.

Am I just crazy for dragging my feet on pre-OCI? Most of the partners and senior associates I met said they like me and have encouraged me to apply to their firms early, but I just feel too embarrassed about my grades to act. Yet, I also know that the worst thing they could say is no... Or is it?

[Anonymous User]

Given my fairly specific profile I feel there's a non-negligible chance I could be outing myself but I've been losing sleep over this so here goes nothing:

I'm a median student at a T14 and a current 1L biglaw summer associate in DC. Prior to law school I had non-technical regulatory experience at a fairly niche government agency, but in an area with a relatively sizeable biglaw practice in DC. Through past relationships and through just sheer networking I've been connecting with firms in DC that take generally only take students who are far above me in class rankings, and I think my past work experience has been a real door-opener for me. However - therein lies the rub - I didn't share my grades with anyone that I connected with, and I have the nagging feeling that they probably made incorrect assumptions about my grades based on my 1L biglaw summer role. I've been dragging my feet on pre-OCI applications as a result. Also, I quite like my current firm, so there isn't a powerful impetus to "trade-up", though my firm isn't really that strong in the niche practice area that I have experience in.

Am I just crazy for dragging my feet on pre-OCI? Most of the partners and senior associates I met said they like me and have encouraged me to apply to their firms early, but I just feel too embarrassed about my grades to act. Yet, I also know that the worst thing they could say is no... Or is it?

The worst they can say is no. Apply to the firms early.

[not2spicy4]

For what it's worth, I had a similar profile (pre-law school experience signaling potential competency in a specific practice; ~median grades @ a T14) and I was able to punch above my weight in DC, though I also underperformed with some DC firms I thought were within reach. My performance in my backup market was more consistent with my expectations of my competitiveness.

[2013]

You’re selling yourself short. You got a 1L SA (arguably the most competitive 1L job) in the most competitive market.

Apply to the firms. Also, if your T14 is like Chicago/Columbia and not Georgetown, I’d say median is perfectly fine.

[CanadianWolf]

From the initial post in this thread:

"Prior to law school I had non-technical regulatory experience at a fairly niche government agency, but in an area with a relatively sizeable biglaw practice in DC."

"...I think my past work experience has been a real door-opener for me."

You are not trying to punch above your weight in the DC market. You are looking at the wrong scale.