Top Law Schools

Currently clerking and won't be done until fall 2024. Have sent apps to multiple biglaw shops and have received *zero* response.
t14 grad. Solid grades
Am I applying too early? Or, am I likely not as competitive as I thought?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:21 pm

Currently clerking and won't be done until fall 2024. Have sent apps to multiple biglaw shops and have received *zero* response.
t14 grad. Solid grades
Am I applying too early? Or, am I likely not as competitive as I thought?

I was an associate on the recruiting committee of a v5 (in a transactional-focused office) and we would not have considered anyone applying a year in advance -- I doubt the resume would even get to the lawyers.

Litigation/clerking stuff might be different, but that's my experience.

LittleRedCorvette wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:33 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:21 pm

Currently clerking and won't be done until fall 2024. Have sent apps to multiple biglaw shops and have received *zero* response.
t14 grad. Solid grades
Am I applying too early? Or, am I likely not as competitive as I thought?

I was an associate on the recruiting committee of a v5 (in a transactional-focused office) and we would not have considered anyone applying a year in advance -- I doubt the resume would even get to the lawyers.

Litigation/clerking stuff might be different, but that's my experience.

As in throw out the app?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:38 pm

LittleRedCorvette wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:33 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:21 pm

Currently clerking and won't be done until fall 2024. Have sent apps to multiple biglaw shops and have received *zero* response.
t14 grad. Solid grades
Am I applying too early? Or, am I likely not as competitive as I thought?

I was an associate on the recruiting committee of a v5 (in a transactional-focused office) and we would not have considered anyone applying a year in advance -- I doubt the resume would even get to the lawyers.

Litigation/clerking stuff might be different, but that's my experience.

As in throw out the app?

Well throw out is strong but I suppose accurate -- I don't think anyone on the staff (and certainly nobody on the committee) would look back in 6-8 months at the application, so it was effectively "thrown out."

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:21 pm

Currently clerking and won't be done until fall 2024. Have sent apps to multiple biglaw shops and have received *zero* response.
t14 grad. Solid grades
Am I applying too early? Or, am I likely not as competitive as I thought?

Why not just email the recruiting departments and ask when they'll start with post-clerkship hiring? They won't lie to you.

My sense from friends who did this is that they reached out in January and got bites, but obviously YMMV depending on the market, practice, economy, etc.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 5:21 pm

Currently clerking and won't be done until fall 2024. Have sent apps to multiple biglaw shops and have received *zero* response.
t14 grad. Solid grades
Am I applying too early? Or, am I likely not as competitive as I thought?

You’re quite early, especially if you’re looking at regular biglaw. NYC is the first moving market, and firms there are still in reception mode. Boutiques move first; many will do the bulk of their interviewing in the winter. Big firms are on a slower timetable IME, and DC/CA also tend to move slower than NYC.

Based on the responses above, does it make sense to "check in" sometime in January?

Some boutiques in NYC are actively interviewing now for positions starting in Fall '24. Most biglaw firms and boutiques will begin doing interviews for those positions in January/February.

Some boutiques are definitely interviewing for Fall ‘24 (I have interviewed already) and seem to be moving quickly, but another I applied to told me they weren’t interviewing until Jan/Feb. I know clerks who were at big law firms before clerking generally hear from their firms about returning in Jan/Feb. Some judges can be particular about when you’re allowed to start interviewing, which causes firms to not expend resources interviewing candidates this early, so I’d expect more activity in the new year.