Top Law Schools

thoughts? our career services office won't talk to us until nov 1, but i wanted to see if anyone had any tips on navigating this terrible economy as a lowly 1L.

...

I hear that our best chance will be diversity outreach programs.

I will walk behind a circuit judge's dog and pick up fallen pieces of excrement from said animal if allowed to put "assistant to Circuit Court judge" on my resume.

...

Volunteer like nearly everyone else.

I'm going to volunteer overseas for a human trafficking organization.

..

YCrevolution wrote:

Cavalier wrote:I'm going to volunteer overseas for a human trafficking organization.

Why not get paid? Is the human trafficking market really that hard to break into?

Well, I'm technically paid on commission, but I can't report any of it, so officially speaking I'm just volunteering.

There is no hope...

I'm completely screwed if I don't find a paying gig this summer. My actual cost of living is way higher than they think it is.

Some folks in my area are saying that 1L programs have nearly been shut down altogether. I don't live in a major market, but I don't imagine that those markets are in much better shape. Apparently, firms are taking a completely different approach in the hiring of untrained clerks and summer associates for the next several years.

Kohinoor wrote:I hear that our best chance will be diversity outreach programs.

Do you, or anyone else, know of diversity programs for working class, first in the family to college, etc, students? That would be my only hope for something like that. (white male).

riccardo426 wrote:

Kohinoor wrote:I hear that our best chance will be diversity outreach programs.

Do you, or anyone else, know of diversity programs for working class, first in the family to college, etc, students? That would be my only hope for something like that. (white male).

Not specifically but I've heard of at least one case where a white male got into a diversity program. Guess he really sold himself in that essay. Or lied.

Do you, or anyone else, know of diversity programs for working class, first in the family to college, etc, students? That would be my only hope for something like that. (white male).

NYU has the AnBryce Scholar program...dunno about elsewhere

In a normal economy, what percent of 1Ls would typically get paid legal work during the summer at T14? T50? Thanks. I thought most people volunteered and that it was a rarity to get paid work.

You guys should check out the Inns of court and see if there is a chapter in your city. http://www.innsofcourt.org/

My Inn had its first meeting of 2009/2010 year last week and we had a 1L new member there and after she introduced herself I overheard at least two people offer her 1L summer work at their firms. There was a 2L who sat at my table and said she was interviewing with the AG’s office, turns out one of the lawyers in my group is First Assistant Attorney General and basically said he knew who she was interviewing with and would put in a good word for her.

Stuff like that happens at every meeting, Inns are a great place to meet people for networking.

CE2JD wrote:I will walk behind a circuit judge's dog and pick up fallen pieces of excrement from said animal if allowed to put "assistant to Circuit Court judge" on my resume.

this shouldn't surprise anyone.

Matthies wrote:You guys should check out the Inns of court and see if there is a chapter in your city. http://www.innsofcourt.org/

My Inn had its first meeting of 2009/2010 year last week and we had a 1L new member there and after she introduced herself I overheard at least two people offer her 1L summer work at their firms. There was a 2L who sat at my table and said she was interviewing with the AG’s office, turns out one of the lawyers in my group is First Assistant Attorney General and basically said he knew who she was interviewing with and would put in a good word for her.

Stuff like that happens at every meeting, Inns are a great place to meet people for networking.

Matthies: Can you join as a law student, or would you just be visiting at the meeting?

OperaSoprano wrote:

Matthies wrote:You guys should check out the Inns of court and see if there is a chapter in your city. http://www.innsofcourt.org/

My Inn had its first meeting of 2009/2010 year last week and we had a 1L new member there and after she introduced herself I overheard at least two people offer her 1L summer work at their firms. There was a 2L who sat at my table and said she was interviewing with the AG’s office, turns out one of the lawyers in my group is First Assistant Attorney General and basically said he knew who she was interviewing with and would put in a good word for her.

Stuff like that happens at every meeting, Inns are a great place to meet people for networking.

Matthies: Can you join as a law student, or would you just be visiting at the meeting?

Absolutely. I was a student member from 1L on. Here student memberships are $50 per year and that covers your meals at all meetings (once a month from Sept. Till May). Basically it cost the Inn MUCH more than that but they subsidize students (for example we have our meetings at the University Club here in town and its like $35 per plate). Not every Inn allows students, but most do. Just contact the Inns in your city to find out if they allow students (for example we have 5 Inns here and only 1 does not take students).

There are levels of membership: Student, Associate Barrister (0-5 years as a lawyer) Barrister (5-10 years), Master (10 years plus) and Judge. The Inns here set it up so your pupilage (the group you sit with) has several of each class. So like mine has 1 Judge, 3 Masters, 2 Barristers, 4 Associate Barristers and one Student. And then we have like 5 pupilages that are set up the same way and we all meet once a month for dinner.

Capercaillie wrote:

CE2JD wrote:I will walk behind a circuit judge's dog and pick up fallen pieces of excrement from said animal if allowed to put "assistant to Circuit Court judge" on my resume.

this shouldn't surprise anyone.

mallard alt?

the lantern wrote:In a normal economy, what percent of 1Ls would typically get paid legal work during the summer at T14? T50? Thanks. I thought most people volunteered and that it was a rarity to get paid work.

At UVA it was something like 40% of 1Ls having SA jobs three years ago. I bet that got cut in half the last two summers, at the very least.

I've basically heard that if you're not black, you have a microscopic chance at a paid 1L summer associateship in BigLaw. Yet again, URM bump FTW, if you have that in your locker.

Some advice and observations from a 2L who had a 1L summer firm offer:

1) Don't expect anything from a Vault 100 firm in New York. They aren't hiring 1Ls, and if they are, the only 1Ls they're going to hire people from SEO. Even if you're a minority, I strongly believe that the only pipeline into a 1L SAship at a Vault 100 firm in New York is through SEO, so don't bother if you didn't get into the program.

2) If you really want that firm job, target markets to which you have strong ties. When I did my job hunt, I focused exclusively on New York City and New Jersey, as my parents live in Jersey. I received no interviews in NYC, and I received interviews from all the New Jersey firms. What's funny is that some of them pay NYC market, so it really was a hidden gem.

3) Always, always, always make yourself available to interview in that secondary market in late December/early January. A firm will rarely fly out someone to do an interview if they haven't had a screening interview before, especially in this economy. I would state my availability in that secondary market on the cover letter.

4) Apply early to everything else. You can bet your nuts that everyone will be competing early for everything, including public interest gigs and judicial internships. I started super early for all, so I got lucky. Don't wait for all your biglaw rejections to come in before you apply elsewhere; plan to apply everywhere from the get-go.

5) The NALP guidelines are just... guidelines. I wouldn't recommend breaking the 12/1 rule for biglaw firms, as 99.9% of NALP firms do follow the guidelines as gospel. However, I don't think public interest orgs do that, so–and some other 2L can correct me if I'm wrong–don't be afraid to send out apps to PI orgs even if it's before 12/1.

I had my job situation wrapped up in early January, and it was great. Get on the ball early, and you'll get a job you enjoy and a massive head-ache out of the way. I knew someone else who basically assumed that a 1L job (even PI) would be guaranteed, so she didn't try anything until February (and she called people like me, "gunners"); she was flying back and forth between New York City up until late April to do interviews until she finally got something. She flew on her own dime, and she sacrificed exam prep... which fucked up her grades and essentially guaranteed an OCI strike out. You're not being a gunner by starting early. You're simply being smart.

I anticipate doing a judicial externship this summer (if selected) and picking up 7 or so credits in the meantime ... we'll see in 6 months ...

Are paid 1L summer jobs something that exist only for people at the very top schools or are there also some paid 1L jobs for T50 schools in major markets?