decoding law firm responses during 1L job search Forum

[Anonymous User]

Meanings probably vary tremendously across firms and markets, but I'd still love to hear about people's anecdotal experience with the responses below, or their firm's practices, especially 2008+. I have only one interview so far, and a handful of responses across the other categories.

No response for a week? Two weeks? Three weeks? At what point do you conclude a firm has no interest? How long do they usually take to review?

No openings, summer program suspended, etc: self-explanatory

we have already completed our hiring for 2010 (said in december of 2009): no spots but don't want to admit it so firm doesn't look broke? I am a crappy candidate or I misspelled the firm's name? all the spots are filled with partners' kids?

send transcript, then we will review: being more selective ITE? this has always been standard at firms? some people got interviews before grades, but I am on the bench and will get a shot if they don't pan out?

interview offer over break they will make a decision before grades? they will wait until transcripts to decide? What's usually the ratio of 1L's interviewed to available 1L summer spots? Something reasonable like 3:1 or crazy like 20:1?

[CE2JD]

I also would like to hear some anecdotes about this.

[underachiever]

I also would like to hear some anecdotes about this.

+1

I mean I only target about 20 firms(Home state only)...already got rejected by 5 (4 who weren't hiring & 1 just wasn't hiring me) but I haven't heard back from the rest and its been 2 weeks now.

[nealric]

send transcript, then we will review: being more selective ITE? this has always been standard at firms? some people got interviews before grades, but I am on the bench and will get a shot if they don't pan out?

interview offer over break they will make a decision before grades? they will wait until transcripts to decide? What's usually the ratio of 1L's interviewed to available 1L summer spots? Something reasonable like 3:1 or crazy like 20:1?

Send transcript: They did that even in 2007 (when they thought things were peachy). A lot of firms won't hire without grades.

Interview over break: Good sign. They may or may not wait until transcripts. The ratio is going to be high for most firms doing the "over the break" interviews (like 10-20 1Ls per spot), but not necessarily for all.

We have already completed hiring: Bullshit. They weren't hiring 1Ls. Some firms didn't even do that during the boom.

No response: some firms wait until January and grades start coming in.

[wiseowl]

i've gotten several back that said "your application will not be considered complete" without grades

several said "we will see you at 1L OCI" which is essentially a "we'll wait for your grades".

i have gotten a couple "our hiring is complete". bullshit. if so, then you or the students you hired broke the rules. just say its the partners kids or the diversity scholars you hired off a reception.

[Anonymous Loser]

While you've likely figure this out by now, when a law firm prefaces a rejection letter by saying "your qualifications are impressive," what they mean is "we are not impressed by your qualifications." HTH.

edit: To add something helpful to my reply, I was actually contacted by several of the firms I had sent 1L materials to near the end of the summer, when 2L hiring began, encouraging me to reapply. The firms that had contacted me were of the "we have completed hiring" or something similar variety, and were interested by my resume, but not really in the market for 1L's. I ended up with perhaps 6 CB's from firms I'd been rejected from as a 1L, with 3 offers. So, even though sending out materials now may not yield a job, it is probably not a bad way to get your name out there for 2L hiring (which is gonna be here before you know it, 1L's).

[Anonymous User]

OP here - thanks for the responses so far.

My own tally is 15 resumes sent to hometown. Earliest were sent the week before last, latest sent today. So far I have
3 "No openings" or "hiring complete"
2 "not complete without transcript"
1 interview.

The former two kinds of responses came very quickly, either same day or next. The interview request came over a week after I sent that resume.

I plan to send about a dozen more, a few at a time, over the next week or so.

[ScaredWorkedBored]

If the response involves anything that would entail them spending time (i.e. $) on your application, that's positive. This isn't a year where firms want to humor 1L's when they literally are not doing hiring for said position.

I'd read "send transcript" as "it had better be good, even from X school."

[Anonymous User]

Are 1L firm interviews over break usually just 20 minute screening ones, or half to full day ones?

[Anonymous User]

I've got a 20 min screening interview and what appears to be an in-house interview, so maybe both?

[Anonymous User]

I've got a 20 min screening interview and what appears to be an in-house interview, so maybe both?

Do you think long interview means better chance than short interview? Seems logical that more resources invested would mean fewer candidates are being interviewed and the ones that are are being taken more seriously. But I am just a clueless 1L.