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I'm interested in Biglaw but a professor who worked in Biglaw NYC told me that his firm doesn't interview transfer students at Columbia during OCI. Is this how a lot of Biglaw firms treat transfer at Columbia/NYU? How about at Berkeley? He also told me to avoid Gtown bc their transfers don't get Biglaw. As a transfer, are you treated as a student at the bottom of their class since you don't have grades?

Transfers at NYU, Columbia, Berkeley, etc. do well. I had great grades from a T2 when I transferred and was treated like a student with great grades when I went through the interview process. I would be a little wary of transferring to Georgetown, but the other schools you mentioned will undoubtedly be worth it.

Anonymous User wrote:I'm interested in Biglaw but a professor who worked in Biglaw NYC told me that his firm doesn't interview transfer students at Columbia during OCI. Is this how a lot of Biglaw firms treat transfer at Columbia/NYU? How about at Berkeley? He also told me to avoid Gtown bc their transfers don't get Biglaw. As a transfer, are you treated as a student at the bottom of their class since you don't have grades?

I was/am a transfer. If you transfer/have the grades to get Columbia as a transfer you can work for a V100 firm in NYC barring some social problems. Maybe his firm doesn't interview transfers, but I seriously doubt it unless it's Wachtell maybe. Even Cravath posted a resume drop on my old T1 school offering to interview people with a 3.8+ (lmao).

GTown Transfer w/ Biglaw. To say that GTown transfers do not get big law positions at all is simply wrong. Is it as likely than at the other schools you listed no, but depending on your school and your situation it gets you in the game.

It depends where you're transferring from because most firms will evaluate you as a student with good grades from your original school.

student4714 wrote:GTown Transfer w/ Biglaw. To say that GTown transfers do not get big law positions at all is simply wrong. Is it as likely than at the other schools you listed no, but depending on your school and your situation it gets you in the game.

Also GTown Transfer. Had a couple Biglaw offers and opted to do DOJ SLIP. I came in with hesitation about my chances, but I literally don't know a single transfer (who went through EIW) who does not have a Biglaw offer. There's no algorithm. It's a mixture of your 1L grades/relevant work experience/desired practice area/interview skills/"fit"/etc.

Basically, don't chalk it up to a school's "ability" to do well at OCI. It's your own ability to do well; the school will just help you get in the door at more places.

Generic1L wrote:

student4714 wrote:GTown Transfer w/ Biglaw. To say that GTown transfers do not get big law positions at all is simply wrong. Is it as likely than at the other schools you listed no, but depending on your school and your situation it gets you in the game.

Also GTown Transfer. Had a couple Biglaw offers and opted to do DOJ SLIP. I came in with hesitation about my chances, but I literally don't know a single transfer (who went through EIW) who does not have a Biglaw offer. There's no algorithm. It's a mixture of your 1L grades/relevant work experience/desired practice area/interview skills/"fit"/etc.

Basically, don't chalk it up to a school's "ability" to do well at OCI. It's your own ability to do well; the school will just help you get in the door at more places.

Well said.

Generic1L wrote:

student4714 wrote:GTown Transfer w/ Biglaw. To say that GTown transfers do not get big law positions at all is simply wrong. Is it as likely than at the other schools you listed no, but depending on your school and your situation it gets you in the game.

Also GTown Transfer. Had a couple Biglaw offers and opted to do DOJ SLIP. I came in with hesitation about my chances, but I literally don't know a single transfer (who went through EIW) who does not have a Biglaw offer. There's no algorithm. It's a mixture of your 1L grades/relevant work experience/desired practice area/interview skills/"fit"/etc.

Basically, don't chalk it up to a school's "ability" to do well at OCI. It's your own ability to do well; the school will just help you get in the door at more places.

OP here. That's encouraging to hear! I go to a T1 school.

Can't speak to Gtown, but Columbia transfers do very well. Almost everyone my class year (out of about 30 students) got biglaw offers. The students transferring from higher ranked schools to begin with ended up at higher ranked firms, but all were within the V100.

I'm sure there are some firms that don't like transfers. But many firms are more than happy to take us. There's enough positions to go around that you're very likely to find something.