Secondary Journals - Forum

[Blindmelon]

I assume everyone is knee deep in the writing competition (and if you're not, I hate you). I was wondering if anyone could throw a little advice my way -

My school has LR and about 5 secondary journals - LR is 50% competition, 50% grades and the average LR GPA is 3.7. Secondary journals range from 60-100% write on depending on the journal.

I have about a 3.4 GPA (but it could be higher/lower as I don't know this semester's grades), you think theres any point in going to for LR? I've heard rumors of someone with a 3.3 getting on last year - problem is you can only (in reality) go for 2 journals, including LR. So if I put down 2 secondaries, I have a really good shot at getting on A journal, but 0 shot at LR, etc.

Any thoughts from those more in the know? Is the small chance of getting on LR worth making it so I may not get on a secondary?

[thesealocust]

oops

[Blindmelon]

Thanks for the advice. Well, I assume secondaries would be easier to get on but it seems like every person is doing the competition and giving it their all. I have 0 interest in firm work - but thought that a Public Interest-y journal would look good - but you're right. If I don't get on one I could always try to get something to fill the gap.

[thesealocust]

oops

[atlantalaw]

I have 0 interest in firm work

Run - don't walk - from the competition. Unless you think it clicked and you have a 4.3 semester GPA coming your way to make your odds of writing onto LR realistic as opposed to hail marry, then you need to put down the writing competition / secondary journal pipe and go save whales from international entertainment lawyers or whatever it is you public interest types have to do to get jobs. It's definitely not doing time in the Mediocre Journal of Boring Law & Photocopying.

this made me laugh. hard.

[ToTransferOrNot]

If you want to clerk, you're doomed without at least having a secondary journal, fwiw.

[thesealocust]

oops

[Blindmelon]

If you want to clerk

Based on OP's first semester grades and school, I'm thinking that preserving clerkship opportunities is not the most prudent expenditure of energy.

Agreed - BU with slightly above median = no clerkship unless I'm thinking of a career in traffic court.

My profile says GW just b/c I got seriously outed when I decided to tell everyone that the gunner in my section started posting on this board - I got someone in my section to verify it was him, but then they started reading my posts =/.

[SteelReserve]

Why not try for law review? Obviously this depends on your confidence in your writing ability, but say you max out the writing score, do you still not have a shot? Does your LR at least account for a certain # of people writing on regardless of grades based on writing score?

I say go for it. Put the work in. Edit the living daylights out of your paper so that there is not a single error. I'm talking go check out the Chicago Manual of Style to check for comma placement, passive voice, proper possessive apostrophes, etc. Go for it. Secondary journals will be necessary to even get a taste of OCI and/or clerkships, and that's nice you want to go the PI route, but you're still competing with all the other kids in Boston and from other areas who want Boston; there is no reason to give them a leg up by lacking Law Review.

[Blindmelon]

Why not try for law review? Obviously this depends on your confidence in your writing ability, but say you max out the writing score, do you still not have a shot? Does your LR at least account for a certain # of people writing on regardless of grades based on writing score?

I say go for it. Put the work in. Edit the living daylights out of your paper so that there is not a single error. I'm talking go check out the Chicago Manual of Style to check for comma placement, passive voice, proper possessive apostrophes, etc. Go for it. Secondary journals will be necessary to even get a taste of OCI and/or clerkships, and that's nice you want to go the PI route, but you're still competing with all the other kids in Boston and from other areas who want Boston; there is no reason to give them a leg up by lacking Law Review.

Random update - I took your advice and I guess I destroyed the writing competition because I got on law review - my grades also went up a bit from first semester.
Thanks for the pep talk! Really glad I ranked it first -

[SteelReserve]

Nice work and congrats. Getting Law Review is a solid step in the right direction. The battle is won, but the employment war is far from over. Good luck.