Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law Forum

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qbid250ks

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Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by qbid250ks » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:03 pm

Hey Guys,

I will be attending GW Law this fall and am wondering if I will have the chance at procuring a federal job, in particular the DOJ, with a GW Law Degree (provided that I do relatively well)? Does GW Law place well for federal jobs?

Thank you so much!

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bizen boat

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by bizen boat » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:07 pm

Check out this thread:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=124538

Your chances are better than this poor guy's, but not by much. Most likely, you'll have to be near the very top of your class. If any current GW students want to correct me, feel free!

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vanwinkle

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by vanwinkle » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:12 pm

You will need to do very well to even have a chance. To land DOJ straight out of law school you need to do very well no matter where you go. School prestige does matter also, however, and you will be competing against a lot of T14 grads for DOJ jobs. It's especially tough ITE, as more and more grads turn to federal jobs (such as DOJ) for their stability in an uncertain economy.

On the other hand, you can try what many people have done before you: Go be a prosecutor or firm associate for a few years and then apply to lateral in. Just because you don't get straight into the DOJ doesn't mean you can't. But there you'll have to prove yourself through years of solid work product.

Good luck.

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Teoeo

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by Teoeo » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:17 pm

How about at the DOL or the EEOC or the NLRB? I am interested in these agencies.

qbid250ks

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by qbid250ks » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:17 pm

Thanks for your responses so far! So I assume that GW's #20 rank doesn't mean much?

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vanwinkle

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by vanwinkle » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:19 pm

qbid250ks wrote:Thanks for your responses so far! So I assume that GW's #20 rank doesn't mean much?
It means you have better chances than folks at the 200 schools below you. However, DOJ is tough everywhere. They know they can be picky, so they are.

qbid250ks

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by qbid250ks » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:27 pm

vanwinkle wrote:
qbid250ks wrote:Thanks for your responses so far! So I assume that GW's #20 rank doesn't mean much?
It means you have better chances than folks at the 200 schools below you. However, DOJ is tough everywhere. They know they can be picky, so they are.
I guess we all will need to haul some serious ass during school. I'm hoping all this summer prep work will help!

bk1

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by bk1 » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:29 pm

qbid250ks wrote:I guess we all will need to haul some serious ass during school. I'm hoping all this summer prep work will help!
Shitstorm inc. Grab an umbrella.

270910

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by 270910 » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:30 pm

bk187 wrote:
qbid250ks wrote:I guess we all will need to haul some serious ass during school. I'm hoping all this summer prep work will help!
Shitstorm inc. Grab an umbrella.
*twitches violently on the floor instead of responding*

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holydonkey

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by holydonkey » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:36 pm

qbid250ks wrote:
vanwinkle wrote:
qbid250ks wrote:Thanks for your responses so far! So I assume that GW's #20 rank doesn't mean much?
It means you have better chances than folks at the 200 schools below you. However, DOJ is tough everywhere. They know they can be picky, so they are.
I guess we all will need to haul some serious ass during school. I'm hoping all this summer prep work will help!
Make sure you read all of the E&Es at least twice this summer. Once through is not enough ITE.

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Always Credited

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by Always Credited » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:38 pm

qbid250ks wrote:
vanwinkle wrote:
qbid250ks wrote:Thanks for your responses so far! So I assume that GW's #20 rank doesn't mean much?
It means you have better chances than folks at the 200 schools below you. However, DOJ is tough everywhere. They know they can be picky, so they are.
I guess we all will need to haul some serious ass during school. I'm hoping all this summer prep work will help!
whoaaaa dude if you're in my section, I'm gonna get pwned soooo hard! damn, time to start cramming I guess :(

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Teoeo

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by Teoeo » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:52 pm

Always Credited wrote:
qbid250ks wrote:
vanwinkle wrote:
qbid250ks wrote:Thanks for your responses so far! So I assume that GW's #20 rank doesn't mean much?
It means you have better chances than folks at the 200 schools below you. However, DOJ is tough everywhere. They know they can be picky, so they are.
I guess we all will need to haul some serious ass during school. I'm hoping all this summer prep work will help!
whoaaaa dude if you're in my section, I'm gonna get pwned soooo hard! damn, time to start cramming I guess :(
We should make an official TLS organization at GW =)

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Always Credited

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by Always Credited » Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:58 pm

I'd love to, I really would...but there's no time. I have 4 E&E's to read and outline, and just FOURTEEN DAYS to do it!!11!1!

8)

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Teoeo

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by Teoeo » Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:03 pm

I should probably start reading getting to maybe huh ^_^

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Teoeo

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by Teoeo » Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:04 pm

Always Credited wrote:I'd love to, I really would...but there's no time. I have 4 E&E's to read and outline, and just FOURTEEN DAYS to do it!!11!1!!1111!!11!one!1!

8)
fixed

qbid250ks

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by qbid250ks » Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:13 pm

Teoeo wrote:
Always Credited wrote:I'd love to, I really would...but there's no time. I have 4 E&E's to read and outline, and just FOURTEEN DAYS to do it!!11!1!!1111!!11!one!1!

8)
fixed
Fourteen days until when?! Isn't orientation August 16th?

Also, have you found the E&Es to be helpful?

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Always Credited

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by Always Credited » Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:54 pm

Teoeo wrote:
Always Credited wrote:I'd love to, I really would...but there's no time. I have 4 E&E's to read and outline, and just FOURTEEN DAYS to do it!!11!1!!1111!!11!one!1!

8)
fixed
+1 :lol:

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A'nold

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by A'nold » Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:47 pm

While I wasn't expecting to find such a thing, I checked the website and did not see an approximate GPA/school rank "applicants that are generally competitive" section. What are you looking at in general to land an interview?

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thesealocust

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by thesealocust » Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:48 pm

A'nold wrote:While I wasn't expecting to find such a thing, I checked the website and did not see an approximate GPA/school rank "applicants that are generally competitive" section. What are you looking at in general to land an interview?
For DoJ honors hiring? Top of the class, LR, top school? It's a fantasy for most students, orders of magnitude harder to crack than biglaw. That being said, it also has a smaller applicant pool and can be chaotic since individual hiring preferences can vary, so it's not a straight grade + school rank shooting match.

+10 points for searching before asking, -5 for thread necromancy.

Citizen Genet

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by Citizen Genet » Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:07 am

It is definitely possible from GW. While going to a T14 is helpful, for the Honors program it isn't nearly as critical. Grades are your most critical component. There's no stated criteria, but from what I understand, 15-25% is standard depending on the school you go to. Do something to demonstrate an interest in DOJ -- they want people who are committed to working BigFed for a long time.

As an FYI, the average school rank of DOJ HP hirees since the start of the Obama administration is 28, and that's the average. So don't think that because you're not at Harvard or Georgetown or it's over.

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Re: Chances of landing a DOJ job upon graduation from GW Law

Post by dudders » Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:34 am

It's not impossible, but it's akin to applying for clerkships - you need standout grades, law review, and connections won't hurt. Even if you're at the top of your class, there's still going to be like 1,000 people applying for every spot.

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