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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!

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!

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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*

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.

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

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 =)

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!

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

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!

fixed

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!

fixed

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

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

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!

fixed

+1

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?

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.

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.

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.