When to start looking for a job Forum

[Extension_Cord]

I heard some firms dont even look at your 2L grades. Does that mean most people have jobs lined up a good year or more before they graduate law school? When do most people start looking for jobs?

[Metaread]

Networking and connections can net you jobs that don't want to look at your resume.
Otherwise, you'll need to send out resumes and cover letters.

[DoubleChecks]

I heard some firms dont even look at your 2L grades. Does that mean most people have jobs lined up a good year or more before they graduate law school? When do most people start looking for jobs?

um, are you talking about 2L OCI and the biglaw job-searching process???

[Kilpatrick]

For your 1l summer you can start sending out application to NALP firms December 1. Smaller firms usually aren't hiring until February-April. I don't know when people start applying to judges and stuff because I didn't do that, but based on facebook posts it seemed like people started doing it over winter break.

When people say firms don't look at your 2l grades they are talking about in the traditional BigLaw hiring process. Beginning in July/August of your summer after 1l you can start applying for jobs for 2l summer. Then you hope that your 2l summer job leads to an offer for employment when you graduate.

This is why your first year grades matter the most. The hiring for your 2l summer is based entirely on 1l grades. Some firms will say in the offer letter that your offer is contingent on continuing to do well, but the consensus seems to be that 2l grades don't really matter, or that it would have to be an extreme drop in order to get no-offered because of it.

So the short answer to your question is yes, for BigLaw you need to have your job lined up nearly two years before you graduate.

[BarbellDreams]

Start early November by slowly putting together cover letters and materials. Dec 1st those NALP guidelines lift and you need to send, send, send. I have friends who got really quality internships at places I never even received an interview for with same grades because they applied early december and I applied late January. It really matters.