Top Law Schools

For the worse. How much does this hurt? Big as in like .3 or more.

Depends on the numbers.

For example if you had a 2.3 1st semester, and 2.0 this semester, and median at your school is 3.0 or something, then the drop in grades won't hurt, because your grades were already so low.

But if you went from, say 3.3 to a 3.0, it might make more of a difference.

Going from top 10% to like median or slightly above.

I mean it makes the difference of wherever you are now. If you were top 10 and now your top 25% then your prospects are those of someone in the top 25%. If you had something horrible happen in your personal life or something maybe you could paint it that way but you would have to get in the room first

That's good news then.

Cumulative GPA is what matters by far.

5ky wrote:Cumulative GPA is what matters by far.

Generally, but I don't know. If you want to litigate but got a C in Civ Pro? That matters, big time.

NotMyRealName09 wrote:

5ky wrote:Cumulative GPA is what matters by far.

Generally, but I don't know. If you want to litigate but got a C in Civ Pro? That matters, big time.

I think getting a C in anything would matter, even surrounded by A's, but I somehow doubt the particular class matters. Civ Pro the class has basically nothing to do with what a litigator is going to do for the first several years (at a big firm), and even if it did, I think a firm is more likely to attribute it to some fluke/failure to prepare/professor's style than some inherent inability to learn the concepts.

I think a C in contracts probably raises as many red flags for them as Civ Pro. So yeah, it matters big time, but why the hell would it matter that it's civ pro?

NotMyRealName09 wrote:

5ky wrote:Cumulative GPA is what matters by far.

Generally, but I don't know. If you want to litigate but got a C in Civ Pro? That matters, big time.[/quote]

Don't give advice if you have no idea what you are talking about.

Wooostl2012 wrote:

NotMyRealName09 wrote:

5ky wrote:Cumulative GPA is what matters by far.

Generally, but I don't know. If you want to litigate but got a C in Civ Pro? That matters, big time.

I think getting a C in anything would matter, even surrounded by A's, but I somehow doubt the particular class matters. Civ Pro the class has basically nothing to do with what a litigator is going to do for the first several years (at a big firm), and even if it did, I think a firm is more likely to attribute it to some fluke/failure to prepare/professor's style than some inherent inability to learn the concepts.

I think a C in contracts probably raises as many red flags for them as Civ Pro. So yeah, it matters big time, but why the hell would it matter that it's civ pro?

Can anybody verify whether a C in any particular class matters? This post says the particular class matters, then says a C in contracts might raise red flags. I'm confused (especially since I bombed contracts).

KMaine wrote:

NotMyRealName09 wrote:

5ky wrote:Cumulative GPA is what matters by far.

Generally, but I don't know. If you want to litigate but got a C in Civ Pro? That matters, big time.[/quote]

Don't give advice if you have no idea what you are talking about.[/b]

So enlighten me, oh short but derisive one. Tell me about your litigation practice experience, and how litigation hiring partners faced with equal resumes won't look to the relevant doctrinal classes to distinguish applicants.

Cumulative GPA is the thing that matters most. Specific doctrinal class grades may matter as tiebreakers or if you are seeking to join a specific practice area and you have a terrible/great grade in that area. Specific doctrinal class grades can definitely matter for clerkships but which classes are important will depend on the judge.

NotMyRealName09 wrote:
So enlighten me, oh short but derisive one. Tell me about your litigation practice experience, and how litigation hiring partners faced with equal resumes won't look to the relevant doctrinal classes to distinguish applicants.

I am doing trial work almost exclusively for this summer, and my civ pro is almost irrelevant to the work. Civ pro was also my lowest grade.