OFFICIAL 1L Exam Prep & Motivation Thread (CSWS) Forum

[TLSwag]

I guess I need to cast a wide net this week....

If you're willing/interested in PI stuff, it might be worth talking to the SJI folks. My search is really specific and they've been very helpful. (They're way more helpful than OCS. OCS has been fine so far, but they don't seem to have the same level of dedication or the same type of connections that SJI has.)

Definitely willing to do PI stuff. Don't really care what I do at this point, I just want a job. Thanks for the tip.

ETA: along the same lines, at what point should we start to get worried that we don't have a job?

I am also interested in this question. People keep saying it's still early but I feel like I've been looking for ages.

Also, is there consensus that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush (if I'm even saying that right)? I have an offer that I'm not that pumped about but should I just take it and be done?

I did this, b/c personally, given the relative unimportance of 1L jobs, I felt it was important for me to stop stressing about summer work, job apps, interviews, etc. and get back to the GRIND. To each its own, however, and if you can manage to handle it along with crushing school, then this advice may not apply. For me, I felt I was wasting unnecessary energy and stress that should have been applied to getting grades. This advice obviously would also not apply if you have some kind of legitimate chance at an SA, or paid in-house, position, but that should go without saying.

[Nelson]

ETA: along the same lines, at what point should we start to get worried that we don't have a job?

I think you've got plenty of time. Anecdotally, I'd estimate that 50% or less of my class has a job lined up now. And plenty of people seem to be interviewing over spring break.

[mrjohnsterman]

Can someone who goes to a school with an ungraded legal writing class tell me about how wonderful their life is?

[Bronck]

ETA: along the same lines, at what point should we start to get worried that we don't have a job?

I think you've got plenty of time. Anecdotally, I'd estimate that 50% or less of my class has a job lined up now. And plenty of people seem to be interviewing over spring break.

Hmm, alright. It's just annoying as fuck striking out and not finding anything yet.

Can someone who goes to a school with an ungraded legal writing class tell me about how wonderful their life is?

Ungraded legal writing is awesome. Sent in a 5 pg argument for my brief. My arguments are pathetic.

[Doorkeeper]

Can someone who goes to a school with an ungraded legal writing class tell me about how wonderful their life is?

Ungraded legal writing is awesome. Sent in a 5 pg argument for my brief. My arguments are pathetic.

Ugh. Fuck you.

*putting in citations at 10:30pm on a Sun*

/FML

[Bronck]

Can someone who goes to a school with an ungraded legal writing class tell me about how wonderful their life is?

Ungraded legal writing is awesome. Sent in a 5 pg argument for my brief. My arguments are pathetic.

Ugh. Fuck you.

*putting in citations at 10:30pm on a Sun*

/FML

I may have referenced some memes in my argument...

[Nelson]

ETA: along the same lines, at what point should we start to get worried that we don't have a job?

I think you've got plenty of time. Anecdotally, I'd estimate that 50% or less of my class has a job lined up now. And plenty of people seem to be interviewing over spring break.

Hmm, alright. It's just annoying as fuck striking out and not finding anything yet.

A lot of the people that I know that have things lined up now either targeted a secondary market with ties or did the judge thing. I targeted only PI in my secondary market with moderately tailored cover letters and got something almost immediately at one of my top choice orgs. Are you mostly looking for SAs? It seems like the people who focused mostly on firms and/or who are only targeting elite PI, stuff like the ACLU, are taking longer to find something. We didn't even get grades until end of Jan. so a lot of people who want to do firms are still interviewing now. I think NYC might take more legwork than the secondary markets because everywhere gets a ton of apps.

[mrjohnsterman]

Can someone who goes to a school with an ungraded legal writing class tell me about how wonderful their life is?

Ungraded legal writing is awesome. Sent in a 5 pg argument for my brief. My arguments are pathetic.

Ugh. Fuck you.

*putting in citations at 10:30pm on a Sun*

/FML

sigh...searching for a case that my professor alluded to existing...somewhere...

[Bronck]

A lot of the people that I know that have things lined up now either targeted a secondary market with ties or did the judge thing. I targeted only PI in my secondary market with moderately tailored cover letters and got something almost immediately at one of my top choice orgs. Are you mostly looking for SAs? It seems like the people who focused mostly on firms and/or who are only targeting elite PI, stuff like the ACLU, are taking longer to find something. We didn't even get grades until end of Jan. so a lot of people who want to do firms are still interviewing now. I think NYC might take more legwork than the secondary markets because everywhere gets a ton of apps.

Nah, I'm looking almost exclusively at PI/Gov orgs in NYC. I've sent stuff across the board, from ACLU to random things I had no idea existed. Do you think it'd be wise to spam apps to the secondary markets to which I have ties? I would rather stay in NYC (because I don't want to have to worry about logistics for subletting and whatnot).

[Tiago Splitter]

I'm gonna give myself a pat on the back for sending out app number 20 today. Want to get this summer job thing done but just so lazy.

[Bronck]

I'm gonna give myself a pat on the back for sending out app number 20 today. Want to get this summer job thing done but just so lazy.

Want to start a firm?

[gdane]

Just apply for an RA job when professors start looking in a few weeks, if they haven't started already.

[MauriceGains]

IDK brahs, it definitely seems as if OCI isn't even a serious thing at my school. T1 but not Top 30 and we're having roughly a dozen employers come in over six weeks, almost all PI. Given the direction of my legal interests, I'd rather do Vitamin Shoppe, lol.

So, and not to be the guy to bring this up, what if we don't end up pulling a summer job? Is the correct step to drop out, focus even more on grades, or something else? My area has only a mid-sized legal market and 1L jobs that aren't PI are rare at least so far. Throw in /just/ missing top third and the fish just aren't biting, haha. Anyone want to calm my mind?

[Nelson]

A lot of the people that I know that have things lined up now either targeted a secondary market with ties or did the judge thing. I targeted only PI in my secondary market with moderately tailored cover letters and got something almost immediately at one of my top choice orgs. Are you mostly looking for SAs? It seems like the people who focused mostly on firms and/or who are only targeting elite PI, stuff like the ACLU, are taking longer to find something. We didn't even get grades until end of Jan. so a lot of people who want to do firms are still interviewing now. I think NYC might take more legwork than the secondary markets because everywhere gets a ton of apps.

Nah, I'm looking almost exclusively at PI/Gov orgs in NYC. I've sent stuff across the board, from ACLU to random things I had no idea existed. Do you think it'd be wise to spam apps to the secondary markets to which I have ties? I would rather stay in NYC (because I don't want to have to worry about logistics for subletting and whatnot).

Dunno. The subletting thing is a huge pain and I wouldn't want to go back somewhere else for an unpaid summer either. It does seem anecdotally that the people who want to be in NYC this summer are taking longer to find stuff. Also anecdotally, it seems like the people to find jobs first are the ones either with really good ties (like 25 years in New Orleans and wants to go home) or work experience that's relevant to the org. I was lucky I think because my school dominates the secondary market where I have ties.

NYC is such a huge market and it's still pretty early, I'm sure you'll get something if you keep spamming. I talked to some 2Ls that found stuff at pretty interesting sounding places as late as April, so February seems a little early to worry.

There's always the RA option to think about too. I have a friend who got an RA position for the summer a couple weeks ago just by asking a prof we had last semester without even a great grade in the class.

[Nelson]

IDK brahs, it definitely seems as if OCI isn't even a serious thing at my school. T1 but not Top 30 and we're having roughly a dozen employers come in over six weeks, almost all PI. Given the direction of my legal interests, I'd rather do Vitamin Shoppe, lol.

So, and not to be the guy to bring this up, what if we don't end up pulling a summer job? Is the correct step to drop out, focus even more on grades, or something else? My area has only a mid-sized legal market and 1L jobs that aren't PI are rare at least so far. Throw in /just/ missing top third and the fish just aren't biting, haha. Anyone want to calm my mind?

1L OCI is a joke everywhere. There were like a dozen employers at Penn's. Most people I know didn't even bother with it.

[gdane]

It's 1L summer. Not a big deal if you don't get a paid firm job. Most people don't.

Work for a judge, do a summer clinic at your school, be an RA for a professor, find something that will expose you to legal practice. You (MauriceGains) in particular would benefit from being exposed to legal practice. You seem to me to be someone that wants to land the high-paying biglaw job, but won't actually like being a lawyer. Think about that.

[MauriceGains]

It's 1L summer. Not a big deal if you don't get a paid firm job. Most people don't.

Work for a judge, do a summer clinic at your school, be an RA for a professor, find something that will expose you to legal practice. You (MauriceGains) in particular would benefit from being exposed to legal practice. You seem to me to be someone that wants to land the high-paying biglaw job, but won't actually like being a lawyer. Think about that.

Haha, LRW is crushing my interest in it, to be honest. I'd still like to land a position in a prosecutor's office. I'm just jaded from it all, not to bring y'all down.

[Bronck]

Dunno. The subletting thing is a huge pain and I wouldn't want to go back somewhere else for an unpaid summer either. It does seem anecdotally that the people who want to be in NYC this summer are taking longer to find stuff. Also anecdotally, it seems like the people to find jobs first are the ones either with really good ties (like 25 years in New Orleans and wants to go home) or work experience that's relevant to the org. I was lucky I think because my school dominates the secondary market where I have ties.

NYC is such a huge market and it's still pretty early, I'm sure you'll get something if you keep spamming. I talked to some 2Ls that found stuff at pretty interesting sounding places as late as April, so February seems a little early to worry.

There's always the RA option to think about too. I have a friend who got an RA position for the summer a couple weeks ago just by asking a prof we had last semester without even a great grade in the class.

Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely keep RA in the back of my mind if I keep coming up empty. I'll take anything that gives me legal exposure (except for a judge, since we don't get summer funding for those positions and I can't exactly survive without money for rent and food).

[gdane]

Haha, LRW is crushing my interest in it, to be honest. I'd still like to land a position in a prosecutor's office. I'm just jaded from it all, not to bring y'all down.

It's all good. Just stay positive.

[MauriceGains]

Haha, LRW is crushing my interest in it, to be honest. I'd still like to land a position in a prosecutor's office. I'm just jaded from it all, not to bring y'all down.

It's all good. Just stay positive.

Yuh. We're all gonna make it.

[Blumpbeef]

I'm soooo boooreedd....

[smaug_]

Do you think it'd be wise to spam apps to the secondary markets to which I have ties? I would rather stay in NYC (because I don't want to have to worry about logistics for subletting and whatnot).

Ugh. I need to get on the subletting thing. But, someone in SJI should be able to connect you to NY orgs.

[Bronck]

Do you think it'd be wise to spam apps to the secondary markets to which I have ties? I would rather stay in NYC (because I don't want to have to worry about logistics for subletting and whatnot).

Ugh. I need to get on the subletting thing. But, someone in SJI should be able to connect you to NY orgs.

Do I need to schedule an appointment or is it walk in?

[BuckinghamB]

Can someone who goes to a school with an ungraded legal writing class tell me about how wonderful their life is?

It's nice to know you can get by with minimal effort, but it still kinda sucks to know that every minute you spend on the class has literally no effect on your GPA (not that it does for graded classes beyond a certain point either). Definitely prefer this to graded LRW, though.

[smaug_]

Do you think it'd be wise to spam apps to the secondary markets to which I have ties? I would rather stay in NYC (because I don't want to have to worry about logistics for subletting and whatnot).

Ugh. I need to get on the subletting thing. But, someone in SJI should be able to connect you to NY orgs.

Do I need to schedule an appointment or is it walk in?

I'd schedule an appointment. They can be busy/certain people are only in on certain days of the week.