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Hi, current 1L here and wondering about the importance of applying at December 1st for 1L SA Positions.

I had read somewhere that, like law school admissions, the rolling nature of apps makes it highly beneficial to apply as early as possible. That being said, I feel like I could use more time to polish & tailor personal/diversity statements for firms.

Reading threads like http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... &start=125, especially the post by Kretzy make me curious about what other's experiences with 1L apps have been like.

For the people who got 1L offers, did you apply as soon as things opened? Or were you okay even halfway through December?

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If you are trying to get USAO, you need to get that stuff together by early December. I think they stop accepting apps pretty early.

Otherwise, it's NBD to wait until after finals.

Your 1L summer job is not a big deal. If you concerned, gun hard after finals. Letting 1L summer take any time away from outlining/exam prep is a huge mistake. Its a trap. Avoid the herd mentality. Head down, focus on grades.

My advice:

Have a few firms in mind in your home market (that hire 1Ls) and have a cover letter and resume prepared (again resume w/o grades is OK at this point). I got a few nibbles, but no bites (aka interviews, but no job). I can't tell you how helpful having a CB at a biglaw firm was during 1L (with relatively low stakes) was for OCI ahead.

Don't go crazy and apply to like 100 firms unless you're really good with mailmerge/tailoring CLs quickly.

But in general, YES Dec. 1 matters for 1L SA. I got replies from firms sometimes days after.

Getting a mix of responses here with edge to the "doesn't matter" side.

For those of you who said it doesn't matter: did you get your 1L SA from an application later in the month?

I get that I shouldn't stress out over this too much, but getting a 1L SA and not getting one is the difference between roughly 35k pre-tax and peanuts. Still busting my ass for finals and whatnot, but trying to figure out how much sleep I am going to get tonight.

candidlatke wrote:Getting a mix of responses here with edge to the "doesn't matter" side.

For those of you who said it doesn't matter: did you get your 1L SA from an application later in the month?

I get that I shouldn't stress out over this too much, but getting a 1L SA and not getting one is the difference between roughly 35k pre-tax and peanuts. Still busting my ass for finals and whatnot, but trying to figure out how much sleep I am going to get tonight.

Too lazy to read the rest of thread. I applied to many firms December 1st. I did not get an offer. Several people I know, however, did. I don't know of anyone getting an interview in the first few weeks of December though. I applied to more firms in January after 1L grades and got several V10 offers. 1L grades are more important IMO than applying pre-finals.

If you are talking specifically about 1L SA positions, you should really apply as close to Dec. 1st as possible.

If you're talking about other 1L jobs, then I don't think the timeline is nearly as important.

Your odds of getting a 1L SA are quite low but they are basically zero if you don't apply now. I agree with the poster above who mentioned focusing on your home market (or wherever you have the best connections) and getting apps in for those 1L SA positions ASAP.

Based on my experience, you do not need to apply for 1L law firm positions near Dec. 1st. I applied at the end of December and had multiple interviews with NYC big law firms and ended up picking one of them for my summer position. When I informed one of my top choices that I had an exploding offer somewhere else, the recruiter said that their application date still had not closed (this was in February) and that she would try to get me an answer. Ultimately, I got the offer from that firm before the application closed. My point is, I would not leave applying to February or late January, but you certainly do not need to apply now. Your grades matter a lot more.

I would have had everything ready to go on 12/1 if I had it to do over again, but you're probably better off waiting until after finals at this point. I disagree about not taking the time prior to 12/1. Sure 1L grades are the most important thing, but the four or five hours it takes to send out 20 or so applications shouldn't have an impact on those grades. I agree that 35k is a huge difference in your 2L quality of life, if not also after.

I got a 1L SA applying in january. Dec 1 is only necessary for a couple competitive fellowships, judicial externships, and international positions.

Which competitive fellowships are those? Anything SA related or more so PI Fellowships like the Skadden Fellows?

Also, if I send in my application, should I understand that the recruiter has received it?
It feels a bit weird/off-putting when I don't get any response back after sending it, though I recognize that is neurotic of me. Just worried about the app/email getting lost in the unread stack.

candidlatke wrote:Which competitive fellowships are those? Anything SA related or more so PI Fellowships like the Skadden Fellows?

Also, if I send in my application, should I understand that the recruiter has received it?
It feels a bit weird/off-putting when I don't get any response back after sending it, though I recognize that is neurotic of me. Just worried about the app/email getting lost in the unread stack.

Yes. Depending upon how the firm accepts applications, you will either get an automated response, or a personal response, or no response. Double check that you sent it to the right person. If so, I would assume it was received. Depending upon the firm, they may not be able to give out individual responses due to influx of apps.
Also, some people are already getting CBs (doesn't mean grades won't matter, though):
http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=271711
http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 3&t=271577

Thanks for sharing your experiences guys; it's both calming and worrisome at the same time (but more calming).