GULC Students Taking Questions Forum

[BmoreOrLess]

Expect Wednesday evening.

Assuming they don't fuck up LRW again and send it like a week later.

how could they possibly not have LRW yet if they sent out law fellow notices two weeks ago which required them to have graded all the briefs

When the GULC registrar is involved, anything can happen.

[EzraFitz]

Expect Wednesday evening.

Assuming they don't fuck up LRW again and send it like a week later.

how could they possibly not have LRW yet if they sent out law fellow notices two weeks ago which required them to have graded all the briefs

When the GULC registrar is involved, anything can happen.

This exactly. Like, literally reversing a curve...

[WhiskeyAndCupcakes]

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[BmoreOrLess]

Is it an option to just never check? I wanna go with that option.

But, really, take ALL the time, registrar.

And how did LRW grades end up released a week late last year? They've had those exams for like two months or something.

Something along the lines of: The registrar sent a student another section's brief prompt. (allegedly) despite knowing it was the wrong brief prompt, they wrote the brief based on that prompt because it says everywhere don't contact anyone about the exam, list your assumptions, etc. They then had to rewrite the brief like a week after write on (this part's definitely true) thereby delaying every section's LRW grades.

Like I said, literally anything can happen when the registrar is involved.

[Hand]

are grade cut offs released at the same time as the grades? if the above stories about the registrar are any indication, I assume not?

[Gray]

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[WhiskeyAndCupcakes]

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[Hand]

Expect Wednesday evening.

Oh hey still no grades

Fucking jesuits

[Hand]

are grade cut offs released at the same time as the grades? if the above stories about the registrar are any indication, I assume not?

IDK but I would be willing to bet that they are released like 1 day before EIW starts.

I would also be fine with those literally never coming out.

It is mathematically impossible for you to not at least make the deans list so hush, this is a safe place for those who coast to median

[EzraFitz]

Cutoffs don't take too long. Top 5% letters will in fact come a few days before OCI, at the earliest.

[TLSModBot]

Expect Wednesday evening.

Oh hey still no grades

Fucking jesuits

Are there literally any jesuits actually at GULC though

[EzraFitz]

Expect Wednesday evening.

Oh hey still no grades

Fucking jesuits

Are there literally any jesuits actually at GULC though

Nope. All jews.

[buckiguy_sucks]

Cutoffs don't take too long. Top 5% letters will in fact come a few days before OCI, at the earliest.

are these two separate thoughts or was the first one sarcasm

[justonemoregame]

Expect Wednesday evening.

Oh hey still no grades

Fucking jesuits

Are there literally any jesuits actually at GULC though

Nope. All jews.

I know a Jesowitz. Oh.

[TLSModBot]

Cutoffs don't take too long. Top 5% letters will in fact come a few days before OCI, at the earliest.

are these two separate thoughts or was the first one sarcasm

No seriously the 5% letter comes out a couple weeks before EIW, but after you've already sent resumes and stuff. So you put top 10% on the resume and then when you get the letter you get the douchey privilege of sending out updated resumes / notification emails to let them know you are, in fact, top 5%.

[WhiskeyAndCupcakes]

.

[TLSModBot]

Cutoffs don't take too long. Top 5% letters will in fact come a few days before OCI, at the earliest.

are these two separate thoughts or was the first one sarcasm

No seriously the 5% letter comes out a couple weeks before EIW, but after you've already sent resumes and stuff. So you put top 10% on the resume and then when you get the letter you get the douchey privilege of sending out updated resumes / notification emails to let them know you are, in fact, top 5%.

Where do top 5% cutoffs tend to be? Around 3.8?

3.75ish

[Mr. Blackacre]

Great news re:grades. I finally got confirmation of what some of us have been suspecting for a while. In the spring, the school allows professors to grade 3Ls a month before 2Ls in mixed classes, while keeping all of us on the same curve. Rumor had it that it isn't uncommon for professors to dish out a very nice curve for the 3Ls, and reserve the lower end of the curve for 2Ls. I can confirm that this is exactly what happened in one of my classes this semester.

It's on days like today that I am proud to aTTTend the prestigious GeorgeTTTown UniversiTTTy Law CenTTTer.

[TLSModBot]

Great news re:grades. I finally got confirmation of what some of us have been suspecting for a while. In the spring, the school allows professors to grade 3Ls a month before 2Ls in mixed classes, while keeping all of us on the same curve. Rumor had it that it isn't uncommon for professors to dish out a very nice curve for the 3Ls, and reserve the lower end of the curve for 2Ls. I can confirm that this is exactly what happened in one of my classes this semester.

It's on days like today that I am proud to aTTTend the prestigious GeorgeTTTown UniversiTTTy Law CenTTTer.

How was this not common knowledge. Although it makes for a pretty great 3L year so just bask in it when it's your turn

[Mr. Blackacre]

Great news re:grades. I finally got confirmation of what some of us have been suspecting for a while. In the spring, the school allows professors to grade 3Ls a month before 2Ls in mixed classes, while keeping all of us on the same curve. Rumor had it that it isn't uncommon for professors to dish out a very nice curve for the 3Ls, and reserve the lower end of the curve for 2Ls. I can confirm that this is exactly what happened in one of my classes this semester.

It's on days like today that I am proud to aTTTend the prestigious GeorgeTTTown UniversiTTTy Law CenTTTer.

How was this not common knowledge. Although it makes for a pretty great 3L year so just bask in it when it's your turn

Chalk it up to some naive sense of fairness, I guess. Going to a school for which "law is but the means, justice is the end," you know, that kind of section 3 spirit that infects even those of us on the path to the dark side . I can definitely tell you it was a surprise to most of my friends.
But then again I don't have a lot of credits left to take for next year, so I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride.

[BmoreOrLess]

Great news re:grades. I finally got confirmation of what some of us have been suspecting for a while. In the spring, the school allows professors to grade 3Ls a month before 2Ls in mixed classes, while keeping all of us on the same curve. Rumor had it that it isn't uncommon for professors to dish out a very nice curve for the 3Ls, and reserve the lower end of the curve for 2Ls. I can confirm that this is exactly what happened in one of my classes this semester.

It's on days like today that I am proud to aTTTend the prestigious GeorgeTTTown UniversiTTTy Law CenTTTer.

Is this Stevenson's Sec Reg class by chance? That curve was fucking ruthless.

[buckiguy_sucks]

Shit LRW curves dooming me to bid NYC

I've never actually been to NYC but i assume everything about it is horrible and that the lawyers bill 2000 more hours a year than in other markets?

[Londonbear]

Shit LRW curves dooming me to bid NYC

I've never actually been to NYC but i assume everything about it is horrible and that the lawyers bill 2000 more hours a year than in other markets?

Am summering now in NYC, and it really depends on the practice group and who you are. It seems you can cruise under the radar for a couple of years doing less than 2000 billable hours (like 1700-1900) in certain groups including corp if you're at a large firm. Other practice groups can be insanely busy, so I've heard of 2500-3000 billable hours. If you care about having a future at the firm then you put in the hours and work your ass off. Or you could choose to collect your nice paychecks for a couple of years and then look for something else somewhere else. It's definitely a play hard, work hard city. I wouldn't say everything about it is horrible, but it's not meant for everyone.

[buckiguy_sucks]

Shit LRW curves dooming me to bid NYC

I've never actually been to NYC but i assume everything about it is horrible and that the lawyers bill 2000 more hours a year than in other markets?

Am summering now in NYC, and it really depends on the practice group and who you are. It seems you can cruise under the radar for a couple of years doing less than 2000 billable hours (like 1700-1900) in certain groups including corp if you're at a large firm. Other practice groups can be insanely busy, so I've heard of 2500-3000 billable hours. If you care about having a future at the firm then you put in the hours and work your ass off. Or you could choose to collect your nice paychecks for a couple of years and then look for something else somewhere else. It's definitely a play hard, work hard city. I wouldn't say everything about it is horrible, but it's not meant for everyone.

could you give me a tip on good corp groups? i've been looking into financial institutions groups and have heard good things about investment management tho i've been only looking at those things in DC

although i strongly suspect it will depend on firm needs/whats busy

[Londonbear]

Shit LRW curves dooming me to bid NYC

I've never actually been to NYC but i assume everything about it is horrible and that the lawyers bill 2000 more hours a year than in other markets?

Am summering now in NYC, and it really depends on the practice group and who you are. It seems you can cruise under the radar for a couple of years doing less than 2000 billable hours (like 1700-1900) in certain groups including corp if you're at a large firm. Other practice groups can be insanely busy, so I've heard of 2500-3000 billable hours. If you care about having a future at the firm then you put in the hours and work your ass off. Or you could choose to collect your nice paychecks for a couple of years and then look for something else somewhere else. It's definitely a play hard, work hard city. I wouldn't say everything about it is horrible, but it's not meant for everyone.

could you give me a tip on good corp groups? i've been looking into financial institutions groups and have heard good things about investment management tho i've been only looking at those things in DC

although i strongly suspect it will depend on firm needs/whats busy

Good corp groups as in terms of billable hours/quality of life? M&A seems to be the worst, capital markets seems to be slightly better though you'll still have some crazy firedrills especially when the client want to take an offering off the shelf. I'm not quite sure about debt financing or investment management. Fund formation seems relatively relaxed. If there's any that you're looking in particular, I'll try to find out during all the social events they make us do. But in general it really depends on your priorities. If you don't have a family, then M&A is not so bad, you just have to get used to not being able to plan for things, basically fit your life into these small limited time periods called down time and not be stressed over the fact that it is down time. And you're making decent money, so you just outsource as many things in your life as you can (ie. get a maid to clean your house, have the laundry get picked up and delivered, etc). If you have a family, then wells, it's likely not for you unless you have saints for family members.

I think it's not mentioned enough that you should go into a practice area that you are genuinely interested in and can see yourself doing for at least a few years (and hopefully has good exit opportunities) because that will make the hours more bearable. Don't go into a practice area solely because the hours are slightly better or more predictable. The hours are going to be awful in general for corporate work and you won't be able to plan your day-to-day, so you might as well be going to a practice area you're interested in. You don't have to worry about it too much now, just have a general idea where you want to go, corp or lit? And then when you get your offers and especially during your SA, you can ask the associates. All the associates I've talked to have been pretty honest about the hours, the horrors (yes I've heard stories where they cry in their office), and their exit plans. They definitely weren't trying to build us up. I think b/c most of them remember being us as summers and trying to figure stuff out.

It does depend a lot on what the firm is known for (b/c they'll always be busy in their bread and butter groups. if they aren't, then you should find a different firm or one that has more well-rounded strengths) and how the market is. Even in firms that are generally relax on facetime, certain practice areas might prefer facetime (b/c the partners in that practice area like it that way so it trickles down to the rest).

What I found surprising is that very few people are in the office on a Friday and it's generally quiet unless I guess there's a deal closing, etc. Many work from home, and even if they do come into the office, it's for only a short time.

DC's corporate practice is growing, but it is never going to beat NY. You'll still get great opportunities, but you won't have the quantities of deals that gets done. Also one thing about NY is that the experience is more portable. You can go international or where ever. No one thinks twice about whether you've got the training or the experience. I don't think they expect you to do 2000+ hours in your first couple of years, so you get that benefit. If you do, then yay, bonuses! If you don't, then it's okay. It's when you hit mid-level that you are expected to bill, but by then you can always lateral somewhere else that might have a seemingly better quality of life.