Prestigious jobs from HLS without Law Review?? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm a little bit confused about this. There are a lot of prestigious jobs (federal clerkships, academia, super elite litigation boutiques, and maybe USAO/DOJ/other gov jobs) that are generally considered to require being on Law Review as a prerequisite for the job.

However, I am wondering how this works specifically at HLS. Apparently Harvard Law Review accepts 44 students each year. In a class of about 560 students, that means less than 8% make law review each year. The number of people getting those super elite jobs listed above far exceeds 8% of the class. This, of course, means that a significant number of people get jobs that are conventionally thought to require Law Review without actually being on the Law Review.

Why is this? Is HLS just highly regarded enough that law review is unnecessary (though it would, of course, help)? Are there certain secondary journals there that are highly regarded enough that membership on them is considered enough for clerkships and academia? If so, which journals? How important is it to be on HLR if one wants federal clerkships/academia?

I could ask the same question for Yale as well. Yale also has more people getting these prestigious jobs than there are members of law review. However, the percent of students on law review is a higher percent of the class there, so the difference isn't quite as stark.

[NinerFan]

Really? Are you a 0L?

If serious, sure, LR greatly increases your chances for those things, but is definitely not a pre-req for all of them. Why? If you can't figure that out, I don't think you're at one of these schools.

[Blindmelon]

Really? Are you a 0L?

If serious, sure, LR greatly increases your chances for those things, but is definitely not a pre-req for all of them. Why? If you can't figure that out, I don't think you're at one of these schools.

Yup. Non-LR H grads can get awesome clerkships/gov. honors programs.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Law Review is rarely if ever strictly required for a particular opportunity. It's more like certain jobs are only going to be available to a certain percentage of a class, most of whom may be on LR, and LR also gives you a bump as a resume line. But if you were in the top 5% at Columbia, say, but didn't do Law Review for some reason, you could probably still get all the jobs you mentioned (maybe academia excepted).

[Blindmelon]

Law Review is rarely if ever strictly required for a particular opportunity. It's more like certain jobs are only going to be available to a certain percentage of a class, most of whom may be on LR, and LR also gives you a bump as a resume line. But if you were in the top 5% at Columbia, say, but didn't do Law Review for some reason, you could probably still get all the jobs you mentioned (maybe academia excepted).

Neither are specific grades required for anything. The total mix is what matters.

[zomginternets]

Generally the higher the school's rank (and the higher your class rank therein), the less important LR becomes. As the above poster pointed out, once you are top 5% at Columbia, very very few doors are closed to you because you didn't have LR.

[Anonymous User]

(maybe academia excepted).

LR isn't really required for academia. The big boxes you have to check are a T14 (and really, preferably, HSY), a COA clerkship, honors designation if the school has it, and 2+ post-law school publications. You can substitute a PhD for one of the first two of those, or a corporate-based field for the COA clerkship.

[englawyer]

Generally the higher the school's rank (and the higher your class rank therein), the less important LR becomes. As the above poster pointed out, once you are top 5% at Columbia, very very few doors are closed to you because you didn't have LR.

TBF, i think harvard law review is still important. it just slides the prestige downhill. HLR = good chance at CoA clerkship and/or elite boutiques, which means the merely good students (top 30% or whatev no law review) in turn can get V10 and/or district clerkship etc. and the mediocre/lower students can get generic biglaw.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Generally the higher the school's rank (and the higher your class rank therein), the less important LR becomes. As the above poster pointed out, once you are top 5% at Columbia, very very few doors are closed to you because you didn't have LR.

TBF, i think harvard law review is still important. it just slides the prestige downhill. HLR = good chance at CoA clerkship and/or elite boutiques, which means the merely good students (top 30% or whatev no law review) in turn can get V10 and/or district clerkship etc. and the mediocre/lower students can get generic biglaw.

But do you think it's Law Review per se that opens those doors, or is it primarily doing well enough to get on Harvard Law Review that is doing the work? I think it's the latter.

[bk1]

Moved to appropriate forum.

[Blindmelon]

Generally the higher the school's rank (and the higher your class rank therein), the less important LR becomes. As the above poster pointed out, once you are top 5% at Columbia, very very few doors are closed to you because you didn't have LR.

TBF, i think harvard law review is still important. it just slides the prestige downhill. HLR = good chance at CoA clerkship and/or elite boutiques, which means the merely good students (top 30% or whatev no law review) in turn can get V10 and/or district clerkship etc. and the mediocre/lower students can get generic biglaw.

But do you think it's Law Review per se that opens those doors, or is it primarily doing well enough to get on Harvard Law Review that is doing the work? I think it's the latter.

LR also signals that you are a good writer. I believe H is write on only (am I wrong?), but if so, it shows that you beat your classmates in a writing competition. If you didn't get on LR, no big deal, but there is no doubt that its a big accomplishment and will do a lot in job applications, etc.

[englawyer]

Generally the higher the school's rank (and the higher your class rank therein), the less important LR becomes. As the above poster pointed out, once you are top 5% at Columbia, very very few doors are closed to you because you didn't have LR.

TBF, i think harvard law review is still important. it just slides the prestige downhill. HLR = good chance at CoA clerkship and/or elite boutiques, which means the merely good students (top 30% or whatev no law review) in turn can get V10 and/or district clerkship etc. and the mediocre/lower students can get generic biglaw.

But do you think it's Law Review per se that opens those doors, or is it primarily doing well enough to get on Harvard Law Review that is doing the work? I think it's the latter.

LR also signals that you are a good writer. I believe H is write on only (am I wrong?), but if so, it shows that you beat your classmates in a writing competition. If you didn't get on LR, no big deal, but there is no doubt that its a big accomplishment and will do a lot in job applications, etc.

+1. Two people per section (out of 80!) grade on (technically, 1/2 grade 1/2 write but the write standard is apparently only good faith effort). The chance of doing that is fairly slim. While there is probably a correlation between LR and good grades it is not 1:1. And it does seem like a credential with independent value.