Getting back south with ties Forum

[wert3813]

How difficult will it be for someone from HYS to get back to the south if they grew up in small town AL/MS/AR, went to an SEC school for UG AND want end up in Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Charlotte, etc.?

I'm not from any of these cities technically so I'm wondering how strong of an argument, "I'm from the South, want to live in the South, just not podunk where I grew up." is.

Thoughts?

[rad lulz]

Easiest to get will probably be Dallas/Houston/ATL

Hardest definitely Nashville/Memphis

Don't know anything about the other places

[wert3813]

PM'ed. Thanks.

[badaboom61]

How difficult will it be for someone from HYS to get back to the south if they grew up in small town AL/MS/AR, went to an SEC school for UG AND want end up in Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Charlotte, etc.?

I'm not from any of these cities technically so I'm wondering how strong of an argument, "I'm from the South, want to live in the South, just not podunk where I grew up." is.

Thoughts?

Also grew up in podunk. I went to T6 rather than HYS, but I had terrible luck with the "Want to be in the south but didn't grow up in X city / state" argument. Totally shut out of Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta. Couldn't even get interviews. I had more promise in the more local markets that I could tell a more convincing story about, but the firms are so small / competitive / parochial no one ended up biting. The people who get those jobs are usually top 5% at local state U, rather than people with solid grades from national schools.

In terms of safest career path, your best bet is to go to a top school, practice for a few years in a large market like NY or DC, then lateral back to a southern firm after the time pressure is off and you have a little more flexibility. The southern markets are so insular (Texas) and/or in such shambles (Atlanta) that it's not worth assuming you'll be able to get a job there as a 2L summer.

[wert3813]

How difficult will it be for someone from HYS to get back to the south if they grew up in small town AL/MS/AR, went to an SEC school for UG AND want end up in Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Charlotte, etc.?

I'm not from any of these cities technically so I'm wondering how strong of an argument, "I'm from the South, want to live in the South, just not podunk where I grew up." is.

Thoughts?

Also grew up in podunk. I went to T6 rather than HYS, but I had terrible luck with the "Want to be in the south but didn't grow up in X city / state" argument. Totally shut out of Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta. Couldn't even get interviews. I had more promise in the more local markets that I could tell a more convincing story about, but the firms are so small / competitive / parochial no one ended up biting. The people who get those jobs are usually top 5% at local state U, rather than people with solid grades from national schools.

In terms of safest career path, your best bet is to go to a top school, practice for a few years in a large market like NY or DC, then lateral back to a southern firm after the time pressure is off and you have a little more flexibility. The southern markets are so insular (Texas) and/or in such shambles (Atlanta) that it's not worth assuming you'll be able to get a job there as a 2L summer.

More of this please. Where did you end up good sir or ma'am?

[Person1111]

I know some people at HLS who got jobs in all Nashville/Birmingham/ATL with a similar background (grew up and went to college in the South, then applied to a different city in the South) and varying (generally neither bad nor outstanding) grades. Not saying it's easy but it definitely happens.

[de5igual]

Texas isn't that insular, but they'd definitely prefer a southerner over a northerner. That said, there will be more than enough born-and-bred Texans at HYS/T6/whatever vying for those Houston/Dallas spots that you'll need to come up with something more convincing and substantive than "I'm a southerner and want to be in the south."

[Person1111]

Don't think this is really true at HYS. I know plenty of Northerners who got Texas jobs with no ties at HLS, for instance, and don't know anyone who wanted a job in Texas who couldn't get one. My impression is that it's probably the easiest market outside of NYC to crack (certainly easier than Chicago, LA, Bay Area, DC, or most desirable secondary markets).

ATL/Nashville/Birmingham/Charlotte/etc. may be another story.

[utlaw2007]

How difficult will it be for someone from HYS to get back to the south if they grew up in small town AL/MS/AR, went to an SEC school for UG AND want end up in Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Charlotte, etc.?

I'm not from any of these cities technically so I'm wondering how strong of an argument, "I'm from the South, want to live in the South, just not podunk where I grew up." is.

Thoughts?

The larger the biglaw firm in Texas, the more they are not going to care. You have to remember that there are not that many Texas biglaw firms that are as large as many of the firms based out of New York or Chicago. And so they don't really give a great look to someone without Texas ties.

I do know that your argument that relies on you being born in the south, but not Texas, will have absolutely no merit with any Texas law firm. If you get hired by one, it's likely that that firm would have hired someone from HYS who was from Maine, as well.

[utlaw2007]

The bigger Texas biglaw firms are not at all insular. But the smaller Texas biglaw firms and the smaller non biglaw firms are very insular.

[utlaw2007]

Among the Texas firms that do care about ties, they care about TEXAS ties. Southern ties won't do. Texas is a very prideful state. We don't care to be aligned with the rest of the south. We can stand on our own and prefer to do so. At least, that's how Texas as a state thinks. I have lived here all of my life. This is the mindset.

[wert3813]

Among the Texas firms that do care about ties, they care about TEXAS ties. Southern ties won't do. Texas is a very prideful state. We don't care to be aligned with the rest of the south. We can stand on our own and prefer to do so. At least, that's how Texas as a state thinks. I have lived here all of my life. This is the mindset.

Yeah that was my thought. Whatever advantage I have come only from being able to relate, not from ties, with regards to Texas.