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When I applied to law school (this cycle), I realized that I have jack shit to put on a resume outside of school and WE. I worked full time for about a decade, but I didn't join student groups in school, because I was working, and I didn't volunteer anywhere. I know enough to know that I'll be shooting for law review when write-on comes, but I'm not really sure what I should be doing other than that. Looking forward, I have three years to build the perfect resume, and less than that before looking for 1L/2L summer work.

What kind of shit will help me get a job besides grades and LR?

Are you going to a school where 1Ls can do some kind of journal work? If so, that's one possibility.

Resume padding is unlikely to do you a ton of good. My suggestion is to take on internships and network, but make sure that grades are your #1 priority for 1L.

GertrudePerkins wrote:Are you going to a school where 1Ls can do some kind of journal work? If so, that's one possibility.

Yeah, there are multiple journals in addition to Law Review. I'm more wondering if I need to do some kind of volunteer work to demonstrate a commitment to serving the community. or whatever.

I resolved myself 1L to give absolutely nothing back to the community.

There are also plenty of pro bono opportunities even for 1Ls (in my experience). Having my own clients/cases has been really fun/rewarding/challenging in turns and was also great to talk about with potential employers.

bk187 wrote:Resume padding is unlikely to do you a ton of good. My suggestion is to take on internships and network, but make sure that grades are your #1 priority for 1L.

The reason I'm concerned is because Notre Dame said I got waitlisted at least in part because I showed no interest in service to the community. Granted, they're Catholic, but I don't want to have some hole in my resume that bites me in the ass come OCI.

MarkinKansasCity wrote:The reason I'm concerned is because Notre Dame said I got waitlisted at least in part because I showed no interest in service to the community. Granted, they're Catholic, but I don't want to have some hole in my resume that bites me in the ass come OCI.

Non-PI employers aren't going to give a shit.

bk187 wrote:

MarkinKansasCity wrote:The reason I'm concerned is because Notre Dame said I got waitlisted at least in part because I showed no interest in service to the community. Granted, they're Catholic, but I don't want to have some hole in my resume that bites me in the ass come OCI.

Non-PI employers aren't going to give a shit.

True, but I would be worried if your resume was too bare, simply because you want to seem interesting and have something to talk about. It's easy enough to get involved in a group or two on campus and/or do some volunteer work that requires minimal commitment.

Is it credited that good grades 1L + being proactive about jobs will be enough for 1L / 2L SA?

Samara wrote:

bk187 wrote:

MarkinKansasCity wrote:The reason I'm concerned is because Notre Dame said I got waitlisted at least in part because I showed no interest in service to the community. Granted, they're Catholic, but I don't want to have some hole in my resume that bites me in the ass come OCI.

Non-PI employers aren't going to give a shit.

True, but I would be worried if your resume was too bare, simply because you want to seem interesting and have something to talk about. It's easy enough to get involved in a group or two on campus and/or do some volunteer work that requires minimal commitment.

Agreed. Imo it just helps to have something to talk about that is law-related, and that plays in more than the "I'm a good world citizen" factor.

Samara wrote:

bk187 wrote:

MarkinKansasCity wrote:The reason I'm concerned is because Notre Dame said I got waitlisted at least in part because I showed no interest in service to the community. Granted, they're Catholic, but I don't want to have some hole in my resume that bites me in the ass come OCI.

Non-PI employers aren't going to give a shit.

True, but I would be worried if your resume was too bare, simply because you want to seem interesting and have something to talk about. It's easy enough to get involved in a group or two on campus and/or do some volunteer work that requires minimal commitment.

But OP worked full-time for 10 years. Doesn't that count as enough stuff to talk about? (I went to law school after working for a long time and all interviewers ever asked me about was my previous WE and my LS experience.)

A. Nony Mouse wrote:

Samara wrote:

bk187 wrote:

MarkinKansasCity wrote:The reason I'm concerned is because Notre Dame said I got waitlisted at least in part because I showed no interest in service to the community. Granted, they're Catholic, but I don't want to have some hole in my resume that bites me in the ass come OCI.

Non-PI employers aren't going to give a shit.

True, but I would be worried if your resume was too bare, simply because you want to seem interesting and have something to talk about. It's easy enough to get involved in a group or two on campus and/or do some volunteer work that requires minimal commitment.

But OP worked full-time for 10 years. Doesn't that count as enough stuff to talk about? (I went to law school after working for a long time and all interviewers ever asked me about was my previous WE and my LS experience.)

Whoops, I missed that. If it was interesting work, I'd say OP is fine.

imjustjoking22 wrote: Whoops, I missed that. If it was interesting work, I'd say OP is fine.

Carpenter (framed houses) for 8 years, project manager for a couple more.

MarkinKansasCity wrote:

imjustjoking22 wrote: Whoops, I missed that. If it was interesting work, I'd say OP is fine.

Carpenter (framed houses) for 8 years, project manager for a couple more.

It's not likely to be a make or break factor at all, but since your previous work is not law-related, I think it would be helpful to have some sort of extra-curricular.

Anecdote: I did some very easy, low-commitment legal volunteering with a fairly well-known organization in town. It has come up with more than one firm because they are pro bono partners with that organization. It gives you something easily relatable to talk about and they know it's quality work.

Samara wrote:

MarkinKansasCity wrote:

imjustjoking22 wrote: Whoops, I missed that. If it was interesting work, I'd say OP is fine.

Carpenter (framed houses) for 8 years, project manager for a couple more.

It's not likely to be a make or break factor at all, but since your previous work is not law-related, I think it would be helpful to have some sort of extra-curricular.

Anecdote: I did some very easy, low-commitment legal volunteering with a fairly well-known organization in town. It has come up with more than one firm because they are pro bono partners with that organization. It gives you something easily relatable to talk about and they know it's quality work.

Agree & ditto.

MarkinKansasCity wrote:

GertrudePerkins wrote:Are you going to a school where 1Ls can do some kind of journal work? If so, that's one possibility.

Yeah, there are multiple journals in addition to Law Review. I'm more wondering if I need to do some kind of volunteer work to demonstrate a commitment to serving the community. or whatever.

Just to clarify (though you may already know this): At most law schools, you won't be on law review until 2L year (the write on happens at the end of spring semester 1L year). Some law school journals allow 1L members for their spring semester. Thus, if there are journals like that, that's an option.

But to answer the OP: It doesn't matter. You don't need volunteer work if your goal is to work at a firm. Your focus should be grades.

Samara wrote:It's not likely to be a make or break factor at all, but since your previous work is not law-related, I think it would be helpful to have some sort of extra-curricular.

Honestly, I don't think it's necessary. I and a number of people I know who went to LS after working had no legal experience and it wasn't an issue. Grades are more important. And I think there are quite a lot of ways to spin construction work into an interesting background for law. If you're looking for ways to improve your job prospects, joining the local bar association and going to events/CLEs is probably way more useful than law school clubs and the like.

(I mean, if there are organizations at school that you're interested in, join away - it's not going to hurt or anything. At my school, one of the few extracurriculars [besides clubs] open to 1Ls was mock trial and some places do 1L moot court competitions, and that kind of stuff is fun and can be useful experience. But they're probably not necessary.)

A. Nony Mouse wrote:

Samara wrote:It's not likely to be a make or break factor at all, but since your previous work is not law-related, I think it would be helpful to have some sort of extra-curricular.

Honestly, I don't think it's necessary. I and a number of people I know who went to LS after working had no legal experience and it wasn't an issue. Grades are more important. And I think there are quite a lot of ways to spin construction work into an interesting background for law. If you're looking for ways to improve your job prospects, joining the local bar association and going to events/CLEs is probably way more useful than law school clubs and the like.

(I mean, if there are organizations at school that you're interested in, join away - it's not going to hurt or anything. At my school, one of the few extracurriculars [besides clubs] open to 1Ls was mock trial and some places do 1L moot court competitions, and that kind of stuff is fun and can be useful experience. But they're probably not necessary.)

Definitely agree on the bolded. And I agree extra-curriculars are not necessary, but IMO it's worth the minimal investment. There's only so much work you can do on grades.

MarkinKansasCity wrote:

imjustjoking22 wrote: Whoops, I missed that. If it was interesting work, I'd say OP is fine.

Carpenter (framed houses) for 8 years, project manager for a couple more.

BOOTSTRAPS.
















FUCK WELFARE.

I appreciate all of the input here. I'll be taking it into consideration when I start in the fall. I'll probably do some pro-bono stuff just to get some hands-on experience, in addition to a journal and LR write-on. (I know you don't do LR until 2L)