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I just visited Chicago for two weeks and fell in love with it! (I've only lived in NY and CO in the United States, and don't really have much tie anywhere anyway) To me Chicago >> NYC because
1. Less people, but still mega city
2. Cleaner
3. Much lower cost of housing

I know NYC is the market that doesn't care about tie, and other cities depend (For example, Atlanta/Dallas more, Boston/DC less). I haven't read much about Chicago in other forums. Unfortunately, I'm not going to Chicago/Northwestern, but fortunately, few Chicago firms do OCI at my future school.

Assuming I have median grade at T14 (I hope so...), how realistic is it for me without any tie to Chicago to get hired by Chicago firms (NLJ 250)? Is it pretty much like NYC or do I have to show commitment to Chicago by transferring to Chicago schools?

Chicago isn't as tie-sensitive as say Portland/Seattle, or even Boston, but it's not like New York where nobody will even ask you about your ties. I went to NU (originally from the Mid-Atlantic), and got questions from national firms based in Chicago about why I wanted to be in that market. So you need to have a compelling answer. But my impression is that, unlike say Portland or Seattle, your answer doesn't need to be "I grew up in the city and I can trace my family in the area back five generations."

Chicago definitely isn't as open as NY. More people want jobs in Chicago than get them at UChicago, NW, and Michigan. Someone coming from these schools at median shouldn't feel comfortable targeting Chicago, and coming from an outside schools with no ties, I would feel very uneasy . I'd advise targeting Chicago firms with mass mail, but I don't know if you really want to waste OCI slots.

Hmm sad thing... Thanks for the reply!

I guess I should aim for DC and then NYC then.

killer133 wrote:Hmm sad thing... Thanks for the reply!

I guess I should aim for DC and then NYC then.

DC from median is not likely. I would only bid DC very low or pick them up from add/drop. And even then I would try to make Chicago try to happen from median before DC.

I'm 0L headed to UVA this fall. I'm getting ideas, all depends on my 1L grade.

I do know a UVA soon-to-be grad who's headed to a Chicago firm, but she went to UofC undergrad.

TemporarySaint wrote:Chicago definitely isn't as open as NY. More people want jobs in Chicago than get them at UChicago, NW, and Michigan. Someone coming from these schools at median shouldn't feel comfortable targeting Chicago, and coming from an outside schools with no ties, I would feel very uneasy . I'd advise targeting Chicago firms with mass mail, but I don't know if you really want to waste OCI slots.

About jives with what they've told us at UofC. It's a somewhat risky strategy to target Chicago even at UChicago - I'd assume even riskier coming out of UVA. How many Chicago firms are coming to your OCI, out of curiosity?

Is being from the Midwest good enough ties? I.e., Kansas?

lhanvt13 wrote:Is being from the Midwest good enough ties? I.e., Kansas?

From what law school? I mean ties are not the end all be all here, it's just something that can help or hurt you, but Kansas --> Duke Law --> Chicago firms "Because wooooo midwest" is not particularly persuasive by itself.

2014 wrote:

lhanvt13 wrote:Is being from the Midwest good enough ties? I.e., Kansas?

From what law school? I mean ties are not the end all be all here, it's just something that can help or hurt you, but Kansas --> Duke Law --> Chicago firms "Because wooooo midwest" is not particularly persuasive by itself.

I see. Yeah im on the east coast so I guess I shot myself in the foot. Wonder if IP mitigates the lack of ties though.

Law school = east coast
Born and raised in KS

lhanvt13 wrote:

2014 wrote:

lhanvt13 wrote:Is being from the Midwest good enough ties? I.e., Kansas?

From what law school? I mean ties are not the end all be all here, it's just something that can help or hurt you, but Kansas --> Duke Law --> Chicago firms "Because wooooo midwest" is not particularly persuasive by itself.

I see. Yeah im on the east coast so I guess I shot myself in the foot. Wonder if IP mitigates the lack of ties though.

Law school = east coast
Born and raised in KS

Nah you didn't shoot yourself in the foot, and IP helps a lot. Too much is made on TLS about ties being some binary thing like you have them or you don't but it's all just a narrative.

Your UG + WE + Hobbies + ECs + Ties + Law School + Grades + Interviewing skills + Intangibles are all relevant when you step into that interview room and you can straight up fail one or more of those categories and still be fine if you make up for it in the others. I saw plenty of classmates have weaknesses in one or more of those areas and do fine because they sold the other ones well.

2014 wrote:

lhanvt13 wrote:

2014 wrote:

lhanvt13 wrote:Is being from the Midwest good enough ties? I.e., Kansas?

From what law school? I mean ties are not the end all be all here, it's just something that can help or hurt you, but Kansas --> Duke Law --> Chicago firms "Because wooooo midwest" is not particularly persuasive by itself.

I see. Yeah im on the east coast so I guess I shot myself in the foot. Wonder if IP mitigates the lack of ties though.

Law school = east coast
Born and raised in KS

Nah you didn't shoot yourself in the foot, and IP helps a lot. Too much is made on TLS about ties being some binary thing like you have them or you don't but it's all just a narrative.

Your UG + WE + Hobbies + ECs + Ties + Law School + Grades + Interviewing skills + Intangibles are all relevant when you step into that interview room and you can straight up fail one or more of those categories and still be fine if you make up for it in the others. I saw plenty of classmates have weaknesses in one or more of those areas and do fine because they sold the other ones well.

Ah that's encouraging haha thanks for the insight!

2014 wrote:

lhanvt13 wrote:

2014 wrote:

lhanvt13 wrote:Is being from the Midwest good enough ties? I.e., Kansas?

From what law school? I mean ties are not the end all be all here, it's just something that can help or hurt you, but Kansas --> Duke Law --> Chicago firms "Because wooooo midwest" is not particularly persuasive by itself.

I see. Yeah im on the east coast so I guess I shot myself in the foot. Wonder if IP mitigates the lack of ties though.

Law school = east coast
Born and raised in KS

Nah you didn't shoot yourself in the foot, and IP helps a lot. Too much is made on TLS about ties being some binary thing like you have them or you don't but it's all just a narrative.

Your UG + WE + Hobbies + ECs + Ties + Law School + Grades + Interviewing skills + Intangibles are all relevant when you step into that interview room and you can straight up fail one or more of those categories and still be fine if you make up for it in the others. I saw plenty of classmates have weaknesses in one or more of those areas and do fine because they sold the other ones well.

Don't forget 1L summer and term time externships.

beepboopbeep wrote:I do know a UVA soon-to-be grad who's headed to a Chicago firm, but she went to UofC undergrad.

TemporarySaint wrote:Chicago definitely isn't as open as NY. More people want jobs in Chicago than get them at UChicago, NW, and Michigan. Someone coming from these schools at median shouldn't feel comfortable targeting Chicago, and coming from an outside schools with no ties, I would feel very uneasy . I'd advise targeting Chicago firms with mass mail, but I don't know if you really want to waste OCI slots.

About jives with what they've told us at UofC. It's a somewhat risky strategy to target Chicago even at UChicago - I'd assume even riskier coming out of UVA. How many Chicago firms are coming to your OCI, out of curiosity?

I should say this doesn't mean median people at UofC or NW should just give up on Chicago, obviously people still nab Chicago from median. You just have to lean a lot more NY heavy.

Doubt they'd mind but I kinda think bow ties are tacky.

How do Notre Dame grads fare in Chicago?

lhanvt13 wrote:Is being from the Midwest good enough ties? I.e., Kansas?

KANSAS NOT MIDWEST

You felt compelled to respond to a post from a year ago?

A. Nony Mouse wrote:You felt compelled to respond to a post from a year ago?

Men a mans right he's right.

I don't know what KANSAS NOT MIDWEST means, though. If that's supposed to say KANSAS IS NOT THE MIDWEST, what the heck else is it?

(Though I agree it's probably not going to get you to Chicago.)

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I don't know what KANSAS NOT MIDWEST means, though. If that's supposed to say KANSAS IS NOT THE MIDWEST, what the heck else is it?

(Though I agree it's probably not going to get you to Chicago.)

A little place called the GREAT PLANES

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I don't know what KANSAS NOT MIDWEST means, though. If that's supposed to say KANSAS IS NOT THE MIDWEST, what the heck else is it?

(Though I agree it's probably not going to get you to Chicago.)

It's obvious you've never been to the Midwest just give up now

Myeh true. I just lumped it all together.
In the end: Transferred into a Chicago school and did not have too much trouble in Chicago despite selling litigation. Less than my friends with better Chicago ties though. Fwiw

Mack.Hambleton wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I don't know what KANSAS NOT MIDWEST means, though. If that's supposed to say KANSAS IS NOT THE MIDWEST, what the heck else is it?

(Though I agree it's probably not going to get you to Chicago.)

It's obvious you've never been to the Midwest just give up now

Lived in Minnesota for 13 years, dude. The Great Plains are part of the midwest.

A. Nony Mouse wrote:

Mack.Hambleton wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:I don't know what KANSAS NOT MIDWEST means, though. If that's supposed to say KANSAS IS NOT THE MIDWEST, what the heck else is it?

(Though I agree it's probably not going to get you to Chicago.)

It's obvious you've never been to the Midwest just give up now

Lived in Minnesota for 13 years, dude. The Great Plains are part of the midwest.

No, just no.