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Does anyone have information / data about Columbia's biglaw placement in DC? I saw on LST that around 7% of grads end up in DC but I wonder how much of that is self-selection?

Basically I ONLY want DC biglaw for personal/family reasons and would target DC firms exclusively. Since I'm 0L I don't know how I'll perform so, assuming I'm around median and am an average interviewer, can I reasonably expect to find an SA and eventually land Biglaw in DC?

I got a Hamilton and am patent bar eligible if that makes a difference (dunno if the faculty mentorship that comes with a Hamilton helps with job placement).

Also I didn't apply to UVA/GULC and wouldn't at this point considering the Hamilton, in case anyone was inclined to suggest that.

D.C. is grades-selective for CCN students. There is still a reasonable chance if you are median - it's far from impossible - but generally the feeling is that you should be comfortably above median after 1L to be able to reliably land D.C. BigLaw at 2L OCI. Median students would be very ill-advised to target solely D.C. at OCI - that could easily lead to a strikeout outcome.

Of course, if you don't land D.C. at 2L OCI, there is always the possibility of lateraling (or changing offices within your firm) after a few years. So it's not a permanent lockout. But the answer to your question - can you guarantee D.C. BigLaw at 2L OCI from median - is no.

(D.C. in general isn't particularly strong for IP - IP is concentrated in NorCal and NYC. I guess you might be more competitive if you honed in on patent litigation practices in D.C., but I still wouldn't go so far as to guarantee success. The Hamilton won't move the needle at all at 2L OCI.)

So I guess the obvious follow-up is, what kind of GPA / how far above median should one be at CLS to be reasonably confident for DC? Does anything change if I target Baltimore as well? I just really need to be in that geographic area. If anyone from CLS has anecdotal experience with DC hiring I'd love to hear your input!

uncoverelearning wrote:So I guess the obvious follow-up is, what kind of GPA / how far above median should one be at CLS to be reasonably confident for DC? Does anything change if I target Baltimore as well? I just really need to be in that geographic area. If anyone from CLS has anecdotal experience with DC hiring I'd love to hear your input!

If you want to guarantee D.C., you need YS. Short of that, there's no guaranteeing D.C. from any school.

From Columbia, you'd want Stone honors to feel secure about D.C. That's generally thought to be slightly looser than top third, although the school doesn't publish an exact percentile. You'd want a similar percentile from NYU. Chicago may be slightly easier because of its funky grading system (and also Chicago students are relatively rarer, as many want to stay in the Midwest).

I'm not aware of a high-end legal market in Baltimore.

Bottom line is that DC is a competitive market that is impossible to guarantee. If you know you want to work there, you should work hard at making connections and applying for jobs yourself outside of OCI. No one should simply rely on OCI but you have more pressure.

Your grades are crucial but you can help yourself by being pro active in your job hustle.

My better advice is you may need to expand the locations in which you are willing to live and practice.