Lower T-14 Median GPA Bid List Critique Forum

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Anonymous User
Posts: 428105
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Lower T-14 Median GPA Bid List Critique

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jun 16, 2022 2:54 pm

Thanks in a advance for the help; not really sure how aggressive to be/where to put safeties so its kind of a mishmash; have more bids on some niche markets but worried the general order of the NY/DC
Mostly looking corporate; some lit in DC:

1. DPW (NY)
2. Kirkland (NY)
3. Fried Frank (DC)
4. Sidley (NY)
5. Hogan (DC)
6. Weil (DC)
7. Wilson Sonsini (DC)
8. Skadden (DC)
9. Kirkland (DC)
10. Morgan Lewis (NY)
11. Wilkie (NY)
12 Shearman (NY)
13. Jones Day (NY)
14. MOFO (NY)
15. Crowell (DC)
16. Baker Botts (DC)
17. Latham (NY)
18. Cleary (NY)
19. Weil (NY)
20. White and Case (NY)
21. Milbank (NY)
22. Goodwin (NY)
22. Freshfields (NY)
23. Dechert (NY)
24. Paul Hastings (NY)
25. Proskauer (NY)
26. McDermott (NY)
27. Allen and Overy (NY)
28. A&P (NY)
29. DLA Piper (DC)
30. Clifford Chance (DC)
30. Cadwalader (NY)
31. Axinn (DC)
32. Venable (DC)
33. Winston and Strawn (NY)

Anonymous User
Posts: 428105
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Lower T-14 Median GPA Bid List Critique

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jun 16, 2022 3:51 pm

This is VERY aggressive and you should definitely have some Biglaw 'softs'--Veteran, URM, connections to back this bid list.

I was median at OCI and then got up to Top 20-ish percent from a lower T14 by graduation. I am going to a V10, but only because of 3L hiring.

Biggest move is Clifford Chance up in your DC rankings. They, in DC, hire around the median mark from T14. They have some cool international work their corporate team does and I have a couple friends that like the firm.

I bolded the ones that I think you have a hard time justifying having so high. OCI is NOT the time to put your wish-list firms towards the top. Put the firms that take from your GPA range so you aren't wasting bids.

The time to swing for the fences is pre-OCI and post-OCI. Not at OCI. Your goal at OCI is to get a market paying gig in the market that you want, in a practice area that you want. Then you layer on prestige (if your GPA can support) and niche practice group (if your resume/GPA can support).

This is advice learned through experience. I had a funky transcript because I was in a practicum (due to COVID and not wanting to take doctrinals remotely) that decided to not give out grades. So I went in with 1L grades and one median (B+) grade. My gpa was at Median at OCI. I interviewed really well but any Vault 20 firm in DC is gonna have Top Third/Law Review/Moot Court cutoffs.

If you want DC, you gotta go for the V30 and below firms. Not that says anything about them, they all pay market. DC is just a tough market. Also, eww to Kirkland. I don't care they are ranked so high. That firm seems so overleveraged and bloated after the hiring spree.

I bolded things you should drop below 15.
I bolded and underlined ones you should keep, but realize those are your long shots.
I italicized ones you should bring to the top.

1. DPW (NY)
2. Kirkland (NY)
3. Fried Frank (DC)
4. Sidley (NY)
5. Hogan (DC)
6. Weil (DC)
7. Wilson Sonsini (DC)
8. Skadden (DC)
9. Kirkland (DC)
10. Morgan Lewis (NY)
11. Wilkie (NY)
12 Shearman (NY)
13. Jones Day (NY)
14. MOFO (NY)
15. Crowell (DC)
16. Baker Botts (DC)

17. Latham (NY)
18. Cleary (NY)
19. Weil (NY)
20. White and Case (NY)
21. Milbank (NY)
22. Goodwin (NY)
22. Freshfields (NY)
23. Dechert (NY)
24. Paul Hastings (NY)
25. Proskauer (NY)
26. McDermott (NY)
27. Allen and Overy (NY)
28. A&P (NY)
29. DLA Piper (DC)
30. Clifford Chance (DC)
30. Cadwalader (NY)
31. Axinn (DC)
32. Venable (DC)
33. Winston and Strawn (NY)

Anonymous User
Posts: 428105
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Lower T-14 Median GPA Bid List Critique

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jun 16, 2022 6:42 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 3:51 pm
This is VERY aggressive and you should definitely have some Biglaw 'softs'--Veteran, URM, connections to back this bid list.

I was median at OCI and then got up to Top 20-ish percent from a lower T14 by graduation. I am going to a V10, but only because of 3L hiring.

Biggest move is Clifford Chance up in your DC rankings. They, in DC, hire around the median mark from T14. They have some cool international work their corporate team does and I have a couple friends that like the firm.

I bolded the ones that I think you have a hard time justifying having so high. OCI is NOT the time to put your wish-list firms towards the top. Put the firms that take from your GPA range so you aren't wasting bids.

The time to swing for the fences is pre-OCI and post-OCI. Not at OCI. Your goal at OCI is to get a market paying gig in the market that you want, in a practice area that you want. Then you layer on prestige (if your GPA can support) and niche practice group (if your resume/GPA can support).

This is advice learned through experience. I had a funky transcript because I was in a practicum (due to COVID and not wanting to take doctrinals remotely) that decided to not give out grades. So I went in with 1L grades and one median (B+) grade. My gpa was at Median at OCI. I interviewed really well but any Vault 20 firm in DC is gonna have Top Third/Law Review/Moot Court cutoffs.

If you want DC, you gotta go for the V30 and below firms. Not that says anything about them, they all pay market. DC is just a tough market. Also, eww to Kirkland. I don't care they are ranked so high. That firm seems so overleveraged and bloated after the hiring spree.

I bolded things you should drop below 15.
I bolded and underlined ones you should keep, but realize those are your long shots.
I italicized ones you should bring to the top.

1. DPW (NY)
2. Kirkland (NY)
3. Fried Frank (DC)
4. Sidley (NY)
5. Hogan (DC)
6. Weil (DC)
7. Wilson Sonsini (DC)
8. Skadden (DC)
9. Kirkland (DC)
10. Morgan Lewis (NY)
11. Wilkie (NY)
12 Shearman (NY)
13. Jones Day (NY)
14. MOFO (NY)
15. Crowell (DC)
16. Baker Botts (DC)

17. Latham (NY)
18. Cleary (NY)
19. Weil (NY)
20. White and Case (NY)
21. Milbank (NY)
22. Goodwin (NY)
22. Freshfields (NY)
23. Dechert (NY)
24. Paul Hastings (NY)
25. Proskauer (NY)
26. McDermott (NY)
27. Allen and Overy (NY)
28. A&P (NY)
29. DLA Piper (DC)
30. Clifford Chance (DC)
30. Cadwalader (NY)
31. Axinn (DC)
32. Venable (DC)
33. Winston and Strawn (NY)
Thank you for the detailed response. That was really helpful. Part of the reason I was more aggressive is that I feel somewhat confident on my niche bids but I definitely was not aiming to be very aggressive. Why the drop on Sidley (NY)? It does not seem to be all that selective.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428105
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Lower T-14 Median GPA Bid List Critique

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jun 18, 2022 12:56 pm

This is an incredibly aggressive list for median grades. I would add some lower V100 firms that are known for lower GPA requirements just as a safety. Personally, I bid very conservatively to ensure that I actually landed big law. Schulte, Greenberg, Goodwin, Morgan Lewis, etc. come to mind.

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