chicoalto0649 wrote:--ImageRemoved--
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1 ... ummer_Jobs
Paging OperaSoprano- come cheer us up!
Last fall, in the weeks leading up to the interviews, the students say, they began to get a "sense of impending doom," as Brian puts it. Every day, it seemed, they got e-mails from Fordham saying this firm wasn't coming or that firm would be hiring only a handful of students. An atmosphere of desperation developed. "It's like, 'I'll babysit your kids, I'll pick up your laundry, whatever it takes, just give me a job,' " says Brian.
That "whatever it takes" attitude turned a position known as the "morning greeter" -- a student who literally greets the interviewer on his way into the building and walks him to his interviewing seat -- into a coveted spot. "It's the most ridiculous job. In past years, no one wanted to do it," says Brian. This year, there was a waiting list for the spots. Brian pauses, throws back some more of his drink, then continues, "But this year it was a chance to get more face time with a live person from a firm. Supposedly some of the greeters got interviews."
Hi guys! (that dog is the cutest, btw.) My dad was visiting this weekend, so I haven't been on TLS. It is absolutely true that the class of 2011 (the people surveyed in that article) suffered a lot. They were the first class to do OCI after the economy went south (the '08 EIW happened on the cusp of the recession, just before people knew how bad it was going to get, but by the next summer, it was common knowledge.) The good news is that only a tiny percentage of firms have anyone deferred past 2011. This means that when hiring really picks up, the class of 2013 will probably be where firms go to collect people. We don't know how substantially hiring will be up, but the consensus from current associates seems to be that things are moving again already. (Someone told me that recruiters had started calling, which they hadn't done for a while.)
My family is encouraging me to stay part time because of the economy, which is something I hadn't originally planned to do. We have records going back some time at our CPC office, and a return to pre-bubble hiring (IE, say, 2004 numbers) would still see Fordham placing at least top third in large firm jobs. Even ITE, the school has a really impressive number of employers coming to 2010 EIW. I just received all my OCI materials and have been looking them over. I don't want to tell you things were great for the class of 2011 (they weren't), but reading over our historical data, I am impressed with Fordham's placement strength in years past. Biglaw shed thousands of associate positions, and when the work comes back (we are tied to the health of Wall Street in that regard), if the past is any guide at all, firms will be back for more Fordham students.
I would bet on 2013 (next summer's OCI) seeing significant increases, but this is just based on my personal research. I encourage everyone to get out and talk to practicing lawyers, and see what they predict about increased hiring, and when we will see it. There are certain firms that have always loved Fordham students, and you'll be able to see how many offers they extended from year to year if you enroll here and sign up for OCI. It's fascinating information, and it gives me data points to think about. I remain cautiously hopeful. The death of biglaw has been predicted many times, but it has not yet come to pass.
