Bummed out

[Miss P]

Miss P will cheer you up, PJH!    

Yes, because I'm just all smiles these days.

Our OCS said that everyone should find something.  What about an RA position?  That's my contingency plan.

Everyone will find something, I promise.  An RA position is a good idea for someone with your interests (and skills! .  For someone who wants to do legal services, getting into a law office of any sort is a better idea.  (These organizations expect 2Ls to be able to hit the ground running, so having some knowledge of how the court system works or how to handle clients is pretty important.)

[goaliechica]

I want to chime in and agree that even if this year is worse than last year, it is still really early for most of the public interest and government volunteer jobs. I definitely didn't hear back from almost anyone last year until late January/early February, but then there was a flurry of activity. I think no one really thinks about hiring interns during the holidays. I'm sure Miss P had better info, but seriously, everyone will find some kind of 1L job if you are diligent about looking.

[chevelle]

Hey...I am pretty bummed out too.

I am near the top 10% at a T2 (for now, I have not gotten my grades from last semester yet, and I'm sure I bombed something) and I am on the editorial board of law review. I have sent out lots of stuff, only to get rejections. I have had two interviews. One was in September through my school's OCI and I got the rejection letter around Thanksgiving. The other interview was mostly an informational interview, as the firm had no open positions. Other than that, I haven't even gotten any interviews.

I just want to work at a small to mid-size firm. Maybe many of them in my area have not started hiring, I don't know.

I am just really depressed about everything.

[TTom]

Hey...I am pretty bummed out too.

I am near the top 10% at a T2 (for now, I have not gotten my grades from last semester yet, and I'm sure I bombed something) and I am on the editorial board of law review. I have sent out lots of stuff, only to get rejections. I have had two interviews. One was in September through my school's OCI and I got the rejection letter around Thanksgiving. The other interview was mostly an informational interview, as the firm had no open positions. Other than that, I haven't even gotten any interviews.

I just want to work at a small to mid-size firm. Maybe many of them in my area have not started hiring, I don't know.

I am just really depressed about everything.

Sorry to hear about the job hunt. What have you been doing? Have you been sending out mass mailers or more target specific cover letters?

Good luck

[chevelle]

Sorry to hear about the job hunt. What have you been doing? Have you been sending out mass mailers or more target specific cover letters?

Good luck

I have done both. I sent out mass mailers to some, and some very specific cover letters to IP firms (I have a bachelors and a masters in neurobiology). I also contacted a professor I had for patent law, who told me he was hopeful a big firm was going to contact me about an interview, but the firm never called me.

My school recommends randomly emailing partners at law firms asking for advice on getting into the field (as a way to get an "in" with the firm). I also tried that, and using a letter approved by the career services office, was ignored by every person I emailed.

My school's career services website has nothing listed on it but internship positions for Spring 2009. I have no idea what to do at this point.

[TTom]

Chevelle,

I'm really surprised that you only got two OCI interviews. How many firms came to your school? Can you sit for the patent bar with your degree?

Hang in there. With those grades and that experience, I'm sure something will open up. Although it might be at a much smaller firm than you'd like and not in patent law. Still, firm experience is probably critical at this point if that's where you want to be upon graduation. I'd avoid public interest like the plague unless you absolutely must. Firms are weird about it. If they see it on your resume they'll assume that that's what you really want to do and that you're not cut out for firm life.   

[Miss P]

Chevelle,

I'm really surprised that you only got two OCI interviews. How many firms came to your school? Can you sit for the patent bar with your degree?

Hang in there. With those grades and that experience, I'm sure something will open up. Although it might be at a much smaller firm than you'd like and not in patent law. Still, firm experience is probably critical at this point if that's where you want to be upon graduation. I'd avoid public interest like the plague unless you absolutely must. Firms are weird about it. If they see it on your resume they'll assume that that's what you really want to do and that you're not cut out for firm life.   

I think you're wrong about this.  I'm pretty sure Chevelle is a 3L looking for post-grad jobs.  If she wasn't planning on going into public interest work, she likely has private sector work all over her resume.  And most firms like people with some PI experience. 

ETA: Good luck, Chevelle!  You have a very impressive record.

[chevelle]

Chevelle,

I'm really surprised that you only got two OCI interviews. How many firms came to your school? Can you sit for the patent bar with your degree?

Hang in there. With those grades and that experience, I'm sure something will open up. Although it might be at a much smaller firm than you'd like and not in patent law. Still, firm experience is probably critical at this point if that's where you want to be upon graduation. I'd avoid public interest like the plague unless you absolutely must. Firms are weird about it. If they see it on your resume they'll assume that that's what you really want to do and that you're not cut out for firm life.   

I am a 3L...my school is terrible with OCI for 3Ls and hardly any firms interview 3Ls. I (stupidly) chose not to participate in OCI my 2L year; I do not want to work in a big law firm in NYC, but rather want to work in a small or mid-size firm in the area, and I was lead to believe I would have no problem securing a job such as this. So it was strongly suggested that I refrain from taking interviews from people who really wanted the big firm job.

I can sit for the patent bar...I've enjoyed the IP classes I've taken, but I'm not set on it. I would take anything at this point. I only have private sector experience .... the summer after my 1L year, I worked for a small (7 attorney)firm, this summer I worked for a well-regarded mid-size firm that did a lot of labor/employment stuff. I would love to work for them, but the partner I worked for said that they are not hiring any new associates right now. I mean, that could change, but who knows.

ETA: Good luck, Chevelle!  You have a very impressive record.

Thank you

[Miss P]

Everyone will find something, I promise. 

This is, flat out, not true.  If by "something" you mean non-law jobs or study abroad, maybe. But there are plenty of people who will be sitting by the pool this summer because they did not get a job.  If your career services office is telling you that, I hope you're at Yale.

I don't know a single person at my TTT who was unemployed first summer except one person who did study abroad.  Everyone who applied for unpaid internships, including some really socially awkward people without demonstrable skills, got something.  Perhaps this is the advantage of being in New York; the statement may be unrealistic elsewhere, and I apologize if that's so.  I'm surprised that people in your law school had trouble finding legal jobs for the summer, though.

An RA position is a good idea for someone with your interests (and skills! Smiley).

Check out the resumes of law profs. A lot of them spend at least a summer or two in biglaw, and many spend a year or two in biglaw. RA position is a fallback, and firms know it. Firms also know that top schools will invent RA positions as-needed to help 1Ls have *something* on their resume. I know some former RAs that are sitting pretty now, but the people I know who are still unemployed were RAs last summer, studied abroad, or did nothing at all legal related (state legislature type gigs, part-time work in their old industry, sat by the pool, etc.). For someone who is "get high grades at all costs," I am shocked that you didn't invest more into the job hunt process.

RA position is great for building faculty relationships, but it is something that can be done during the year. Get an actual job this summer if you can. 

Wally said that he was looking at RA positions and recommended it to PJH.  In my pollyannaish way, I told him that it was a better fit for him than for her -- as a fallback plan.  He knows it's a fallback, which is why he described it as such.  I certainly have advised him against treating it as a primary option before.

[TTom]

Chevelle,

I'm really surprised that you only got two OCI interviews. How many firms came to your school? Can you sit for the patent bar with your degree?

Hang in there. With those grades and that experience, I'm sure something will open up. Although it might be at a much smaller firm than you'd like and not in patent law. Still, firm experience is probably critical at this point if that's where you want to be upon graduation. I'd avoid public interest like the plague unless you absolutely must. Firms are weird about it. If they see it on your resume they'll assume that that's what you really want to do and that you're not cut out for firm life.   

I think you're wrong about this.  I'm pretty sure Chevelle is a 3L looking for post-grad jobs.  If she wasn't planning on going into public interest work, she likely has private sector work all over her resume.  And most firms like people with some PI experience. 

ETA: Good luck, Chevelle!  You have a very impressive record.

I didn't realize she was a 3L. Still, I stand by my statement that public interest is not a good idea if Chevelle wants to do patent law. It's just not a step in the right direction. The idea that a firm is going to hire Chevelle to do patent law after doing a year or two of public interest is wishful thinking.