Top of the class and rejected by every employer?

[Stole Your Nose!]

I hate to break it to you, OP, but you're not in a top tier school. You're in a lower tier 2 school for purposes of firm rankings.  Your school is #88 out of, what, 200? That's not horrible or anything, but you should definitely be aware that there are people at 87 schools above you looking for jobs.

You are also not at the top of your class. You are near the top of your class.

You also have the 1L situation wrong. First, 1Ls don't know how to do anything particularly useful. So you are a timesuck for the firm. Second, most firms entertain you. So you cost them even more money than just sticker price. Third, even a low-paying firm may pay 2Ls $2500 and 1Ls $2200.  They'd take the 2L for $300 more who is most likely to be a good return on their investment, both in likelihood of coming back to the firm and offering at least some minimal value in the summer.  It's usually 100% pro-rated 1st year associate salary for a 2L, and 80% of that for a 1L at regional firms.  Also, you're in a market with a higher-ranked school with kids probably having a hard time finding jobs, and LSU doesn't really have national appeal for law. 

Also, employers sometimes have different rules with different on-campus interviewing.  At some, they come and say "we'll interview 10." The school picks the 10.  At some they say, "we'll take some interviews." The get submissions. They may choose none, two, or ten based on the submissions.  If they only are going to give one callback at your school, then there's no reason more than a few students.  And if there are 211 people in your class, and you're outside the top 10%, there are a lot more people they will want to look at before they get to you.

[thorc954]

I agree with Stole Your Nose.  You are not in a particularly good position to find summer employment.  You are the exact reason why so many people on this board trash non-T14 schools.  Employment prospects suck even close to the top.  I am at a top 20 and finished in the top 20% and still couldnt find a firm job my first summer.  The only friends I have that managed to find something were IP kids or the top 10 or so students, not percent, in the class.  Your only shot of really getting a firm job for your first summer would have been either having connections or being number 1 or 2 in your class.  Dont let this get you down though.  If you can get your gpa up a lot this semester, you may have a shot of pulling something during 2L OCI.  And, like some other posters said, make sure you find something for this summer so you have a spot filled on your resume.

[jacques]

Wow, thanks, Stole Your Nose, for telling me that. I wasn't sure that I had the 1L position in a firm correct, and what you've said explains even more to me, then.

I don't think, and I didn't intend to come across as such, that because my grades were good, the "offers should be rolling in." Rather, I had at least assumed that my good grades would be sufficient to pique the interest of local firms, at least enough for an interview. Coming out of Louisiana, I know I have an at-least uphill battle in leaving the state, but I've thus far only applied to local firms.

I certainly don't intend to argue the ranking of my school relative to the nation's other Law schools. I read in a paper last semester that we had been ranked "in the top tier," so I took that at its word. If either of our sources were wrong, it really doesn't matter to me right now, when I'm only looking locally.

At this point, though, I guess I'm just tired of beating my head against the wall worrying about it. And perhaps that's a large purpose of 1L Spring OCIs; to teach you to handle failure when it seemed very likely you'd succeed. There are a few firms left this semester. If it doesn't work out, I'll do something else.

[nealric]

I read in a paper last semester that we had been ranked "in the top tier"

You were. The problem is that they expanded that tier so more than 1/2 of all law schools are in it.

[Stole Your Nose!]

I mean, it doesn't matter what "tier" really (although the most common/logical definition is to break them into groups of 50, with approximately equal numbers of schools in each tier). The point is that US News puts 87 other schools ahead of yours, and all of those schools have people in the top 20%.

[TheDudeMan]

I agree with Stole Your Nose.  You are not in a particularly good position to find summer employment.  You are the exact reason why so many people on this board trash non-T14 schools.  Employment prospects suck even close to the top.  I am at a top 20 and finished in the top 20% and still couldnt find a firm job my first summer.  The only friends I have that managed to find something were IP kids or the top 10 or so students, not percent, in the class.  Your only shot of really getting a firm job for your first summer would have been either having connections or being number 1 or 2 in your class.  Dont let this get you down though.  If you can get your gpa up a lot this semester, you may have a shot of pulling something during 2L OCI.  And, like some other posters said, make sure you find something for this summer so you have a spot filled on your resume.

Thorc, you know me.... I am not either of those and I had a paid gig 1L summer....

[thorc954]

I agree with Stole Your Nose.  You are not in a particularly good position to find summer employment.  You are the exact reason why so many people on this board trash non-T14 schools.  Employment prospects suck even close to the top.  I am at a top 20 and finished in the top 20% and still couldnt find a firm job my first summer.  The only friends I have that managed to find something were IP kids or the top 10 or so students, not percent, in the class.  Your only shot of really getting a firm job for your first summer would have been either having connections or being number 1 or 2 in your class.  Dont let this get you down though.  If you can get your gpa up a lot this semester, you may have a shot of pulling something during 2L OCI.  And, like some other posters said, make sure you find something for this summer so you have a spot filled on your resume.

Thorc, you know me.... I am not either of those and I had a paid gig 1L summer....

well, okay, I should have specified.  Very few of my "in real life" friends had paid jobs   I am still convince you are some sort of anomaly or had something sick on your resume or something. 

[TheDudeMan]

I just have significant work experience as do most of my friends at the school so I'm sure that makes a big difference.

[thorc954]

I just have significant work experience as do most of my friends at the school so I'm sure that makes a big difference.

I definitely agree.  I think that helps a lot during 1L year particularly. 

[Dr. Lazras]

its a really tough economy..as reported in the commments on http://www.blackbooklegal.com, some firms are even stopping their hiring of clerks who always used to get jobs.