Cross Country job search

[lawness]

Has anyone had any experience searching for a SA across the country? I am in Georgia and I am looking for a SA in Seattle. I am in the top 10% of my class. How much does it matter that I am not local? I plan to move to Seattle after law school.

[johnadams]

tip one: never in an interview simply say "i plan to move to seattle."


seattle is a small, hard market to break into -- above poster is right -- you need very strong ties to the region (i.e., you are from there) + fantastic grades from a good school.

if you want a job, i wouldn't solely target seattle (always keep new york in mind -- it's the one market that could care less about geographic connections).

edit: to answer your question directly -- i am looking across the country. school on east coast, looking in SF. even then, i have connections to the area. if you don't have any, get some. spend your first summer there or something. anything.

[lawness]

My wife's sister lives there, so I do have some ties. I am going to try and get a summer gig there, or I may attempt to transferto Seattle University or UDub.

[BikePilot]

Can't hurt to try.  I know the vast majority of my class ends up working outside the Boston area (and more than a few outside the US for that matter).

[Refused Party Program]

I also go to a law school in GA. I am not in the top 10% of my class, but I am close. I summered and accepted a post grad offer from a firm in SoCal with 0 connections to that area. It is possible. I even explored going to the Seattle office of the same firm.

That being said, I think our firm is the exception rather than the rule. Many other summers and associates had 0 connections with the area.

The reason firms want geographic ties is because they want you to stay there. If you go somewhere that is not home, you may eventually want to return home. So, it is important to say with conviction 1) why you want to be in that area; 2) why you want to work at that firm, at that office. You need to have real tangible answers to these questions that leave no doubt in the interviewers mind that you are going to stick around.

It isn't impossible, but it is hard.