Unlocking 1L SAs
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
FWIW, I’m currently in a 1L SA position in a secondary market (think San Diego, Denver, Atlanta etc). My T14 grades were good but probably top-third of class, not top ten percent or anything. I hyped my ties to the market in the cover letter and my interview focused heavily on where I went to high school and other ties-related questions.
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs in Texas Without Ties
Question: so this won't be breaking the rule of not reaching out to firms before December 1st (or whatever the date is before 1Ls can reach out to firms)?
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs in Texas Without Ties
The rule is that firms can't reach out to you, not that you can't reach out to them. So students typically send in materials earlier than December 1st so that firms can review them and decide who they're going to interview.
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs in Texas Without Ties
I sent my materials to attorneys I networked with who requested them, but in my experience (TX), apps did not open until December 1st and no one was sending in official application materials to the recruiting managers until 12/1..
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs in Texas Without Ties
You shouldn't formally apply (as in, send an email to recruiting with your resume and cover letter indicating that you're applying for a summer associate position) until December 1st. However, you can still reach out to associates for networking calls. They may even ask for your resume - this is totally fine.
Edit: exactly what above poster said!
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs in Texas Without Ties
This is correct; I'm really not sure what I was thinking when I wrote otherwise.
You can "reach out" to anyone whenever you want. Informational interviews etc. But you shouldn't send your resume and cover letter before (or too much after) December 1st.
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs in Texas Without Ties
Got it. Really appreciate this info guys!
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
I didn't get a 1L SA but I'm glad I didn't. I worked in-house at very well-known brand in their IP group and it was amazing. The pay wasn't great, but it was enough to get by basically and go even over the summer. My interviewers for 2L SA were extremely interested in what I did for the company. In-house I spammed applications through Indeed, creating probably a hundred accounts for different employers.
It's a pain but it gave me such an insight into the other end of things that I may go in to. I actually got so lazy with cover letters that I'd just start updating the contact info and parts inside that I knew to change to the new company name and it was probably faster than doing more on my mail merge.
It's a pain but it gave me such an insight into the other end of things that I may go in to. I actually got so lazy with cover letters that I'd just start updating the contact info and parts inside that I knew to change to the new company name and it was probably faster than doing more on my mail merge.
-
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2018 12:27 am
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Re: applying to your home market, what is the opinion on international home market? My family still lives in HK and I have really established ties. A family friend advised that HK big law offices love folks who are T6 median and above who are bilingual (no idea if I will be median but I am CCN and fluent). I am interested in applying but worried that doing so will hurt my chances in the NYC market afterwards (I have very strong ties to HK and this might signal I’m not leaning US?)
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
UVA2B if you were accurate about two days determining the availability of 1L summer positions, shouldn't we be literally getting a slight edge by sending out emails at 12:01 a.m.? Too try-hard? How ab 3:21 a.m.?
serious tho

serious tho
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Tongue in cheek aside, markets like TX can see nearly that much difference. Apply on December 1st, get a job. Apply on December 3rd, the screener schedule might be full already. Other markets move somewhat slower than that, especially if screeners are predicated by grades.
Considering you seem to be targeting Philly, I’ll just say that the 1L SA market there seems to be somewhat smaller, and I can’t really speak to how they hire for 1L SAs outside of it not being a notorious early hiring timeline market. That likely means that quickness of application may matter less, relatively speaking. That may mean they wait on grades, or it may just mean they move slower generally.
And yes, I’m no longer 2B, but a screen name and any small amount of credibility that flows from it lasts forever.
- ymmv
- pregnant with a better version of myself
- Posts: 20195
- Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 12:24 am
- Contact:
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Thanks for all this, UVA. Added to the guide to the front page for this fall’s 1L SA applicants.UVA2B wrote:
- sittykitty
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2018 4:38 pm
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
To provide a data point, I applied to 1L SAs exclusively after Christmas. Some I didn't apply to until I got my grades back in mid-January (at the firm's request). I received 5 callbacks and 3 offers and spent my summer at a V5 firm in NYC. CCN, top 10-15%.
Last edited by sittykitty on Wed Aug 29, 2018 12:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Thanks for this. Considering your stats, you were relatively strong for NYC 1L SAs. You did well in NYC in terms of CBs and offers, but would you mind offering how many applications you sent out? I think it's always important to understand the input and the output, especially for those who aren't top 10% from CCN.sittykitty wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 11:33 pmTo provide a data point, I applied to 1L SAs exclusively after Christmas. Some I didn't apply to until I got my grades back in mid-January (at the firm's request). I received 5 callbacks and 3 offers and spent my summer at a V5 firm in NYC. CNN, top 10-15%.
- sittykitty
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Fri Jan 26, 2018 4:38 pm
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Of course! I checked my outbox to confirm; I applied to 20 firms in total.UVA2B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 29, 2018 12:05 amThanks for this. Considering your stats, you were relatively strong for NYC 1L SAs. You did well in NYC in terms of CBs and offers, but would you mind offering how many applications you sent out? I think it's always important to understand the input and the output, especially for those who aren't top 10% from CCN.sittykitty wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 11:33 pmTo provide a data point, I applied to 1L SAs exclusively after Christmas. Some I didn't apply to until I got my grades back in mid-January (at the firm's request). I received 5 callbacks and 3 offers and spent my summer at a V5 firm in NYC. CNN, top 10-15%.
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Wow, that's impressive. I mean, CCN top 10% is pretty much Wachtell level, so it probably makes sense if you ended up at Cravath or Skadden for a 1L SA (not trying to read too much into your placement as a 1L SA, just saying you performed in line with how you can/should generically). Regardless, thank you for providing a data point of value.sittykitty wrote: ↑Wed Aug 29, 2018 12:49 amOf course! I checked my outbox to confirm; I applied to 20 firms in total.UVA2B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 29, 2018 12:05 amThanks for this. Considering your stats, you were relatively strong for NYC 1L SAs. You did well in NYC in terms of CBs and offers, but would you mind offering how many applications you sent out? I think it's always important to understand the input and the output, especially for those who aren't top 10% from CCN.sittykitty wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 11:33 pmTo provide a data point, I applied to 1L SAs exclusively after Christmas. Some I didn't apply to until I got my grades back in mid-January (at the firm's request). I received 5 callbacks and 3 offers and spent my summer at a V5 firm in NYC. CNN, top 10-15%.
I also hope you enjoyed those exorbitant SA paychecks (assuming you were at a firm that was above and/or matched the $190k scale).
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Sorry if this isn't the place to ask, but can anyone provide some data-points or advice for LA and/or OC specifically?
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Another data point:
1L SA in Houston. Top 5% at a “T20.” Applied exclusively to Texas with meh ties (significant other). I attended the winter receptions and networked a ton.
Applied to around 70 firms. I applied to over half of them (including all of the big ones) on 12/1. The rest I did between the 1st and 15th. I was kinda crazy and wanted to apply as broadly as possible, so I applied to firms that had not even hired 1Ls in recent years but said on NALP that they do. If I had been realistic and applied only to firms that actually had a history of hiring 1Ls, I would have cut that number in half.
Had 5 CBs and 3 offers before I withdrew everywhere because I had an expiring offer at the firm I ultimately ended up at. 2 CBs were pre-grades and I am 99% sure I got them due to networking, because I just wasn't applying from a school good enough to have callbacks and certainly not offers before grades came out.
The day my grades came out (late January), I got an offer and several CB requests--the TX market moves fast, and while I'm not sure you *have* to apply on 12/1, I definitely wouldn't wait till after the holidays (especially if you're at HYSCCN--I know multiple T6 students who had offers before Christmas).
1L SA in Houston. Top 5% at a “T20.” Applied exclusively to Texas with meh ties (significant other). I attended the winter receptions and networked a ton.
Applied to around 70 firms. I applied to over half of them (including all of the big ones) on 12/1. The rest I did between the 1st and 15th. I was kinda crazy and wanted to apply as broadly as possible, so I applied to firms that had not even hired 1Ls in recent years but said on NALP that they do. If I had been realistic and applied only to firms that actually had a history of hiring 1Ls, I would have cut that number in half.
Had 5 CBs and 3 offers before I withdrew everywhere because I had an expiring offer at the firm I ultimately ended up at. 2 CBs were pre-grades and I am 99% sure I got them due to networking, because I just wasn't applying from a school good enough to have callbacks and certainly not offers before grades came out.
The day my grades came out (late January), I got an offer and several CB requests--the TX market moves fast, and while I'm not sure you *have* to apply on 12/1, I definitely wouldn't wait till after the holidays (especially if you're at HYSCCN--I know multiple T6 students who had offers before Christmas).
Last edited by waldorf on Fri Dec 21, 2018 6:01 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
This is probably your best person to give advice on the LA market. You can also feel free to take your question to the LA OCI thread or the LA associates taking questions thread.SmokeytheBear wrote:
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
One more data point:
- 1L SA in Houston, V20
- below median at YHS (but offers were pre-grades anyways)
- applied to ~15 TX firms with no ties on 12/1
- 4 CBs, 2 offers (1 before Christmas), 1 ding and 1 CB I had to cancel after accepting an offer
- 1L SA in Houston, V20
- below median at YHS (but offers were pre-grades anyways)
- applied to ~15 TX firms with no ties on 12/1
- 4 CBs, 2 offers (1 before Christmas), 1 ding and 1 CB I had to cancel after accepting an offer
- paperchaser
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2018 2:25 pm
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Great info! A separate guide for just diversity fellowships could be good; since texas has its own guide
- paperchaser
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2018 2:25 pm
Re: Unlocking 1L SAs
Did you network significantly? Or become a member of the texas club?
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests