More 2L woes

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

Now I know a whole bunch of people are going to feed me a lot of Panglossian bullshit about how it'll all work out eventually because I went to an Ivy League undergrad and am now at a Top 10 law school, but humor me for a second...

Now what exactly can I do if all my job-hunting efforts go to shit and I'm stuck with having nothing for the 2L summer? Even part-time positions seem to be hard to come by because everything has gotten that much more competitive. I've done my best and have been hustling for interviews, but it doesn't seem to be working out. I'm bottom feeding at the lowest 25% of my class. I have no noticeable improvement over the semesters and I don't know what else to do because I seem to have done everything my career services people have told me. I've tried to be as personable and enthusiastic in person and over the phone as possible, but there's always someone better for these people. Even the public service jobs are getting snapped up by 1L's without baggage now.

And moreover, what can you do with a JD outside of law? Honestly, it seems to raise more questions than answers for employers.

I know it could be worse in the hunter-gatherer sense, but I'm feeling pretty hopeless at this point. I asked the public service and career services deans for help and they gave me a list of employers who've already rejected me.

[kangal]

hey, im a 1L at a top 40 law school, so i'm sure i'm in a stinkier situation...but what helps is that book "guerilla tactics for getting the legal job of your dream" it helped as it opened up lots of doors that i didnt even know existed....i'm not sure how you feel about working for Uncle Sam, but the gov't has tons of paid jobs and in DC....

oh, and with a JD you could always go work at think tanks.....or you can be an agent or something.....

[deez nuts]

Mental apptitude is there but you need to be inspired, maybe?

Can't help you much, V. I know very little about law school.

[sandra]

join your local asian bar association and let the networking begin!

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

Originally posted by kangal@Feb 24 2003, 12:52 PM
hey, im a 1L at a top 40 law school, so i'm sure i'm in a stinkier situation...but what helps is that book "guerilla tactics for getting the legal job of your dream"  it helped as it opened up lots of doors that i didnt even know existed....i'm not sure how you feel about working for Uncle Sam, but the gov't has tons of paid jobs and in DC....


I don't have a problem working for Uncle Sam but there really aren't that many (if any) paid jobs because it's government. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place, but they're always talking about how you need to get a grant because they're not paying.

And a lot of these agencies aren't hiring graduates. It all comes back to the firms, it seems. If you're not an honors student, you have to work in some other kind of grind before you get onto the government track.

I'm looking in that arena though. Wish me luck.

Man, I've got some followup letters to send out to various public service organizations. I hate this whole song and dance routine. Makes me want to burn down a courthouse. I'm willing to work for free. If they don't like my resume, why do they keep telling me it's impressive. Fuck that. Just tell me to fuck off. I'm tired of this two-faced crap.

And as far as lacking inspiration, you're probably right, CSB. I can't do much about that though. No matter how much compacted BS is stuck in society's legal colon and how much change is better implemented when you have a gun to someone's head, I still have to make the best out of what I'm stuck in right now. I've also got other people than me counting on my career path. No starving art or aspiring rock stardom for me.

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

And by the way, kangal, you're better off than you think. If your grades are strong enough, you can go anywhere you want. I've already dug my own grave with my b/b- average. Now if only U.Va didn't vividly detail its B+ curve policy.

Kasia, I don't have a network of Asian lawyers to go to. The East Coast APA associations are pretty weak, so I'm going to need more hints than that.

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

Did I just kill my own thread? Wow.

[AltimaGTR]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a '1L' or '2L' ? (remember I'ma car):P

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

1L = 1st year law student
2L = 2nd year law student
(out of 3)

[AltimaGTR]

Cool, thnx for the enlightenment. Jobs are hard to find nowadays; everyone's askin around lookin for openings and there are none. This year totally sucks! :(

[sandra]

Originally posted by VBKao@Feb 24 2003, 11:14 AM
And by the way, kangal, you're better off than you think. If your grades are strong enough, you can go anywhere you want. I've already dug my own grave with my b/b- average. Now if only U.Va didn't vividly detail its B+ curve policy.

Kasia, I don't have a network of Asian lawyers to go to. The East Coast APA associations are pretty weak, so I'm going to need more hints than that.
have you considered an externship? court of appeals, us district court - those are all very prestigious positions. you can also intern at the us attorney's office.

which area of law are you most interested in?

[kangal]

Originally posted by VBKao@Feb 24 2003, 01:14 PM
And by the way, kangal, you're better off than you think. If your grades are strong enough, you can go anywhere you want. I've already dug my own grave with my b/b- average. Now if only U.Va didn't vividly detail its B+ curve policy.

Kasia, I don't have a network of Asian lawyers to go to. The East Coast APA associations are pretty weak, so I'm going to need more hints than that.
naw.....here at our school we a have a C-curve....sucks for me....and a good website...its a duke website...i started to go to ohter law schools CSO, and they have good stuff...

here (http://www.law.duke.edu/career/FedeStateGovDeadlines.html)

[MellowDrama]

I'm more interested in criminal law and legal aid, so I got a job at a PD (pub. defender)...

through no help of my Career Services Office, of course. I actually got it through hittin' up an old high school pal of mine. When the goin' gets tough, you gotta scramble.

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

Originally posted by kasia@Feb 24 2003, 05:03 PM
have you considered an externship? court of appeals, us district court - those are all very prestigious positions. you can also intern at the us attorney's office.

which area of law are you most interested in?
Well, I don't have the grades for a prestigious position. I've been applying to the DoJ and the US Attorney's office though. Clerkship's a bit beyond me though unless I go to the low state levels.

I like tort law. Health care. Malpractice. I'm also into copyright and criminal law too. I haven't really specialized in anything and this school doesn't require it.

naw.....here at our school we a have a C-curve....sucks for me....and a good website...its a duke website...i started to go to ohter law schools CSO, and they have good stuff...

Yeah. Thanks for the tip. I wouldn't really worry about curve though. I think ours sucks to have higher curve because your grades really do mean nothing and they'll know that. For instance, getting a C+ is pretty much failing here. The differential between grades also starts meaning less, so two exams of the same quality can get different grades (out of mathematical and statistical necessity) and have vastly different effects on the transcript. No matter where the curve lies, you're screwed if you're below average. I honestly don't know why they can't grade inflate.

[sandra]

well, you still have a lot of time. i'll try to help you brainstorm some more later. but if april or may rolls around and you're still jobless for the summer, you can always go to a legal temp agency - that's what my roommate did. she ended up working at a tax firm and getting paid $25/hr...which isn't too bad, right? (btw, tax is her area of focus - so i'm sure you can find a temp job at a firm specializing in other areas).

[kimpossible]

vic> my recommendation if you have the ability to go without pay is to volunteer your legal knowledge and expertise at a non-profit for resume building and networking purposes. To take the focus off of your grades and dig into the accomplishments, 'real life' experience (employers are usually big on this cross-industry), and make contacts that can later act as references, volunteering at an org isn't such a bad way to go.


Normally, I would go with what kasie said re: externship. But if that doesn't look like a possibility and you've already exhausted job opportunities, try volunteering at an org that will give you good experience for a resume and solid interview material. For the hell of it, PM my husband (screen name DaMuo) re: externships for law grads. He works for one of those huge soul-less transnational corps and has dabbled in copyright law there. Alternately he might know of a company or a contact in your area.

Or hey, where are Alex and Barbs?

[kangal]

vic? awww man...another lawyer with the initials VK....doh it...sucks for me...sniff

[lethal]

Alex just got a job!

I have an interview tomorrow...sigh...I probably go to the lowest ranked law school of any of your guys here.

Can you network some Vic? Like...maybe you meet someone who knows someone who may be looking for a job?

Or the temp places that kas mentioned...

I dunno...I'm not very good at the job thing.

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Feb 24 2003, 09:20 PM
vic> my recommendation if you have the ability to go without pay is to volunteer your legal knowledge and expertise at a non-profit for resume building and networking purposes. To take the focus off of your grades and dig into the accomplishments, 'real life' experience (employers are usually big on this cross-industry), and make contacts that can later act as references, volunteering at an org isn't such a bad way to go.


Normally, I would go with what kasie said re: externship. But if that doesn't look like a possibility and you've already exhausted job opportunities, try volunteering at an org that will give you good experience for a resume and solid interview material. For the hell of it, PM my husband (screen name DaMuo) re: externships for law grads. He works for one of those huge soul-less transnational corps and has dabbled in copyright law there. Alternately he might know of a company or a contact in your area.

Or hey, where are Alex and Barbs?
Well, I have been looking primarily at unpaid internship opporunities. I mean, that's what I've been doing. I've been going out for unpaid jobs since December after the whole on-grounds process fell apart for me.

And I really don't have the grades for a judicial clerkship. It's probably my main obstacle in distinguishing myself from the wide number of helpful people applying for these jobs.

CIVIL PROCEDURE: B-
CONTRACTS: C+
CRIMINAL LAW: B-
LEGAL WRITING: Passed
TORTS: A-

INTERNATIONAL LAW: B
PROPERTY: B
LEGAL WRITING: Passed
LAW, MEDICINE & HEALTH POLICY: B+
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: B

CRIMINAL ADJUDICATION: B-
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY: B
FEDERAL INCOME TAX: B-
INTELLECTUAL PROP: COPYRIGHT: B

Judges don't want to me to touch them. I've been told not to bother unless I can pull my GPA up for next year's round of applications. In the context of a B+ curve, my grades are crap.

Advice for the 1L's: If you're going to bother with law school, do well. You don't want to be unable to work for free. It really is as bad as it sounds.

Kasie, what's this about legal temp agencies? I didn't even know they had them.

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

I've shut you all up! I'm awesome.

Back to the cover letters.