YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is now officially over!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got my OFFICIAL offer from the firm in Philadelphia!!!!!!! I have a start date of September 28th!!!!! my personal fucking hell is now OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Waiting Game, Re-Do

Just got back from my weekend trip to Hawaii for my interview. I think it went really well (not the first time I've left with that feeling though). So, now it's back to the waiting game. Of course, this wait has to be shortlived, as the decision on registering for the Bar there has to be made shortly. So, I wait.....

This weekend's rejectors?

DLA Piper (San Diego, CA)
Verrill Dana (Portland, ME)
Messner & Reeves (Denver, CO)
Skadden Arps (Paris, France)
Cook County State's Attorney (Chicago, IL)
Laner Muchin Dombrow Becker Levin & Tominberg (Chicago, IL)
Fredrikson & Byron (Minneapolis, MN)
Fogg & Powers (Minneapolis, MN)
Tonkon Torp (Portland, OR)
Miller Nash (Portland, OR)
Skadden Arps (Palo Alto, CA)
Stinson Morrison Hecker (Kansas City, MO)
Ogletree Deakins (Atlanta, GA)
Law Weathers & Richardson (Grand Rapids, MI)
Faegre & Benson (Minneapolis, MN)
Hogan & Hartson (Baltimore, MD)
Dykema (Detroit, MI)
Hennessy & Roach (Chicago, IL)
McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff (Chicago, IL)

End of the Road

It's my last week of law school. Only a couple more days in fact. My last grasp at hope? I have an interview in Honolulu on Monday. I'm praying non-stop that it works out. It's a great firm and I'd consider myself the luckiest person in the world at this point if it works out.

This weekend's rejectors?

Skadden Arps (Houston, TX)
Jones Day (San Diego, CA)
Stoel Rives (Seattle, WA)
Kirkland & Ellis (San Francisco, CA)
Andrews Kurth (Dallas, TX)
Thompson & Knight (Houston, TX)
Wilmer Hale (Palo Alto, CA)
Duckor Spradling Metzger & Wynne (San Diego, CA)
Rhoades McKee (Grand Rapids, MI)
Alston & Bird (Atlanta, GA)
Pierce Atwood (Portland, ME)
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner (Palo Alto, CA)
K&L Gates (Pittsburgh, PA)
Dorsey & Whitney (Seattle, WA)
Arnall Golden Gregory (Atlanta, GA)
Seyfarth Shaw (Boston, MA)
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings (Birmingham, AL)
Dann Pecar Newman & Kleiman (Indianapolis, IN)
Dykema (Chicago, IL)
Querrey & Harrow (Chicago, IL)
DLA Piper (New York, NY)
Buchalter Nemer (Los Angeles, CA)
Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold (Chicago, IL)
DLA Piper (Washington, DC)
Baum Sigman Auerbach & Neuman (Chicago, IL)
Melli Law (Madison, WI)
Ogletree Deakins (Kansas City, MO)
Latham & Watkins (Washington, DC)
Day Pitney (Morristown, NJ)
Rosen Bien & Galvan (San Francisco, CA)

Thanks School Admin!

So, I was having a discussion with a classmate of mine yesterday regarding graduation. I told her I wasn't going to be attending the ceremony, maining because the thought of anyone in Admin getting up and speaking about the "bright legal futures" of the graduates would infuriate me. Not that I'm blaming my school for the horrible economy. But they seem (1) in complete denial about it and (2) are doing NOTHING to assist the unluckiest graduating class to date. Well, and then I saw the new US World & News Report rankings of law schools. My school, Loyola Chicago, is now TIED with DePaul. TIED! When I first applied, it wasn't even close. We were actually ahead of Chicago-Kent. All further evidence of my school's do-nothing attitude about assisting it's students find a job. I want to be happy right now. I want to be looking forward to graduating and moving on to a great career. I've loved my professors and my classmates. But instead, I'm pissed off and regretful.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Troutman Sanders (Chicago, IL)
Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth (Chicago, IL)
Eimer Stahl Klevorn & Solberg (Chicago, IL)
DLA Piper (Atlanta, GA)
Bullivant Houser Bailey (San Francisco, CA)
Whiteman Osterman & Hanna (Albany, NY)
Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff (Cleveland, OH)
Godfrey & Kahn (Madison, WI)

It's Almost Over

I'm about one week away from being done with law school. I couldn't be more disappointed about it. I'm seeing NOTHING of use from my Career Center (I'm guessing they've cashed it in for the year). The postings I'm seeing on their job board include Teaching English As A Foreign Language in China. "Thanks for the $100K, now go earn pennies in China NOT practicing law". I'm seeing NOTHING helpful from my school at all (unlike what I'm seeing other law school's doing to help graduates during this incredibly horrible economy). And I'm getting more rejections than ever before in the mail.
I started this blog over 8 months ago thinking it would be way to voice my frustrations with the "process" for a little while until the "good news" arrived. No good news to be heard though.

The past weekend's rejectors?

Fox O'Neill & Shannon (Milwaukee, WI)
Petrie & Stocking (Milwaukee, WI)
Lawton & Cates (Madison, WI)
Greenberg Traurig (Dallas, TX)
Husch Blackwell Sanders (St. Louis, MO)
Trenam Kemker (Tampa, FL)
Scott Douglass & McConnico (Austin, TX)
Porter Wright Morris & Arthur (Columbus, OH)
Crowe & Dunlevy (Oklahoma City, OK)
Shipman & Goodwin (Hartford, CT)
Garvey Schubert Barer (Portland, OR)
Fenwick & West (Seattle, WA)
Kamer Zucker Abbott (Las Vegas, NV)
Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios (Portland, ME)
Perkins Thompson (Portland, ME)
Sheridan Ross (Denver, CO)
Fish & Richardson (Boston, MA)
Perkins Coie (Portland, OR)
Hall Estill (Tulsa, OK)
Gable Gotwals (Tulsa, OK)
McGinnis Lochridge & Kilgore (Austin, TX)
Morgan Lewis & Bockius (Pittsburgh, PA)
Kelley Drye & Warren (Chicago, IL)
Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon (Chicago, IL)
Miller Canfield (Detroit, MI)
Hall Prangle & Schoonveld (Chicago, IL)
Saul Ewing (Philadelphia, PA)
Paul Hastings (Atlanta, GA)
Weil Gotshal & Manges (Houston, TX)
Cox Smith (San Antonio, TX)
Hirschler Fleischer (Richmond, VA)
Best & Flanagan (Minneapolis, MN)
McGlinchey Stafford (New Orleans, LA)
McKenna Long & Aldridge (Atlanta, GA)
Norris McLaughlin & Marcus (Bridgewater, NJ)
Bracewell & Giuliani (Austin, TX)
Foster Swift Collins & Smith (Lansing, MI)
Baker Botts (Dallas, TX)
Stoel Rives (Portland, OR)
Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel (Honolulu, HI)
Baker Botts (Palo Alto, CA)
Nyemaster Goode (Des Moines, IA)
McDermott Will & Emery (Boston, MA)
Sullivan & Worcester (Boston, MA)
Davis Wright Tremaine (Portland, OR)
Kelley Drye & Warren (Parsippany, NJ)
Schiff Hardin (Chicago, IL)
Gordon Derr (Seattle, WA)
Pepper Hamilton (Princeton, NJ)
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom (Chicago, IL)
Astigarraga Davis (Miami, FL)
Kopon Airdo (Chicago, IL)

Another Less-Than-Great Weekend

Well, this past weekend was pretty crappy. First, I finally decided that indeed I'm not going to be attending my graduation ceremony. I'm finding it very difficult to find anything about my impending graduation worth celebrating. The thought of any one of my Deans speaking about our "bright" futures and prosperity makes me angry beyond words. And I certainly know none of them will talk about the bleakness that faces most of us.
Second, I saw an article about Northwestern University helping to defer the student loans of its graduates until they're able to obtain employment. I forwarded the article to my school's admin to see if Loyola would be doing anything similar to assist the soon-to-be graduates. I'm doubting I'll get a reply.
And then, of course, I received a flood of rejections.

The rejectors?

Updike Kelly & Spellacy (Hartford, CT)
Cabaniss Johnston (Birmingham, AL)
Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody (Austin, TX)
Paul Hastings (Palo Alto, CA)
Paul Hastings (Washington, DC)
Gordon Silver (Las Vegas, NV)
DLA Piper (Baltimore, MD)
Faegre & Benson (Des Moines, IA)
Reed Smith (Chicago, IL)
Goodwin Procter (Boston, MA)
Dechert (Princeton, NJ)
Foley Hoag (Boston, MA)
Sirote & Permutt (Birmingham, AL)
Ballard Spahr (Baltimore, MD)
McKenna Long & Aldridge (Atlanta, GA)
Fennemore Craig (Phoenix, AZ)
Greensfelder Hemker & Gale (St. Louis, MO)
Bryan Cave (St. Louis, MO)
Stinson Morrison Hecker (St. Louis, MO)
Belin Lamson McCormick Zumbach Flynn (Des Moines, IA)
Holland & Knight (Chicago, IL)
Downs Rachlin Martin (Burlington, VT)
Vorys (Columbus, OH)
Lewis and Roca (Phoenix, AZ)
McGuireWoods (Richmond, VA)
Morris Manning & Martin (Atlanta, GA)
Shook Hardy & Bacon (Kansas City, MO)
Jackson Walker (Dallas, TX)
Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers (Atlanta, GA)
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (Boston, MA)
Roetzel & Andress (Akron, OH)

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Of course, I was completely wrong about my "impending offer". The reality is, there "might" be a job for me in Philadelphia, AFTER I take the bar, etc.
So, what do I do? Register for the PA bar and study for that (on my own, mind you) with the "hope" that a job will be waiting for me? Add to all of this that it'll require selling my condo in Chicago, moving to Philly, and my fiance moving as well.
OR, do I just take the IL, with zero prospects, and hope something comes along after the bar, when I'm then competing with the hundreds of recently laid-off attorneys?

Both options suck. And sadly the clock on decision-making is almost at zero.

Yesterday's rejectors?

DLA Piper (Chicago, IL)
Perkins Coie (Chicago, IL)
Morgan Lewis & Bockius (Chicago, IL)
Bodman (Detroit, MI)
Frost Brown Todd (Cincinnati, OH)
Hill Ward Henderson (Tampa, FL)
Mills Meyers Swartling (Seattle, WA)
Holland & Knight (Boston, MA)
Bryan Cave (Phoenix, AZ)
Dickinson Wright (Detroit, MI)
Gordon Feinblatt (Baltimore, MD)
Ice Miller (Indianapolis, IN)
Sidley Austin (Chicago, IL)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (Phoenix, AZ)

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

It looks like I'm about to get an offer!!!! From the firm I interviewed with in Philadelphia back in December! I am SO ready to put this associate position search behind me. It's been 9 months of non-stop resume sending, interviews, and constant rejection. Once I get this offer letter in my hands, my heart will finally be able to slow down a bit.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Sherrard & Roe (Nashville, TN)
Pepper Hamilton (Detroit, MI)
Osborn Maledon (Phoenix, AZ)
King & Spalding (Atlanta, GA)
McDonald Carano Wilson (Las Vegas, NV)
Jones Day (Atlanta, GA)
Baker & Daniels (Indianapolis, IN)
Holland & Knight (Tampa, FL)
Holland & Knight (Atlanta, GA)
Bracewell & Giuliani (San Antonio, TX)
Bracewell & Giuliani (Washington, DC)
Steptoe & Johnson (Phoenix, AZ)
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner (Atlanta, GA)

Depressing Weekend

April, so far, hasn't brought a spring-like feeling to me. I was really hoping for miracles and new feelings of hope. Instead, I'm filled with fear and anger. Five years ago when I made the decision it was time for me to go to law school, what's happening to me now was never in my mind. Had it been at all, I know I wouldn't have taken the LSAT and applied. Now, I'm stuck. Facing enormous loan debt and a degree that's increasingly seeming worthless.

This weekend's rejectors?

McKenna Long & Adlridge (Los Angeles, CA)
Gallagher & Kennedy (Phoenix, AZ)
Carlton Fields (Tampa, FL)
Jones Day (Cleveland, OH)
Bays Deaver Lung Rose Holma (Honolulu, HI)
Foulston Siefkin (Wichita, KS)
Bryan Cave (Kansas City, MO)
Adams and Reese (New Orleans, LA)
Davis Wright Tremaine (Seattle, WA)
Baker Donelson (Brimingham, AL)
Fulbright & Jaworski (Houston, TX)
Troutman Sanders (Atlanta, GA)
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft (New York, NY)
Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard (Raleigh, NC)
Jones Day (San Francisco, CA)
Schwartz Junell Greenberg & Oathout (Houston, TX)
Taft, Stettinius & Hollister (Indianapolis, IN)

Praying for Just ONE Good Week

Another week has gone by without any good/promising job news. Lots of layoffs though! :-(

Yesterday's rejectors?

Polsinelli Shughart (Phoenix, AZ)
Briggs & Morgan (Minneapolis, MN)
Gibbs & Bruns (Houston, TX)
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (Washington, DC)
Brouse McDowell (Cleveland, OH)
Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi (Atlanta, GA)
Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed (Orlando, FL)
Holland & Knight (Orlando, FL)
Perkins Coie (Boise, ID)
King & Spalding (Houston, TX)

Alternatives?

I've been spending a lot of the time the past couple days trying to think of ways to find a job. Do I invest a bunch of money and place a big ad in the newspaper, essentially tell the world anyone can have me? Do I make a sign and stand outside the Metra station with a stack of resumes? Do I just give up?

I've spent well longer than a full year now networking like crazy, hitting up any and all legal contacts I have, sending out cold emails with my resume to everyone else. Nothing is working.

I'm also really thinking now of things outside the legal field. Can I mail back my JD to Loyola and ask for a refund? Does the JD come with a warranty? because my is looking defective.

Yesterday's rejectors?

McGuireWoods (Richmond, VA)
Davis Kuelthau (Milwaukee, WI)
Warden Grier (Kansas City, MO)
Lewis Rice & Fingersh (Kansas City, MO)
Polsinelli Shugart (Kansas City, MO)
DLA Piper (Seattle, WA)
Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman (Seattle, WA)
Lane Powell (Seattle, WA)

Last Month

It's not officially the last month I have in law school. I'm praying that April is THE month that things finally turn around for me in my search for a position after graduation. I'm really hoping...

A Bad Day

Yesterday was a really bad day. Got into an altercation with a drunken woman who was threatening my fiance in front of our house. Realized BarBri wants me to sign up now and shell out the $. And got another large amount of rejections. It's the last day of March and I'm scared to see what April has in store for me. I'm still hoping for some good luck though.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Kummer Kaempfer Bonner Renshaw & Ferrario (Las Vegas, NV)
Bingham McHale (Indianapolis, IN)
DLA Piper (Tampa, FL)
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (Washington, DC)
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (San Francisco, CA)
Alston & Bird (New York, NY)
Archer & Greiner (Haddonfield, NJ)

One Month And Counting

One month from today I'll be done with law school. One Month. I have one month to find a job before feeling like a complete failure. And of course, the legal market COULD NOT be any worse. I've exhausted every possible legal connection I have. I've sent out thousands of resumes & cover letters. I am praying for a miracle at this point.

This weekend's rejectors?

Kutak Rock (Denver, CO)
Troutman Sanders (Richmond, VA)
Godfrey & Kahn (Milwaukee, WI)

Depressed

The reality of the situation is really hitting me now. I'm in for a VERY difficult post-graduate time. All I read about are firms laying off attorneys and staff (Dechert canned over 100 today). All I get in my mailbox and email are rejections. I spend so much time looking for positions and applying for positions and it's all seemingly pointless.

I remember very well two years ago thinking about how happy I was going to be at this point. How I'd have an offer from a great firm and I'd be coasting through my final semester of classes with a great feeling about my future.

Now, I have no idea what my future holds.

Yesterday's rejector?

Leonard, Street & Deinard (Minneapolis, MN)

Just spent a great weekend in Montreal. It helped to take my mind of the horrific job search to this point. Of course, I then came home to news of Wolf Block dissolving and a mailbox jammed with rejections.

The rejectors?

Faegre & Benson (Denver, CO)
Vinson & Elkins (Dallas, TX)
Skadden Arps (Los Angeles, CA)
Kolesar & Leatham (Las Vegas, NV)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (Washington, DC)
Hogan & Hartson (Washington, DC)
Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols (Milwaukee, WI)
Santoro Driggs Walch Kearney Holley & Thompson (Las Vegas, NV)
Greenberg Traurig (Las Vegas, NV)
Gunderson Dettmer (Redwood City, CA)
Ballard Spahr (Denver, CO)
Dechert (Newport Beach, CA)
Otten Johnson Robinson Neff & Ragonetti (Denver, CO)
US Food & Drug Administration (Rockville, MD)

Constant Bad News

When is it going to end? Yesterday, I read about Jenner and Katten laying people off. I then listened to people in my class last night crying about their start dates being pushed back to January or February of 2010. And of course, my mailbox had some "presents" for me. It's been so long since I've heard or seen something positive on the legal job front. And now I'm just about down to my final month of law school. Will things improve in the next month before I have to a breakdown? We'll see...

Yesterday's rejectors?

DLA Piper (San Francisco, CA)
Moore & Van Allen (Charlotte, NC)
Hughes Hubbard & Reed (Los Angeles, CA)

St. Patrick's Day, Not So Lucky Of A Day

I was really hoping I might get some sort of good news yesterday with it being St. Patrick's Day and all. Of course, it wasn't to be. It was simply another Tuesday of rejections and a silent phone.

Yesterday's rejector?

Dow Lohnes (Atlanta, GA)

Emotions

My emotions are now all over the place. From anger to depression to panic. I spent this past weekend with my future in-laws and was asked at least 4 times what I'll be doing for work when I'm done with school. Answer: I have no fucking clue. No one is hiring (or least hiring me). I'm willing to move anywhere for a good job, but can't find one. I want to feel excited about graduating law school but I don't. I'm more pissed off than anything else at this point.

This weekend's rejectors?

Stoel Rives (Seattle, WA)
Stoel Rives (Salt Lake City, UT)
Kirkland & Ellis (Chicago, IL)
Kirkland & Ellis (Los Angeles, CA)
Drinker Biddle & Reath (Philadelphia, PA)
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft (Charlotte, NC)
Winston & Strawn (Charlotte, NC)
Katten Muchin Rosenman (Charlotte, NC)
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein (Charlotte, NC)
Blank Rome (Washington, DC)

Quiet & Depressing

It's gotten spookingly quiet now on the job news, good or bad. I'm getting less rejections each day (which I can only attribute to the fact that I've probably now gotten one from everyone I've sent my resume to).
On another note, my firm brought in some temp help yesterday for a document review we're doing. All of the temps were licensed attorneys who passed the bar last fall. All came from good schools. We're paying them $25 an hour. They're doing document review. I can't let that happen to me.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Akerman Senterfitt (Miami,FL)
Fisher & Phillips (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Paul Hastings (Palo Alto, CA)
Winston & Strawn (San Francisco, CA)

Running Out Of Time

We're almost half-way through March now and still no offers. No other interviews either. It's looking REALLY grim now. I'm scared to death of entering April (the final month of my law school career) with nothing.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Schottenstein Zox & Dunn (Columbus, OH)
Shutts & Bowen (Miami, FL)
Weil, Gotshal & Manges (Miami, FL)
Lathrop & Gage (Kansas City, MO)
Chuhak & Tecson (Chicago, IL)

Constant Bad News

Can't there just be one good day with no bad job news? This morning I see an article how firms are now cutting the pay of 1st year's. Of course, this doesn't impact me at this point, as I don't even have an offer for someone to roll back. This has to change...

Yesterday's rejectors?

Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads (Philadelphia, PA)
Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell (Dallas, TX)
Calfee Halter & Griswold (Cleveland, OH)
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton (Los Angeles, CA)
Alston & Bird (Charlotte, NC)

New Week, New Hope

Well, another week is about to start. I'm hoping and praying I get some good news this week. Last week was a disappointing one, as the rejections continued to pile up.

This weekend's rejectors?

Bonne Bridges Mueller O'Keefe & Nichols (Los Angeles, CA)
Patton Boggs (Washington, DC)
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (Washington, DC)
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (New York, NY)
Dow Lohnes (Washington, DC)
King & Spalding (Charlotte, NC)
Latham & Watkins (Los Angeles, CA)
Greenberg Traurig (Miami, FL)
Perkins Coie (Menlo Park, CA)
Klarquist Sparkman (Portland, OR)
Alston & Bird (Raleigh, NC)
Dechert (Philadelphia, PA)
Baker & Hostetler (New York, NY)
Holland & Knight (Los Angeles, CA)

Celebration?

Everyday, I keep hoping that the next posting I put on here will be about how I finally received an offer from someone. And, obviously, that still hasn't happened. I keep having people ask me if I'm going to be attending my graduation ceremony or throwing a party when I'm done with school. Honestly, without a job, I don't see what there is to celebrate? Should I celebrate the waste of 4 years? The waste of $100K? I don't see myself "celebrating" either of those things.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Sheppard Mullin (San Francisco, CA)
Altshuler Berzon (San Francisco, CA)
Folger Levin & Kahn (San Francisco, CA)
Hanson Bridgett (San Francisco, CA)
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (Palo Alto, CA)
Vorys Sater Seymour & Pease (Columbus, OH)
Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe (Denver, CO)

Begging?

I keep seeing these people (aka. job-seekers) on the news at night, literally begging for a job. Has it worked? I'm at the point where I'll do it if it'll lead to me getting in with a firm.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Bilzin Sumberg (Miami, FL)
Bricker & Eckler (Columbus, OH)

My favorite rejection letters are the ones I get that say how they aren't hiring at this time, but based on my resume they're positive I'll have no problems finding a great job with another firm. That's just hilarious to me. I thought that would be the case. But 9 months of constant rejections is changing my mind.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Sidley Austin (Washington, DC)
Jones Day (Los Angeles, CA)
Barnes Richardson & Colburn (Chicago, IL)
O'Melveny & Myers (Los Angeles, CA)

Not A Good Start

March isn't starting out well at all.  Firms apparently aren't hiring anywhere.  Firms that pay more than $30K a year that is.  It's really seeming like law school is going to have turned out to be an enormous waste of time & money.  I gave up a good career and now it'll even be hard, if not impossible, to go back to that.  

Today's rejectors?

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe (Los Angeles, CA)

Hogan & Hartson (Miami, FL)

Irell & Manella (Los Angeles, CA)

Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis (Philadelphia, PA)

Spiegel & McDiarmid (Washington, DC)

Best & Flanagan (Minneapolis, MN)

Stoel Rives (Minneapolis, MN)

Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro (Los Angeles, CA)

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison (Washington, DC)

Quinn Emanuel (Los Angeles, CA)

New Month = New Hope???

It's now March. Definitely the end of the line, in my opinion, to finding a GOOD job for after graduation. No other interviews are lined up. I'm waiting on word from the firm in Sacramento, the firm in Philadelphia, and a job here in Chicago that I will absolutely NOT be happy with if it's what I'm left with. I'm praying for a miracle and hoping March turns out to be "the" month for me.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Reed Smith (Los Angeles, CA)
DLA Piper (Baltimore, MD)
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll (Philadelphia, PA)
O'Melveny & Myers (Washington, DC)
Spencer Fane Britt & Browne (Kansas City, MO)

So, I see in the news that yesterday Latham & Watkins laid off around 250 associates. With all these firms laying people off, I'm petrified that I'm never going to find a job now. People keep saying "things will improve". And that's all fine and good, but won't that just mean that the firms will increase the # of recruits they bring in during NEXT YEAR's recruiting season? Why would they go back and say "hey, we really didn't do enough with the 2009 class. Let's go back and look at them again". Not likely. I know I have to find something in the next month.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Miller Chevalier (Washington, DC)
Perkins Coie (Portland, OR)
Howard Rice Nemerovski Canaday Falk & Rabkin (San Francisco, CA)
Sullivan & Cromwell (Los Angeles, CA)
Hill Farrer & Burrill (Los Angeles, CA)
Cozen O'Connor (Philadelphia, PA)
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney (Philadelphia, PA)

Another Week...

I entered this week really believing and hoping I'd hear some good news. Unless it happens today, it wasn't to be. Of course, yesterday I discovered another large delivery of rejections from the mailman.

The rejectors?

Winston & Strawn (Washington, DC)
Weaver Austin Villeneuve Sampson (Oakland, CA)
Haynes and Boone (Washington, DC)
Gordon Silver (Las Vegas, NV)
Kummer Kaempfer Bonner Renshaw & Ferrario (Las Vegas, NV)
Copper White & Cooper (San Francisco, CA)
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (Washington, DC)
Gardere Wynne Sewell (Dallas, TX)
Blakeley Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman (Los Angeles, CA)
Jorden Burt (Miami, FL)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (Miami, FL)

Worried

It's almost the end of February and I'm still scrambling for even an interview with a firm. I continue to get rejection emails and letters, everyone saying they're simply not hiring. I'm still holding out hope, but everyday that goes by without any positive news brings me down.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Perkins Coie (Seattle, WA)
Ball Janik (Portland, OR)
Bose McKinney & Evans (Indianapolis, IN)
Kenny Nachwalter (Miami, FL)
Entwistle & Cappucci (Chicago, IL)

Tuesday = Slow Day

For some reason, Tuesday's seem to always be the slow day when it comes to rejections. Allows me to enjoy Tuesdays a lot more.

Yesterday, the mailbox was thankful...

The rejectors?

White & Case (Washington, DC)
Wiley Rein (Washington, DC)

Why?

I'm really struggling with how it's possible I've been unable to secure an offer from a firm for after graduation. I search every single day for something. My school's near-useless job posting list (only posting today was for a Korean-speaking attorney to work in Seoul). LawCrossing.com, has also been pretty useless. I desperately want the anxiety to end. This weekend was another one of massive rejections.

The rejectors?

Hepler Broom (Chicago, IL)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (Columbus, OH)
Cahill Gordon & Reindel (New York, NY)
Stinson Morrison Hecker (Kansas City, MO)
Kirkland & Ellis (Washington, DC)
Ober Kaler Grimes & Shriver (Baltimore, MD)
Greenberg Traurig (Dallas, TX)
Akin Gump (San Antonio, TX)
Reed Smith (Philadelphia, PA)
Keker & Van Nest (San Francisco, CA)
Smith Moore & Leatherwood (Raleigh, NC)
Baker & Hostetler (Washington, DC)
Blank Rome (Philadelphia, PA)
Goodwin Procter (New York, NY)
Latham & Watkins (Menlo Park, CA)
Blank Rome (New York, NY)
Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle (New York, NY)
Dilworth Paxson (Philadelphia, PA)
Skadden Arps (Palo Alto, CA)
O'Melveny & Myers (San Francisco, CA)
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (San Francisco, CA)
Orrick (San Francisco, CA)
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (Washington, DC)
Shearman & Sterling (Washington, DC)
Ice Miller (Indianapolis, IN)
Bass Berry & Sims (Nashville, TN)
Liskow & Lewis (New Orleans, LA)
Fulbright & Jaworski (Austin, TX)
Orrick (Menlo Park, CA)

Nervous

I'm feeling VERY nervous today about my chances of employment (by that, I mean GOOD employment) after graduation. It's been over two months since my interview in Philadelphia. And I know it'll be a month at least until I hear anything from Sacramento. At this point, those are my only two leads. And now I'm almost half-way through my last semester of law school. my career center has posted NOTHING job-wise worth looking at. I'm sure their focus is on 2009's OCI in the Fall. And of course, my list of rejections continues to grow...

Yesterday's rejectors?

Katz Teller Brant & Hild (Cincinnati, OH)
Nelson Mullins (Columbia, SC)

Not Sure What To Do

I am not sure what to do now. I've sent my most updated transcripts and resumes to all the decent firms in all the major markets in the US. I'm waiting on some sort of word from the two firms I've interviewed with that are still options. One in Philadelphia and one in Sacramento. And while I wait, the rejections keep pouring in.

Yesterday's rejectors?

King & Spalding (Washington, DC)
Davis & Harman (Washington, DC)
Alston & Bird (Washington, DC)
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan (Washington, DC)
Williams & Connolly (Washington, DC)
Steptoe & Johnson (Washington, DC)
King & Spalding (New York, NY)
DLA Piper (Palo Alto, CA)
Scott Douglass & McConnico (Austin, TX)
Bracewell & Giuliani (Dallas, TX)
Ballard Spahr (Salt Lake City, UT)
Pepper Hamilton (Detroit, MI)

The Waiting Game Returns

I had my interview in Sacramento on Friday and it went really really well. I was told I'd know within a month. So, now I wait. Again. I want this job more than anything in the world, so each day is going to be torture. And the decision clock (meaning the deadline for me to choose which bar exam I'm going to take) continues to tick.

And of course, I came home from the weekend in CA to find an enormous amount of rejection letters in the mail.

The rejectors?

Saul Ewing (Philadelphia, PA)
Bracewell & Giuliani (San Antonio, TX)
Hill Ward Henderson (Tampa, FL)
Keating Muething & Klekamp (Cincinnati, OH)
Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan (Raleigh, NC)
Sullivan & Cromwell (New York, NY)
Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson (Miami, FL)
DLA Piper (Sacramento, CA)
Skadden Arps (Boston, MA)
Skadden Arps (Washington, DC)
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher (Los Angeles, CA)
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher (New York, NY)
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher (Washington, DC)
Winthrop & Weinstine (Minneapolis, MN)
Baker Botts (New York, NY)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (Phoenix, AZ)
Miller Nash (Portland, OR)
Fennemore Craig (Phoenix, AZ)
Shefsky & Froelich (Chicago, IL)

Big Day Tomorrow

My interview in Sacramento is tomorrow morning. I'm really hopeful that it works out. It's exactly the kind of firm I want to be in and type of law I want to practice. And if I have to move from Chicago, California would be a great place to go. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Yesterday's rejectors?

K&L Gates (Pittsburgh, PA)
Miller Canfield (Detroit, MI)

At A Loss

I had an interview today for a position after graduation. Definitely NOT the type of job I (1) want and (2) imagined I'd be limited to when I first decided to attend law school.
I have an interview Friday in Sacramento with a great firm and I'm praying to God that it works out! I'm running out of time to decide where I'm going to be taking the bar exam.
I also had the irritating experience of sitting in my Career Center this afternoon to see a bunch of holiday cards posted on the wall from the big firms in Chicago. The firms that less than 20% of the students from my school get jobs with. That's a nice reminder to many of what isn't available at this point. Thanks!

Yesterday, I also (of course) received more rejections. I'm over 1160 now!

The rejectors?

Aking Gump (New York, NY)
Perkins Coie (Phoenix, AZ)
Hinshaw & Culbertson (Chicago, IL)

A Crazy Week

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. But a lot has happened in the past week... some good, some bad.

The Good: I have an interview tomorrow with the JAG Corp. I have an interview with a firm in Sacramento, CA on Friday (I'm praying this works out). And I have a third interview with the Cook County State's Attorney in two weeks!

The Bad: An immense amount of rejections.

The rejectors?

Drinker Biddle & Reath (Philadelphia, PA)
Farella Braun + Martel (San Francisco, CA)
Morrison & Foerster (San Francisco, CA)
Fish & Richardson (Austin, TX)
Covington & Burling (New York, NY)
Bickel & Brewer (Dallas, TX)
Skadden Arps (Palo Alto, CA)
Haynes & Boone (Austin, TX)
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (McLean, VA)
Weil Gotshal & Manges (Houston, TX)
Sheppard Mullin (New York, NY)
Sidley Austin (New York, NY)
Dewey& LeBoeuf (New York, NY)
Stoel Rives (Portland, OR)
Garvey Schubert Barer (Portland, OR)
Schiff Hardin (Chicago, IL)
Jones Day (San Francisco, CA)
Tonkon Torp (Portland, OR)
Finnegan Henderson (Reston, VA)
Skadden Arps (Houston, TX)
Skadden Arps (New York, NY)
Freshfields (New York, NY)
Latham & Watkins (Washington, DC)
Mintz Levin (Boston, MA)
Debevoise & Plimpton (New York, NY)
Hogan & Hartson (McLean, VA)
Frost Brown Todd (Cincinnati, OH)
Taft Stettinius & Hollister (Cincinnati, OH)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (Palo Alto, CA)
Greenberg Traurig (Chicago, IL)
Graydon Head (Cincinnati, OH)
Winstead (Austin, TX)
MGLaw (Nashville, TN)
Armstrong Teasdale (St. Louis, MO)
Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor (Wilmington, DE)
Bodman (Detroit, MI)
Baker Botts (Dallas, TX)
Akin Gump (Dallas, TX)
Pepper Hamilton (Wilmington, DE)
McGinnis Lochridge & Kilgore (Austin, TX)
Krieg DeVault (Indianapolis, IN)
Christian & Barton (Richmond, VA)
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (San Francisco, CA)
Hogan & Harton (New York, NY)
Shearman & Sterling (New York, NY)
Stone Pigman (New Orleans, LA)
Shook Hardy & Bacon (Kansas City, MO)
Baker & Hostetler (Columbus, OH)
Troutman Sanders (Chicago, IL)
Davis Wright Tremaine (Portland, OR)
McGlinchey Stafford (New Orleans, LA)
Jones Day (Los Angeles, CA)
Jones Day (San Diego, CA)
Jones Day (Columbus, OH)
McDonald Carano Wilson (Las Vegas, NV)
Trenam Kemker (Tampa, FL)
Dykema (Detroit, MI)
Gordon Feinblatt (Baltimore, MD)
Bingham McCutchen (New York, NY)
Dorsey & Whitney (Seattle, WA)
Finnegan Henderson (Palo Alto, CA)
Bryan Cave (St. Louis, MO)
Dinsmore & Shohl (Cincinnati, OH)
Gallagher Evelius & Jones (Baltimore, MD)
Boies Schiller & Flexner (New York, NY)
Greensfelder Hemker & Gale (St. Louis, MO)
Holland & Knight (Chicago, IL)
Gardere Wynne Sewell (Houston, TX)
Skadden Arps (Chicago, IL)
Sidley Austin (Chicago, IL)
Goodwin Procter (Boston, MA)
Baker & Hostetler (Cleveland, OH)
Faegre & Benson (Minneapolis, MN)
Gordon Derr (Seattle, WA)
Akin Gump (Austin, TX)
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly (Minneapolis, MN)
Drinker Biddle & Reath (Chicago, IL)
Goldberg Kohn (Chicago, IL)
Briggs & Morgan (Minneapolis, MN)
Morris Nichols (Wilmington, DE)
Jones Day (Dallas, TX)
Jackson Walker (Dallas, TX)
Husch Blackwell Sanders (Kansas City, MO)
Bracewell & Giuliani (Austin, TX)
Hunton & Williams (Richmond, VA)
DLA Piper (Chicago, IL)
Parr Brown Gee & Loveless (Salt Lake City, UT)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (Cleveland, OH)
Jones Day (Houston, TX)
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll (Baltimore, MD)
Quinn Emanuel (San Francisco, CA)

Weekend Woes

Another weekend of lots of rejections. However, I did get a promising email from a firm in Sacramento, of which I now have a phone interview on Wednesday! I'm not holding my breathe at this point, but we'll see.

The weekend's rejectors?

Morgan Lewis & Bockius (Chicago, IL)
Gallagher & Kennedy (Phoenix, AZ)
White & Williams (Philadelphia, PA)
Cairncross & Hempelmann (Seattle, WA)
Stites & Harbison (Atlanta, GA)
Holland & Knight (Miami, FL)
Fulbright & Jaworski (Houston, TX)
Baker & Hostetler (Houston, TX)
Quinn Emanuel (Los Angeles, CA)
Munger, Tolles & Olson (Los Angeles, CA)

Running Out of Time

I'm not a believer in miracles, but I really need one now. January is almost over and I'm still without even an interview lined up. Graduation is not going to be something to celebrate if I'm without a job.

Yesterday's rejectors?

Bryan Cave (Kansas City, MO)
Weil Gotshal & Manges (Miami, FL)
Mills Meyers Swartling (Seattle, WA)

Obama: Day One = More Of The Same

Yesterday, our new President was sworn in. I'm optimistic that he'll improve our country's economic conditions (meaning I'll actually be able to find a job!). However, Day 1 led to the following list of rejectors in my mailbox. It was a LARGE mail day.

King & Spalding (Houston, TX)
Osborn Maledon (Phoenix, AZ)
Lewis & Roca (Phoenix, AZ)
Leonard, Street & Deinard (Minneapolis, MN)
Hangley, Aronchick, Segal & Pudlin (Philadelphia, PA)
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld (Los Angeles, CA)
Kutak Rock (Denver, CO)
Mayer Brown (Los Angeles, CA)
Nutter McClennen & Fish (Boston, MA)
Dechert (Charlotte, NC)
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll (Philadelphia, PA)
Dean Mead Egerton Bloodworth Capouano & Bozarth (Orlando, FL)
Baker Botts (Houston, TX)
Gibbs & Bruns (Houston, TX)
Barnes & Thornburg (Indianapolis, IN)
Fredrikson & Byron (Minneapolis, MN)
Shughart Thomson & Kilroy (Kansas City, MO)
Gilmore & Bell (Kansas City, MO)
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney (Philadelphia, PA)
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom (Los Angeles, CA)
O'Melveny & Myers (San Francisco, CA)
DLA Piper (Seattle, WA)
Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman (Seattle, WA)
Moore & Van Allen (Charlotte, NC)
Bryan Cave (Phoenix, AZ)
Gammage & Burnham (Phoenix, AZ)
Morrison & Foerster (Los Angeles, CA)
Faegre & Benson (Denver, CO)
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (Washington, DC)
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll (Denver, CO)

Weekend of Woe

It's another weekend with no good news. Several days of jammed mailboxes of rejections. No positive emails. No positive phone calls. I finished one of my successful semester, raised the GPA, and yet it isn't appearing to be making a difference.

This weekend's rejectors?

Davis Wright Tremaine (Seattle, WA)
Littler Mendelson (San Francisco, CA)
Hill, Farrer & Burrill (Los Angeles, CA)
DLA Piper (San Diego, CA)
Baker & Hostetler (Denver, CO)
Dann, Pecar, Newman & Kleiman (Indianapolis, IN)
Foster Pepper (Seattle, WA)
Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland (Seattle, WA)
Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson (Minneapolis, MN)
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (Denver, CO)
Montgomery McCracken, Walker & Rhoads (Philadelphia, PA)
Santoro, Driggs, Walch, Kearney, Holley & Thompson (Las Vegas, NV)
Cooley Godward & Kronish (San Diego, CA)
Kilpatrick Stockton (Atlanta, GA)
Goodwin Procter (San Francisco, CA)
Warden Triplett Grier (Kansas City, MO)
Lewis Rice & Fingersh (Kansas City, MO)
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld (Houston, TX)
Alston & Bird (Atlanta, GA)
Snell & Wilmer (Phoenix, AZ)
Kolesar & Leatham (Las Vegas, NV)

Fear

It's really getting close to the point where I'm out of options. It's now mid-January. I have no interviews lined up. And, at this point, only one potential offer floating out there. But I'm going to have to decide at some point where I'm going to be taking the bar exam. And that decision has to be made before I graduate. I really hope something positive happens soon. Of course, the rejections keep coming.

Recent rejectors?

Akerman Senterfitt (Miami, FL)
Sidley Austin (San Francisco, CA)
Hunton & Williams (Miami, FL)
Burke Costanza & Cuppy (Indianapolis, IN)
DLA Piper (San Francisco, CA)
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney (Pittsburgh, PA)
Bilzin Sumberg (Miami, FL)
Baker & Daniels (Indianapolis, IN)
Fox Rothschild (Philadelphia, PA)
Miller & Martin (Atlanta, GA)
Jones Day (Atlanta, GA)

New Year? Seems Like More Of The Same

I spent the past week in a trial practice intensive course. While in the class, I was FLOODED with rejections. I'm now into my last semester of law school. I have no job lined up. No interviews lined up. I've sent out thousands of resumes and cover letters. Law school is looking like it's possibly been one of the biggest mistakes I could have made.

Last week's rejectors?

Holland & Knight (Los Angeles, CA)
Nossaman (Los Angeles, CA)
Hogan & Hartson (Miami, FL)
Covington & Burling (San Francisco, CA)
Winston & Strawn (San Francisco, CA)
Keker & Van Nest (San Francisco, CA)
DuaneMorris (Atlanta, GA)
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (San Francisco, CA)
WolfBlock (Philadelphia, PA)
Morgan Lewis & Bockius (Pittsburgh, PA)
Davis Kuelthau (Milwaukee, WI)
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge (Boston, MA)
Latham & Watkins (Los Angeles, CA)
Kirkland & Ellis (Los Angeles, CA)
Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin (San Francisco, CA)
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (San Francisco, CA)
Morrison & Foerster (San Diego, CA)
Foley & Lardner (Tampa, FL)
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz (Atlanta, GA)
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan (Atlanta, GA)
King & Spalding (Atlanta, GA)
Fulbright & Jaworski (Los Angeles, CA)
Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker (Atlanta, GA)
Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer & Risley (Atlanta, GA)
Latham & Watkins (San Diego, CA)
Bryan Cave (Los Angeles, CA)
Lane Powell (Seattle, WA)
Holland & Knight (Tampa, FL)
Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed (Orlando, FL)
Epstein Becker & Green (Atlanta, GA)
Kilpatrick Stockton (Atlanta, GA)
Shutts & Bowen (Miami, FL)
Hanson Bridgett (San Francisco, CA)
Folger Levin & Kahn (San Francisco, CA)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (San Francisco, CA)
Mintz Levin Cohen Ferris Glovsky and Popeo (Boston, MA)
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (Boston, MA)
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner (Atlanta, GA)
Blank Rome (Philadelphia, PA)
Sidley Austin (Los Angeles, CA)
Irell & Manella (Los Angeles, CA)
Kenny Nachwalter (Miami, FL)
Dilworth Paxson (Philadelphia, PA)
Cooper, White & Cooper (San Francisco, CA)
Holland & Knight (Orlando, FL)
Bingham McHale (Indianapolis, IN)
DLA Piper (Tampa, FL)
Fowler White Boggs (Tampa, FL)
DLA Piper (San Diego, CA)
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton (San Francisco, CA)
Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi (Boston, MA)
Greenberg Traurig (Miami, FL)
Manatt Phelps & Phillips (Los Angeles, CA)
Holland & Knight (Boston, MA)
Jorden Burt (Miami, FL)
Morrison & Foerster (San Francisco, CA)
Haynes and Boone (Dallas, TX)
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (Los Angeles, CA)
Altshuler Berzon (San Francisco, CA)
Greenberg Traurig (Chicago, IL)
Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek (Milwaukee, WI)
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein (Charlotte, NC)
King & Spalding (Charlotte, NC)
O'Melveny & Myers (Los Angeles, CA)
Weaver Austin Villeneuve Sampson (Oakland, CA)
Alston & Bird (Charlotte, NC)
Squire Sanders & Dempsey (Miami, FL)
Latham & Watkins (San Francisco, CA)
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hmapton (Los Angeles, CA)
Foley Hoag (Boston, MA)
Fish & Richardson (Boston, MA)
Hughes Hubbard & Reed (Los Angeles, CA)
DLA Piper (Atlanta, GA)
Arnall Golden Gregory (Atlanta, GA)
Morris Manning & Martin (Atlanta, GA)
Hunton & Williams (Charlotte, NC)
Reed Smith (Los Angeles, CA)

New Year, New Hope

Well, 2008 has come and gone. It started with me scrambling in the hope of finding a summer associate position. It didn't work out. It ended with me scrambling to find an associate position for after school. So far, that too didn't work out. Here's hoping I find what I'm looking for in 2009.

The end of the 2008 year rejectors?

Bowditch & Dewey (Boston, MA)
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (San Francisco, CA)
Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney (Chicago, IL)