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)
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3 comments:
That's quite a list.
I just discovered your blog. My goodness, I am so sorry you have endured so much rejection. I, too, went to Loyola Law School in Chicago and I graduated number 8 from 215 students back in 2006. Nonetheless, I was rejected from every "major law firm" to which I applied and 50 appellate judges. I worked for a while as a personal injury lawyer, then gave it up because I concluded that the law is stupid and it did not fit my personality.
I certainly do not wish to make light of your ordeals. On the other hand, your problems are emblematic of the employment dilemma facing Americans who "make all the right moves" yet wind up getting stuck out to dry with crushing, career-strangling debt. Still, there is a silver lining to all this: Not getting a legal job may actually be a blessing in disguise. During my time in practice, I nearly suffered a nervous breakdown after daily browbeatings and insults from our boss. I had the misfortune of actually insisting on ethics, principles and legal theory, and I discovered that those things are actually inconsistent--and indeed hostile to--the ethos of modern legal practice. Getting out of the law was the best decision I ever made, even though I loved law school and thinking about real legal issues. The irony is that practice has nothing to do with what you learn there. In practice, independent thinking will get you reprimanded or worse.
You obviously have the capacity to endure endless frustration in your quest to get a job. I salute you for that; I gave up on the rat race very quickly when I recognized that great grades and intelligence actually HAMPER your chances to become an "employee" in this country. You see, employers want you to make them money. If you are too creative and perceptive, you will start questioning how self-centered, greedy and petty they are, then wondering why you are busting your ass to make them rich. These things will land you in hot water precisely because they stem from your intelligence. To be a "good lawyer" in today's climate, you need to be a consummate bootlicker who can mechanically follow commands with no life and no ambition other than money and "making partner."
Thanks for all your effort in maintaining this blog. I write one, too, and it touches on many issues that consternate you. I think you might like this post:
http://reasoncommercejustice.blogspot.com/2009/04/law-firms-adopt-talent-model-for-new.html
Or check out my archives about Employment, Lawyers, Law Firms and Get A Job.
I really hope things work out for you after you graduate. But don't be discouraged. You can always get contract jobs to pay the bills. If you are healthy and you have people who love you, that is the important thing. You will always be able to make money. My Dad died when I was studying for the Bar and that really put things in perspective for me. All this law nonsense is exactly that: Nonsense. Don't let them get you down! You probably wouldn't be happy even if you did get offers to work for them.
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