Fall Recruiting Snafu Watch: An Unusual Gift from Arnold & Porter
From an ATL reader going through the law firm recruiting process right now:
I've enjoyed reading about various law firm recruiting snafus on Above the Law over the last few months. I just never thought I would be lucky enough to encounter one of my own.I recently came home to an unusually thick envelope from Arnold & Porter (DC). Inside there was a typical ethnicity request form (to be mailed back to them for recordkeeping), a return envelope, and finally, much to my surprise -- a refrigerator warranty!
Yep, that's right. While other firms are busy sending recruits bonsai trees, iPods, and designer cookies, Arnold & Porter sends its rejects their appliance warranties.
Our tipster sent along a scanned copy of the warranty registration form:
Earlier: Public Humiliation, Courtesy of Your Friends at Wilson Sonsini
Fall Recruiting Snafu Watch: You Know They Really Don't Want You When...
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(23) Comments
ha
FIRSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Damn, if that was meant to be a rejection, that's cold.
Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week. Try the fish.
Too bad ripoff law schools don't come with a warranty. Look at the latest offering on the Loyola job board. $15/hour and he wants top 25% of class. A job with no future and no hope. An employer who only wants you because you have access to free Westlaw (that's a key reason why these small firms hire students, if you weren't aware.) This is what three grueling years of education and $120,000 of tuition get you, when you fall victim to the brochures of Loyola Law School.
Employer Name: xx
Contact Name: xx
Address: xx
City: Pasadena, CA 91101
Telephone: xx
Facsimile: xx
E-Mail: xx
Description: HOURS: Part-time. SALARY: $15/Hour STUDENT LEVEL: 2L, 3L QUALIFICATIONS: Top Qtr. Class with excellent research and writing skills. JOB DESCRIPTION: Research and preparation of memoranda. EMPLOYER PRACTICE/DESCRIPTION: AV Criminal Trial Defense/Business Litigation practice FIRM SIZE: Solo Practitioner NOTES: Practice in state and federal courts. HOW TO APPLY: Submit resume, cover letter and writing sample via e-mail to xx
Date Entered: 11/12/07
Job ID: 420153
That was me, besting you idiots at your "first" shenanigans.
A&P's office @ 555 12th street -- looks like a spaceship inside. Coolest inside office in DC.
L2L - That ain't just a California thing. There's a cheap (yet large) Long Island firm that does this as well.
How could you guys conceivably care about this kind of thing? So they grabbed too many papers when they put them in the envelope, sending over something uninteresting. Are your lives really that dull?
They all do it 12:14. The day Westlaw starts enforcing their "don't use westlaw for work" rule is the day these small firms stop posting 2L,3L jobs on Loyola's job board.
Was this sent to one person or everyone who got rejected?
This post was a total waste of time, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Investigate the rest of the Supreme hires of '08 and Thomas's '09.
ha,
Aren't you actually participating in the "first" schenanigans? Doesn't that make you just as bad as those "idiots"?
L2L: Please, enough already. The schtick is tired. We don't come here to be depressed over your situtation- We come here because our lives suck enough and we want to read something entertaining.
Yeah, and most of these letters (even the ones with out refrigerator warranties) went out well after OGI when we had already finished rejecting them or (in a few cases) when they had already rejected us.
Real Class A Operation.
Dear 12:41.
Clearly, no. But thanks for your leading question.
Also, I spelled "shenanigans" correctly for you, idiot.
12:59 - Enjoy chasing ambulances in Newark, you goon.
L2L, I don't think you can call 3 years of Loyola Law education "grueling."
Loyola is "grueling" in the same way a massive crap is - you can either get it done in a minute or stay a while and read something; either way, in the end, you're left with a bowl of you know what.
Gallion OUT!
A&P took six weeks to reject me. First they didn't show up at my interview. It was first thing in the morning; I was there early, but I guess 9 AM is too much to ask of the recruiter. Then, over a week later, they called me at 7 in the morning to reschedule, and we arranged a phone interview. (I'd already left DC by then and had told them how long I would still be in town; they called the day after I flew home.)
The phone interview was the only part of the process that was handled at all competently. Perfectly nice interviewer. Then they took another month after that to send me a rejection letter, during which time I wrote to them to ask politely whether I might hear back from them soon. They said "next week"; it took them two weeks. When I finally got the letter, I was not surprised by its message. Hell, a fridge warranty would have been a nice personal touch.
They treated the top student in my class similarly poorly, so it's not just that my imperfect qualifications merited rude treatment.
I have no idea how they have managed to pick up nearly 400 lawyers in D.C., with such inept recruiting.
A+P told me they would get back to me "in 2 to 3 days" after a call-back........ that was A MONTH AGO.
I work for a BIGLAW firm and I just want to put tis out there: I refuse to talk to contract attorneys. There. I said it. I love and respect the support staff, but with the contract attotneys-I just can't do it.
Why, 3:15?