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Entering The Race: Advice For Law Students

What can law students do today to keep themselves out of the unemployment line tomorrow?

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I assume that a typical law student reader of Above the Law is attending an elite law school, has awesome grades, and is being groomed to be the next SCOTUS clerk or equity partner of a Vault 20 firm. If this describes you, then don’t waste your time reading the rest of this nonsensical piece. But if you are one of the rare outliers who has a few B pluses staining his résumé, you will have to make some strategic moves during your 2L and 3L years or you are likely to be jobless after graduation.

Since another law school year is almost over, I want to interrupt my regularly scheduled Back in the Race programming to give some advice to law students that I wish someone had shared with me. The advice I provide is time-consuming and stress-inducing because it will require working, studying, and more. To make things worse, as post-graduation employment numbers remain bleak, following my advice will not guarantee employment. But I hope it will make the reader a more competitive candidate for employment in this challenging job market.

To the Future 2L: After finishing your first year, you should consider transferring to a higher ranked different school. Whether you transfer or stay, you will need to start gaining professional experience in order to be competitive.

When I was a student at my fourth-tier law school many years ago, transferring was reserved for top students. But in light of the law school crisis, and as more wannabes are not enrolling or wisely dropping out, 1Ls have a better shot at transferring into a higher-ranked school even without pristine grades.

At my school, even the honors graduates and the valedictorian had to hustle outside of their studies during their 2L and 3L years to get their prestigious jobs. So if you are aiming for Biglaw, a federal clerkship, or tenure-track academia, you will have to transfer to a top school to maximize your chances. But for those who have more modest goals, while I still recommend transferring, I wouldn’t necessarily aim for a higher-ranked school. Instead, choose a school that provides the best combination of (1) getting the job you want, (2) location in the geographical area where you want to practice, and (3) lower tuition. Even if you want to stay at your current school, you may be able to demand lower tuition or a free ride if you have a transfer acceptance letter from a higher-ranked school and threaten to leave.

Wherever you end up your 2L year, in this economy, you will need to get professional experience, establish relationships, and maintain good grades. This means you will have to work in a legal capacity and go to class. Sorry, there is no way around this, especially if you are not attending an elite school. In order to pull this off without pulling your hair out, I recommend scheduling your classes so that you only go to school two days per week, three at most. The other days should be spent working at a law firm or interning for the government. I recommend this because from my experience, law firms prefer to hire people who are available two full days as opposed to four part-time days. Also, I personally think it is better to have separate days for work and school.

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How much time you spend at your job should depend on your grades. If you have a shot at graduating with honors, spend more time studying and less time working. But if your grades are marginal or irreparably bad, then focus more on gaining work experience.

Finally, try to meet the leaders of the local bar associations and, if possible, volunteer to help organize one or two functions per semester.

To the Future 3L: By this time, you should know your approximate class rank. You should also have figured out what area(s) of law you want to practice and know the people who can help you find job leads.

Over the summer, you should be working for a firm practicing in your specialty area. Otherwise, go to summer school so you can free up your 3L year either working or getting a head start on the bar exam.

Some have suggested becoming a visiting or special student at another law school for the 3L year. From my research, being a visiting student at a top school does not have nearly the same benefits as a transfer student. The main disadvantage is that you do not get your J.D. from the school you visit. Also, your current school will need to approve the move, which can get awkward. Finally, the school you plan to visit may not offer courses needed for graduation at your current school. However, there are advantages. Even though you don’t get the law degree, you may qualify for a certificate or obtain advance credits for their LL.M. programs. If you plan to practice in the area, you can join the local bar associations for free or at a reduced cost and try to establish contacts.

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As in your 2L year, you should spend two to three days per week working. You may be able to work four days per week if you can secure a credit-only externship or have a reduced class load. Since your GPA and class rank are most likely set, this may be the best time to take the senioritis “Law and…” classes or do an independent study.

Connections matter, especially now. It is crucial that you participate in all local bar association events. Volunteer to help organize dinners and functions. Co-author an article for a local publication. Join committees. The purpose of this is to meet people who will become your supporters for any job openings. You don’t want to crawl to them when you are desperate and when they are not in a position to help you.

Finally, spend the last semester preparing for the bar exam. I hear that a few schools teach classes that are functionally equivalent to bar exam prep courses. So if your school has one, take advantage of it and possibly avoid an expensive bar review class. If you’re lucky, you should spend the remaining time finalizing job offers and negotiating salaries.

I want to conclude with some thoughts to law school administrators who may not take kindly to some (or all) of my advice above. It’s no secret that law schools have been getting a bad rep lately, and if the much deserved application free fall continues, a few schools may not make it out of this crisis alive. What should administrators do? First, adjust your curriculum so that your students have time to gain professional contacts and experience when they are not in class. Do not impair your students’ mobility by scheduling graduation-required courses every day of the week. And don’t force your students to take Evidence as a 2L when it is very likely they will forget everything they learned after the final exam.

Second, some law schools should accept the fact their best students will finish their educations elsewhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the students that transferred out feel like they “escaped” from your school. This is wrong. The students who transfer have a good chance of working for strong firms after graduation and they should remember your school as the one that provided the foundation of their legal education and gave them a shot when no one else would. You’re not doing anyone a favor by holding them back. So instead of the usual practice of bribing, guilt-tripping, or stonewalling your best students into staying at your school, help them decide what is in their best interest and be unconditionally supportive of their decision. Because if one of your former students becomes a managing partner of a prestigious firm in a decade or two, then maybe, just maybe, she can convince her partners to give your school a shot at OCI.

Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached at sachimalbe@excite.com.

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