Entering The Race: #fourthtierproblems

This is what it's like trying to get a job coming out of a low-ranked law school, according to columnist Shannon Achimalbe.

For many 2Ls and 3Ls, OCI is over. Some of you are fortunate enough to stress over the first-world problem of deciding which summer-associate offer to accept. Congratulations.

Others are not as fortunate. When I was a student at my fourth-tier law school, I and some of my classmates ran into some problems that made it harder for us to find jobs and map out our careers. I call these problems #fourthtierproblems.

1. Researching law firms.

When I started my 1L year at my fourth-tier law school, I did not know about the legal job market other than what was published in the U.S. News and World Report law school rankings (back in the good old days when 90% of the graduates were making $160,000 per year immediately after graduation) and some anecdotal stories. I knew in a vague sense that there were “prestigious” law firms that paid well and led to solid careers, but I didn’t know which ones they were. I should point out that this was before the existence of ATL, and most of the good (and vitriolic) law school blogs and message forums.

The professors and the administration at my school didn’t say much about Biglaw and downplayed it as much as possible. I suppose it was because if we researched these firms and learned that they rarely hired from our school, it would give us more reasons to transfer to better-ranked schools.

My classmates and I were told that we would have better chances of getting noticed by regional and local mid-sized law firms. The problem was that I didn’t know how to research them. Not knowing any better, I thought that if a firm hired a large number of attorneys, they paid larger salaries. But information was scarce. Few lawyers from these firms were willing to speak with us and even fewer were willing to disclose how much (or how little) money they made.

It’s one thing to learn about these firms. It’s a different story trying to get a job at one of these places. Which brings me to the next fourth-tier problem.

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2. When OCI becomes NOCI.

My school had a summer OCI, although I can safely assume mine was a lot smaller than the other schools.

Every year, on average, one Biglaw firm and a few well-known government agencies and mid-size firms would participate. But they interviewed only the top five percent of the class. And even then, their chances of getting an offer were slim as they competed with the top and middle-ranked students from higher-ranked schools.

My school’s OCI was primarily attended by small firms, solo practitioners, public service organizations, lesser-known government offices, and pro bono programs. But some of them did only informational interviews with no intention of hiring. Others were also picky about grades and class rank. Others interviewed but would not extend an offer until many months later or even after graduation. This is because solo practitioners and small firms do not have a structured hiring plan. They hire on an “as needed” basis and contact whoever is available.

So a lot of us got nothing from OCI. A few of my classmates smelled blood in the water and dropped out of school early on, hopefully getting a full tuition refund.  Some of us had to scrounge and scramble. We checked Symplicity every day. We contacted everyone we knew about any openings. Others just didn’t care and focused on classes.

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3L OCI was even worse. Fewer firms expressed interest in 3Ls, particularly those whose chances of passing the bar exam were uncertain. I suppose there wasn’t much use for a 3L who was only available two to three days per week to work and would be studying for the bar exam not too long afterwards.

3. Worrying about the future.

Despite the dismal results, being rejected during OCI was not my biggest concern. Considering that I did not get good grades during my three years of law school and I did not get a single interview during OCI, it made me worry about my future. While I was worried about many things, two concerns stuck out in particular.

The first concern I had was how I planned to pass the bar exam. The top and mid-ranked law schools (until recently) consistently had decent bar passage rates. So I assume that most of their students felt confident about passing so long as they studied for it.

But in my case, the bar exam was something to be feared. Twice every year, my classmates and I would learn the horrible bar passage rates. One year it was so bad that I’m sure members of law review, moot court and the Order of the Coif were among those who failed. Almost every one of my upperclassmen spent thousands of dollars on a prep course. It has gotten to the point where the dean stopped offering an explanation.

Seeing all of these smart people fail worried me. When you spend time worrying about failing the bar exam, it takes time away from studying. Worrying also makes it harder to focus. Not studying and meeting your daily goals only makes you worry more and question your abilities, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The second concern I had was whether I would be in control of my career. This is because I had absolutely no control over anything while I was in law school. None of the firms I was interested in interviewed me. I clerked for firms in other areas out of necessity (although that was not necessarily a bad thing). Towards the end of my 3L year, I wondered whether I would spend the early years of my career sending out résumés to any firm that might hire me, work there for a short period of time, and then repeat the process. At times I even wondered whether I would be practicing law or give it up altogether.

So these are some of the #fourthtierproblems that I – and presumably others in my shoes – had to deal with. For the regular ATL readers, this is nothing new. But I want to close with two thoughts. One is a warning to current law students of what to expect. I suspect that these are no longer just fourth-tier problems. With rising tuition and tepid job growth in a supposedly recovering economy, I do not see things getting any better. On the other hand, despite these setbacks, you might turn out okay so long as you have realistic expectations.


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 by email at sachimalbe@excite.com and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.