[blindlaw] 10 tips for getting noticed by recruiters

[Daniel McBride]

When I was working for the corporate firm in my freshman year of law school,
the firm name was Liddell, Sapp, Zivley, Brown & LaBoon.  Next to Fulbright
& Jaworski and Vinson & Elkins, it was the third largest firm in Houston,
with offices in Austin, Dallas and Washington, D.C.  At that time, Locke &
Purnell was the largest firm in Dallas, with offices in Austin and
Washington, D.C.  Lord & Bissell was a large corporate firm out of Chicago,
with offices in the United States, London and Hong Kong.

 

Somewhere along the line, Locke & Purnell merged with Lord & Bissell.
Shortly thereafter, Locke, Lord & Bissell merged with Liddell, Sapp.  The
firm is now Locke, Lord, Bissell & Liddell, with offices in 13 cities in
America, London and Hong Kong.

 

While employed at Liddell, Sapp, part of my job duties involved the
recruiting and hiring of new associates for fall and spring hiring classes.
I can tell you that their list of 'acceptable' law schools included the Ivy
League, Michigan, Stanford, Notre Dame, Illinois, UC Berkeley, Texas, Texas
Tech, Baylor & SMU to name a few.

 

And you had to graduate Magna Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude to be considered.

 

I'm sure there are exceptions to every rule.  However, the top notch law
firms in this country recruit graduates only from the most prestigious
schools who are at the top of their class.

 

Angie, with all due respect to your alma mater, I cannot say that I have any
idea where Virginia ranks.  However, I would not believe it to be in the top
20 to 30 schools.  But, that's just a guess.  With all due respect to my
alma mater (South Texas College of Law), it isn't even on the list, and a
South Texas grad can forget about it.  And, perhaps, we might differ on what
is meant by a 'top' firm.  I am talking 'elite' firms such as Fulbright &
Jaworski, Vinson & Elkins and Locke Lord.  To get into one of these firms,
you best attend an Ivy League school and graduate no less than Magna Cum
Laude.

 

Now, of course, if one should attend any ABA accredited law school, graduate
Cum Laude and have an uncle or aunt in Congress, or a top executive at a
Wall Street firm, then they can probably be an exception to the general
rule.

 

And, if you lack these credentials, the other 10 tips are of little value.
That's just my 2 cents worth.

 

Dan McBride

Fort Worth, Texas