When It Comes to Your Legal Career, Play the Long Game
Dear 2L, If you are disappointed with your OCI results so far, please do not despair, but do be ready to pivot before it’s too late.
Here’s a recap of what I’m seeing plus some thoughts for you.
🔷
Things started out rough when BigLaw pulled the rug out.
🔸 Several prestigious firms:
—moved recruiting to earlier than ever before,
—started “apply direct” systems on their own websites, and
—made contingent offers BEFORE grades (often behind your schools’ backs).
🔸 Added to that came discouraging news that firms had massively overhired for the past 2 years.
—That was partly because they hired big classes in the post-pandemic surge, and partly because the class of 2024 is so big (also pandemic related).
🔸 The result?
—smaller summer-class sizes at many firms,
—more law students securing jobs before OCI,
—fewer opportunities for those late to networking.
⬇️
So, what does that mean for you now, in mid-OCI limbo?
—> You may need to change geographic locations and recalibrate expectations.
If that happens, it does NOT mean you’re settling for second best, or
failing to live up to your potential.
It means ONLY that you’re being strategic in your planning and remaining open-minded in your long-term thinking.
🔸 Many successful attorneys started their careers in places they never imagined, only to find that these experiences shaped them into better lawyers and opened doors they never anticipated.
Take me, for example:
—I started in Boston my 2L summer.
—Then I had to scramble my 3L fall to get to a firm in NYC for post-JD.
—As a lawyer, I went to Philly, Hershey, Newark, NJ, and then back to Philly.
—And today, I work nowhere and everywhere.
🔸 Remember: Your first workplace after of law school is just that—your first workplace. It’s a stepping stone, not a final destination.
—By being open to different locations, you may even be expanding your potential for growth and success long-term.
—You might even find that a different type of firm in an unexpected location offers invaluable experience that will set you up for long-term success in one of your desired locations later on. That’s how things worked for me.
⬇️
What matters are:
—the skills you develop
—the relationships you build, and
—the attitude you bring to your efforts.
Stay positive, keep gaining abilities, and never step expanding and strengthening your network.
Play the long career game.
It’s the only one that matters in the end.
💌 Amanda
🗳️ LAWYERS: Did you start out in one location and then have to pivot?
Our 2Ls need inspiring stories and circuitous career paths for guides!