3 Things I Did to Get Jobs with Average Law School Grades

THE 3 THINGS I DID TO GET JOBS WITH AVERAGE LAW SCHOOL GRADES

I graduated in the middle of my law school class. When you have average or low grades, and you are applying for posted positions, you may lose out to other candidates with higher grades.

Here’s a roadmap of how I avoided this situation and got my first lawyer job.

For context, I graduated in 2010 amid the Great Recession.

It was very difficult to get a job at that time.

1.      I niched down.
I only focused on small firms with government contracts practices in the Washington DC area that had law school alumni working there.

I picked government contracts because I liked it, and also figured most others wouldn't pick it.

I obtained a list of alumni lawyers fitting these criteria from my career services office.

I emailed everyone on the list and asked them to meet up for coffee to talk about their practices.

I did not ask for jobs! Very important, see point 2.

2.      I didn’t ask for jobs, and I put the focus on the lawyer I was contacting.

Asking for a job outright can make people ignore you or recoil from you, so instead I asked about the other person.

I sent emails to the alumni list saying I was a law student at their alma mater, and would they have time to meet for coffee to talk about their law practice?

Outcome: people responded because they like to help students, and they like to talk about their law practices.

3.      I networked my way into unposted positions.

If you are applying to a posted position, you will be compared to others with higher grades, potentially putting you at a disadvantage.

If you are applying to an unposted position (by networking your way into a position), then you are not being compared to others.

I’m not saying this will work for you, but I would encourage you to try it and see what happens.

Please share your experiences in the comments to help law students and professionals with the grades issue.

PS: I am hiring for a litigation position!

If you or someone you know is licensed in Virginia and interested in litigating employment + business cases for my small firm, contact me.