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Study abroad and biglaw

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:43 pm

Hey all! I’m a Current 2L at a T14 - I have an SA lined up at a firm in the market I want to be in, and they have an almost 100% offer rate (every year there’s one or two that don’t get offers, but fwiw the office I’ll be at has had 100% for as far back as I could find...) and I’m VERY seriously considering spending 3L abroad in Europe. The exchange program awards a European LLM concurrently with the JD I’ll get back home.

Are there any real concerns that I shouldn’t go? I figure if I get no-offered (please gods don’t do that to me...) then I’ll just reneg on the abroad program and hustle back home for a post-grad job... My only other possible concern is that the grades I get abroad will all count as “pass/fail” so my gpa will be locked in after 2L - though I’m currently on track to finish with a gpa above the cutoff for cum laude for the last few years, and have no hope of getting magna.

Thoughts?
TIA

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tyrant_flycatcher

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by tyrant_flycatcher » Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:27 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Hey all! I’m a Current 2L at a T14 - I have an SA lined up at a firm in the market I want to be in, and they have an almost 100% offer rate (every year there’s one or two that don’t get offers, but fwiw the office I’ll be at has had 100% for as far back as I could find...) and I’m VERY seriously considering spending 3L abroad in Europe. The exchange program awards a European LLM concurrently with the JD I’ll get back home.

Are there any real concerns that I shouldn’t go? I figure if I get no-offered (please gods don’t do that to me...) then I’ll just reneg on the abroad program and hustle back home for a post-grad job... My only other possible concern is that the grades I get abroad will all count as “pass/fail” so my gpa will be locked in after 2L - though I’m currently on track to finish with a gpa above the cutoff for cum laude for the last few years, and have no hope of getting magna.

Thoughts?
TIA
Since you can apparently back out of the program if the worst happens, I see no downside.

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goldenflash19

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by goldenflash19 » Fri Jan 19, 2018 11:31 pm

I did a study abroad for half of my 3L year. Best experience ever.
Everyone at my firm thought the program sounded amazing.

I was insanely jealous of the students from schools that allowed them to spend the whole year abroad and earn the LLM.

Bon voyage!

sparty99

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by sparty99 » Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:26 am

I studied abroad and did not have a job lined up but got a big law job spring semester. I would go abroad regardless of my job prospects. It's a once and a lifetime opportunity. You will never remember the classes you took 3L year 20 years from now but you will remember going abroad.

kpterrifico

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by kpterrifico » Sat Jan 20, 2018 11:30 am

totally agree with the above few posters. i studied abroad as a 3L (fall semester). best decision ever. 3L classes don't matter for shit. so take the year and travel as much as possible because you're not going to get another opportunity to do it for a very long time.

the odds are nearly 100% that you're getting an offer. the risk is tiny; the reward, great. and if you don't go, you'll regret it.

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TheoO

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by TheoO » Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:50 pm

My study abroad was the highlight of what was otherwise a pretty shitty law school experience. I missed some opportunities because of it since I wanted to change firms and didn’t have the chance to apply to some firms I wanted to switch to, but I had an offer in hand and decided to do it. I wouldn’t trade it still. I highly recommend it.

T14Dilemma

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by T14Dilemma » Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:47 am

Do it. Studying abroad my 3L year was the best decision I could have made for both my personal life and my career.

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jbagelboy

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by jbagelboy » Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:02 am

Don’t do it if you want to clerk. Otherwise, so long ss you are happy at your summer firm, its a terrific experience and so much more fun than ordinary law school.

CanadianWolf

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by CanadianWolf » Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:42 am

OP: Will you be studying a common law or civil law curriculum ? Just curious. Are you willing to share more details about the country or law school ? Again, just curious.

Sounds interesting. There are a few--maybe 3-- US/Canadian programs left. Study 2 years at a US law school (Colorado or Michigan State or Wayne State if I recall correctly) and 2 years in Canada which results in law degrees in both countries. (NYU did away with their joint program with Osgoode Hall several years ago).

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Stifling

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by Stifling » Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:54 am

CanadianWolf wrote:OP: Will you be studying a common law or civil law curriculum ? Just curious. Are you willing to share more details about the country or law school ? Again, just curious.

Sounds interesting. There are a few--maybe 3-- US/Canadian programs left. Study 2 years at a US law school (Colorado or Michigan State or Wayne State if I recall correctly) and 2 years in Canada which results in law degrees in both countries. (NYU did away with their joint program with Osgoode Hall several years ago).
Harvard also has jd/llm program with university of Cambridge, but it's 3 1/2 years instead of 3

OP: I think it really doesn't matter for bigaw, a lot of my friends are doing/did jd/llm program and was fine at their firms. but none of them were trying for clerkship though.

CanadianWolf

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by CanadianWolf » Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:57 am

Although dual country law degrees are not very useful currently.

Relevance today: PwC--the most prestigious Big Four accounting firm--just (October, 2017) opened up their first US law office in Washington D.C. (the only US jurisdiction in which non-lawyers can have an ownership interest in a law firm & share in the earnings). Only 6 lawyers & all with foreign law degrees. PwC emloys about 2,500 attorneys total (I believe that this is the total number of US attorneys although they can be placed worldwide.

Biggest issue on the horizon for the legal profession: What constitutes the practice of law & antitrust concerns.
Last edited by CanadianWolf on Tue Jan 30, 2018 11:10 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by CanadianWolf » Tue Jan 30, 2018 11:05 am

Clearly, accounting firms engage in what most regard as the practice of law. The major accounting firms are just too large for any one state jurisdiction to handle. Years ago, Texas tried, and lost. The state was simply outspent.

A major concern among law firms is the formal entry of the major accounting firms into the practice of law. Again, will focus on defining "what constitutes the practice of law" and then examined in light of anti-trust law.

Stifling

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by Stifling » Tue Jan 30, 2018 11:08 am

CanadianWolf wrote:Clearly, accounting firms engage in what most regard as the practice of law. The major accounting firms are just too large for any one state jurisdiction to handle. Years ago, Texas tried, and lost. The state was simply outspent.

A major concern among law firms is the formal entry of the major accounting firms into the practice of law. Again, will focus on defining "what constitutes the practice of law" and then examined in light of anti-trust law.
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CanadianWolf

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by CanadianWolf » Tue Jan 30, 2018 11:11 am

Sorry if unclear to you.

Currently a major issue in the legal field. Tied into this thread because OP will get a foreign law degree (LLM) due to study abroad. All of PwC's attorneys in DC have foreign law degrees & are positioning the practice as giving advice to US interests regarding foreign legal matters only.

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goldenflash19

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Re: Study abroad and biglaw

Post by goldenflash19 » Tue Jan 30, 2018 4:05 pm

Are people suggesting not to study abroad if you want to clerk because studying abroad will prevent you from submitting applications/interviewing during law school or because judges won’t like that an applicant studied abroad during law school?

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