I'm a law student who seems to never get things in the right place. I've studied day in and out only to get an above average rank in my class. While more than half my batchmates are getting great internships by contacts and someone close to them in senior positions in the firm, I'm left applying to 10-15 of them and following up continuously for months with no reply. And it's not that I've tried. Just that I've not been given any chance to excel, and I truly believe I can do so. I've had wonderful tier 3 firm internship experiences, where I have excelled . Ive tried making connections, but always end up contacting the wrong people who never help. I've participated in really big moots, but almost lose in the semi/ quarter finals, or one of my team members ditch me etc. Everyone around me at least work hard in something and actually achieve an opportunity, but Im the ONLY one left out putting in 200 percent of my work and ending up with nothing.
Yeah, most tier 1 and 2 firms these days only hire or offer internships if you have contacts, direct application do not work at all, and RCC only shortlists for top 10 Ranks, that too in Tier 1 NLUs.
This is untrue, can attest from personal experience. Put an effort into your cover letter and send cold emails. It just needs to work once. It did for me and changed my life.
send cold emails to whom? Ive sent so many to partners in all firms but there is absolutely no response.
Cover letter? Dude I worked super hard on it, Ive even gotten good grades but not top 10, good publications, internships previously, one national moot, but nothing.
Let me clarify, I am not a fresher. I had a couple years of experience before I attempted this. I made a list of all T1 partners who were big in my field. I researched cases they had recently won on their LinkedIn, articles they had written, Chambers/Legal500 rankings they had received. I spoke about what I was doing, what was unique about my learnings at my current firm in my cover letter. I emailed and followed up for a long, long time. It worked out. I know it sounds like bullshit advice on the internet, but i swear to you, it works.
Kudos! And it doesn't sound like bullshit at all: if you immerse yourself so deeply in a subject, any subject (not just job applications), you are likely to get something out of it.
All this internship stuff reminds me that students don't understand a basic problem. This is a market that is controlled by demand and supply laws. All this "I am this and I am that..." or "I am willing to work hard to make a stellar career in bullshitting, etc..." are pointless. The reader of resumes on the other side thinks, "Another showoff...what's new here? Nothing".
From student level, drill it that we are service providers. We need to help someone else achieve their goals - businesses or litigants. Have you tried solving anyone's problem? What are the problems you can solve for partners of law firms that you so badly want to please? A business mind would think, what is the demand and let me supply it. The demand for partners is this: 1. Clients, 2. Fame / Recognition, and 3. Time. Let's consider each demand and what can be done on supply.
1. Clients:
I understand that most from middle class background won't know bankers, funds or CEOs to give leads to partners. So opening doors to client development is not a great activity. But I have seen streets kids who early on start networking and create referral opportunities for small or large work or just make introductions.
2. Fame / Recognition:
Here is where you have good opportunity to help some partner, particularly a junior partner achieve recognition. How? Invite them to write for your college blogs, moots, newsletters, conferences, etc. as speakers. If these don't exist, even greater opportunity to take leadership and start some of these. Lot of people hanker for this kind of recognition. They will be obliged to refer to you sooner or later for internships if not jobs per se. I see a lot of NLUs and Symbi kids being good at such relationship marketing.
3. Time:
Here, you can succeed the most. Instead of "pushing" attention seeking mails, have you tried to "pull" attention by doing something useful to your target market of law firms? For example, a key requirement is to know time limits in many laws. Have you written anything like compiling say timelines within the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996? Anything useful like a checklist for reviewing liability clauses in any contract? Such kind of useful material that partners have always wanted to compile but didn't find time to do it, attracts attention and respect. This is how you pull attention by being useful to others. Writing academic articles like "Principles of Zimbabwe's Competition Law" will get you kudos, but a partner reading thinks WTF is use of this to me? Write useful stuff. Then do it continuously. You essentially give evidence that you are a source of reliable, timely and solid information or analyses. This will bring people to your door as R.W.Emerson said, "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door".
Interestingly, this skillset is same which partners use to be useful to their clients by pulling their attention. Start doing this from student days.
Been there, I completely understand. As someone many years out of law school, I can confidently say that your hardwork will pay off. I joined a brand new firm as a fresher (after struggling for months). Worked my ass off, and its paying off. It will for you too, just keep pushing. There's a lot of great advice on here, all I want you to know is that it will work out for you. Once you get your chance, it can and will make such a difference. Chin up, you got this!
Cover letter? Dude I worked super hard on it, Ive even gotten good grades but not top 10, good publications, internships previously, one national moot, but nothing.
Someone asked this above, but Im from NALSAR
From student level, drill it that we are service providers. We need to help someone else achieve their goals - businesses or litigants. Have you tried solving anyone's problem? What are the problems you can solve for partners of law firms that you so badly want to please? A business mind would think, what is the demand and let me supply it. The demand for partners is this: 1. Clients, 2. Fame / Recognition, and 3. Time. Let's consider each demand and what can be done on supply.
1. Clients:
I understand that most from middle class background won't know bankers, funds or CEOs to give leads to partners. So opening doors to client development is not a great activity. But I have seen streets kids who early on start networking and create referral opportunities for small or large work or just make introductions.
2. Fame / Recognition:
Here is where you have good opportunity to help some partner, particularly a junior partner achieve recognition. How? Invite them to write for your college blogs, moots, newsletters, conferences, etc. as speakers. If these don't exist, even greater opportunity to take leadership and start some of these. Lot of people hanker for this kind of recognition. They will be obliged to refer to you sooner or later for internships if not jobs per se. I see a lot of NLUs and Symbi kids being good at such relationship marketing.
3. Time:
Here, you can succeed the most. Instead of "pushing" attention seeking mails, have you tried to "pull" attention by doing something useful to your target market of law firms? For example, a key requirement is to know time limits in many laws. Have you written anything like compiling say timelines within the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996? Anything useful like a checklist for reviewing liability clauses in any contract? Such kind of useful material that partners have always wanted to compile but didn't find time to do it, attracts attention and respect. This is how you pull attention by being useful to others. Writing academic articles like "Principles of Zimbabwe's Competition Law" will get you kudos, but a partner reading thinks WTF is use of this to me? Write useful stuff. Then do it continuously. You essentially give evidence that you are a source of reliable, timely and solid information or analyses. This will bring people to your door as R.W.Emerson said, "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door".
Interestingly, this skillset is same which partners use to be useful to their clients by pulling their attention. Start doing this from student days.
Good luck.