Paging Kittybean!!!

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Kitty-

I responded to your comment in LIW about getting married in law school.... And then I decided to do some "research" to figure out your story, so to speak. (And congrats on passing the bar!!!) You had mentioned in a post that you''re a CO resident. I''m in CO, as well! If you feel comfortable divulging, did you attend DU or CU for law school? If we''re a match, so to speak, I''d love to pick your mind about professors!

I hadn''t realized the legal job crunch in CO-- then again, I''m a lowly 1L. Diminished job opportunities freak. me. out. School is definitely a financial burden, and my greatest fear is not finding employment and not being able to pay off loans. (Nevermind a wedding...) I''m sorry to hear that your job options aren''t playing out as you had hoped. I wish you all the luck in finding employment!! Something will come along, I have no doubts.

Sorry for Pricescope stalking you

If you have any, any, ANY advice about surviving law school in CO/jobs/internships/etc, my ears are wide open!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I don''t know much about the two law schools, but even with the financial crunch some sectors of Denver lawyers are expanding. My mom''s former law firm deals largely with real estate which in this market has become a big thing. Whereas my dad is a local litigator and doing well, but his firm definitely wouldn''t be looking for anyone new to do that at the moment. Your best bet is to find a type of law where they really need people. Environmental, energy and copyright law are all expanding rapidly; energy especially is going to be huge in CO in the coming years.

 

[kittybean]

Hi there! I just saw this page as I was searching for a picture of my ring to post. Sorry I missed you before.

I''m not sure if I''m comfortable discussing where I went to law school and such on PS, but the job market is TOUGH right now. I know a lot of very, very talented lawyers who are looking for work right now. I honestly think you''re in a good place as a 1L. The job market will likely be rehabilitated in a couple years.

My biggest piece of advice: MAKE YOUR 1L YEAR COUNT. The grades you get this year will put you in or out of the running for summer associate positions after your 2L year and the resulting attorney jobs that can help you pay off your loans quickly. I wouldn''t worry too much about the ailing economy at the moment. What kind of law are you interested in? If you know what you want to do, it''s great to jump right in and start looking for a related internship this summer.

On getting married in law school: I understand it''s difficult to do on a tight budget now, but later you will have more money and a lot less time. I saw a lot of girls get married in law school, and they had beautiful weddings and lots of time to plan. However, many did not have the burden of paying for their own wedding. I see how you might want to wait if that financial responsibility falls to you, but you also need to weigh how important being married sooner rather than later is.

One more piece of advice from me before I have to run: network as much as you can. Seriously, get to know everyone and anyone you can, in all fields, whether they''re top dogs or first-year associates. As in any profession, who you know can turn out to be extremely important. Even if someone can''t give you a job on their own, they may refer you to someone who can, or to someone who can refer you to someone else, etc. Talk to everyone. Oh, and try to refrain from too much gossip (including involvement in law school dramas). I personally know someone who was axed from their lucrative summer associate position because someone overheard them saying that the firm was "mediocre" in the hallway. Some people seemed to have a hard time remembering that law school is professional school, not high school.

Also, BIH''s response to you was right on target. I am willing to bet she has more of the inside scoop on the legal market here than I do.

Ugh, thought of one more thing--please excuse my stream of consciousness here. I don''t want to come across as advocating the BigLaw jobs over other internships or attorney positions. However, it is always nice to have options. Grades are certainly very important for public interest or government work, but the buck doesn''t stop at your transcript like it does in the BigLaw job market.

Okay, I think I''m done [gets off soapbox]. Good luck with your first semester finals!