Wilmington, DE: anything positive to say?

[MissStepcut]

I have two second-round interviews for summer associate jobs (like an internship for law students) in Wilmington, DE next week. It's pretty late in the legal hiring game, so I am really hoping to land one of these.

Can anyone tell me what's good in Wilmington?

 

[ChloeTheGreat]

Well,I don't know anything about Delaware...
But this really reminds me of Wayne's World. "hi...we're in Delaware..."

And good luck on your interviews!

 

[MissStepcut]

Thank you! I'm nervous but hopeful.

 

[MissStepcut]

Well,I don't know anything about Delaware...
But this really reminds me of Wayne's World. "hi...we're in Delaware..."

And good luck on your interviews!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWV-pZfqSEc

I died laughing.

 

[ChloeTheGreat]

LOL.
I use that reference all the time in any way I can.

Hopefully someone will chime in and give you some real input!

 

[Octavia]

Wilmington is...close to Philly and Baltimore. Actually, the opera house there is really beautiful and I think they sometimes have cool shows there (not just opera). I haven't been in years, but I once went to an awesome jazz concert there. Otherwise, I only drive through on the way to DC, so I'm not very familiar.

Are you planning to take the DE bar? If so, having a summer job there is key because they have that crazy practicum requirement and it can be really difficult to satisfy the requirements. It wouldn't be a bad thing to work there if you're planning to take the bar elsewhere, but if you're interested in corporate law DE is a very good place to be. Good luck!!

 

[MissStepcut]

Octavia, I didn't know that, thank you for the head's up! If I get a summer there, I definitely think I would start my career there and not try to switch cities. I will have to look into this bar thing.

 

[Octavia]

Yeah, the rules in DE are pretty unique. See here: http://courts.delaware.gov/bbe/docs/ClerkshipRequirements2011memo.pdf. And if you end up staying in DE, one of the nice things is there's no sales tax

 

[Gypsy]

The NJ bar was a breeze and I took the NJ and NY together. If you are planning to stay in that area I HIGHLY recommend studying for and taking the NY bar plus another state in one shot. Studying for the NY bar is hell, but well worth it. I love DE-- find out what quirks their bar has and make a decision if it's possible to do two. Our cousins used to have a home down there and we'd go and hang out all the time. And I got engaged there. The people are really nice who live there and it's so close to so many major metro areas. You can totally do NY and DE. It's a short drive down or up the turnpike to take the other one in terms of distance.

 

[MissStepcut]

My SO will be taking the NY bar next summer, hopefully during my SA... So, you know, I'd obviously have a reason to want to. We're looking down the barrel of a long-distance marriage for a couple of years.

 

[Octavia]

The NJ bar was a breeze and I took the NJ and NY together. If you are planning to stay in that area I HIGHLY recommend studying for and taking the NY bar plus another state in one shot. Studying for the NY bar is hell, but well worth it. I love DE-- find out what quirks their bar has and make a decision if it's possible to do two. Our cousins used to have a home down there and we'd go and hang out all the time. And I got engaged there. The people are really nice who live there and it's so close to so many major metro areas. You can totally do NY and DE. It's a short drive down or up the turnpike to take the other one in terms of distance.

AFAIK, it's not possible to sit for DE and another state during the same exam administration -- I'm pretty sure DE takes all three days. I could be wrong, but I don't know a single person who did that, while I know lots of people who took PA/NJ simultaneously (including me) and several who did NY/NJ. DE is super protectionist, I guess because of all the business there and the fact that it's a small state surrounded by major metro areas. I think they don't want people just swooping in and setting up practices there, so they make it a PITA to get licensed.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

I have two second-round interviews for summer associate jobs (like an internship for law students) in Wilmington, DE next week. It's pretty late in the legal hiring game, so I am really hoping to land one of these.

Can anyone tell me what's good in Wilmington?

If there's a paycheck for a law student in Wilmington, that's something that's very good about it!

(Sorry, sorry, a little ATL humor there. I've never stayed the night in DE, but it's close to many nearby world-class cities for weekend getaways, the weather is temperate in a Mid-Atlantic sort of way, and there's the tax-free thing as well. It's also low-crime, the corporate laws provide a bit of a buffer from the national economy in a way, and it's not as expensive as some of its larger-city neighbors if I recall. BTW, good luck on your interviews!)

 

[MissStepcut]

I have two second-round interviews for summer associate jobs (like an internship for law students) in Wilmington, DE next week. It's pretty late in the legal hiring game, so I am really hoping to land one of these.

Can anyone tell me what's good in Wilmington?

If there's a paycheck for a law student in Wilmington, that's something that's very good about it!

(Sorry, sorry, a little ATL humor there. I've never stayed the night in DE, but it's close to many nearby world-class cities for weekend getaways, the weather is temperate in a Mid-Atlantic sort of way, and there's the tax-free thing as well. It's also low-crime, the corporate laws provide a bit of a buffer from the national economy in a way, and it's not as expensive as some of its larger-city neighbors if I recall. BTW, good luck on your interviews!)

Boy, you're not kidding. I have been having a rough recruiting cycle. Only one callback interview out of on-campus recruiting (still no word either way), and now these two from direct mailing, but I got completely shut out of NYC. My school recommended that I apply in Chicago since that's where my school primarily places but I want to be in the mid-Atlantic so that's that.

I like the crime rate, and really like the COL. On an associate salary, it's downright excessive. It seems like the big firms are paying either big city or mid-sized city market rates. Not bad at all.

 

[stephbolt]

I work in Wilmington but live in SE PA. As Octavia said, if you are looking for big-city experiences, you will have to go elsewhere, but Philly, Baltimore, and even NY and DC are within a day's drive. The Trolley Square area is where all the young professionals seem to hang out, fun nightlife there. There's great shopping at the Christiana Mall. St. Anthony's Italian Festival (every June) is a lot of fun. There are several great state parks nearby if you are the outdoorsy type.

 

[MissStepcut]

stephb0lt, thank you! Wow, I am really glad I started this thread. I feel much more prepared to make a convincing case for wanting to live in DE.

 

[NovemberBride]

To be honest, there is not much good about Wilmington (sorry). That is not to say there aren't good jobs there (there are), but I would not choose to live there even if that is where I worked. I am an attorney and live right outside of Philadelphia, but have spent a great deal of time in Wilmington over the past few years (I am in-house counsel for a DE company that just went through bankruptcy and was there a couple of times a month). There are some great law firms in Wilmington and because it is a very small legal community, you would have exposure to some incredible legal minds that you might not get as a junior associate in a big city. However, of all the attorneys I worked with on our case, none of them lived in Wilmington, and in fact some of them commuted from Philly. Downtown Wilmington is very small, and honestly outside of about a 5 block radius it is pretty seedy bordering on unsafe. There is also no night life to speak of, on several occasions when we stayed in town for hearings we went out for drinks and were the only people in the only bar that was open at 9 on a Thursday night. But there are lots of suburbs that would be an easy commute and a great place to live. Cost of living is definitely the lowest in the mid-atlantic, especially since there is no sales tax. The Acela also stops in Wilmington which would make it easy to get to NYC.

 

[MissStepcut]

NovemberBride, thank you for your contribution. That's some helpful info and definitely adds to my talking points. If I'm lucky enough to get an SA, I'll definitely think about living in Philly or a safe suburb.

 

[MsP]

I'll add and echo some comments...

I do not live in Wilmington but know plenty of people who do--and even a few young lawyers who transplanted to the area.

-Wilmington *does* have some really lovely neighborhoods however they are not in the city proper. If you want a city-type life where you walk to work and live in a flat nearby, you probably won't find that. It's very car dominated... the area northwest of the city has some really nice and swanky areas. Mostly single family homes though. The landscape is vastly different from the lower portions of the state. There are some pretty rivers, nice hiking, lots of stunning gardens too! (not in the city proper though...) The previously mentioned Trolley Square is a quaint area but if you're used to more center city type areas, this is not that. It's more of a tiny community neighborhood. I know people that live there. It's young and hip, they know their neighbors, and sit out on their porches and BBQ on weekends.

-I'd echo that the nightlife is rather bleh.

-Living in Philly and commuting is very possible. I commuted via SEPTA for a while. Driving can be a headache though... traffic is not bad at all compared to DC but that's not something I like to deal with.

-On the contrary, if you're into more rural living, I know people who live in more rural areas of NJ and commute. Also, SE PA (Kennett Square?) is not tooooo far but you will be driving.

-Cheap living. No tax!... but if you're a foodie, you probably won't be thrilled. It's just lower end.

-Someone mentioned crime... I wouldn't worry about this. It's an urban area. There is crime. Be smart. There are many poorer neighborhoods right around the center city... if that makes you feel unsafe, don't go there. I don't know... I've lived in very nice areas of center city Philly and can feel just as unsafe at times.

If you have specific questions maybe I can answer things more clearly...

 

[MissStepcut]

Can anyone familiar with the legal work there tell me anything about that? I am definitely interested in bankruptcy, but I know there are always moves to stop companies incorporated there with another primary place of business from filing there, so I am wondering what the other work looks like.