OCI and the Start of Year Two

The semester is under way, with one week of classes down. The On Campus Interview process (OCI) is in full swing as well, though due to the economy not quite as many employers are gracing the halls of our law school looking for new associates.

Unfortunately, it appears that I will be on the outside looking in for these interviews. While it would be a neat experience to be invited and participate in the hiring process for a huge firm, it does not worry me that those doors are not opening. As I've mentioned in a previous blog, it is unknown as to whether I could survive and be happy in that environment, anyway. The same set of students are being interviewed by all the OCI employers, and these students deserve it. They are the "superhumans" I wrote about in a previous blog. I can see that the process is stressful, even for them. One guy I talked with has already done 16 interviews. Last year, he seemed very laid back and it took me a while to realize how smart he was. Now, however, he is wearing a suit every day, is quite animated and talks with his hands far more than he did last year. I hope he and the others land great jobs and are happy with their success.

I did my best during my first year of law school. I could not have worked harder. I am happy with my position, and I know that Florida State Law is providing me with the skill sets necessary to land a good job, even if it is not through the On Campus Interview Program.

A lesson to pass on to the new 1Ls or to those seeking to go to law school is this: If you want the jobs with the big firms, your first year of law school will be the most important one. It may seem unfair that so much rides on your first round of exams when you are brand new to the environment and process. But that is the way it works. I did significantly better during the spring semester than in the fall last year because I figured out a different way to prepare myself for the exams. If I had performed as well in the fall as I did in the spring, I probably could have gotten into some of the OCI interviews.

Another lesson: Try to make Law Review at your school. Most if not all of the Law Review students are getting into at least some of the OCI interviews. Law Review is the most prestigious extracurricular activity in law school, and it will open a lot of doors for you.

I am not on the Law Review. My pony is the FSU Mock Trial Team. Now that I do not have to worry about surviving in law school, my plan is to focus on becoming a polished litigator or trial lawyer. This is not as broad an area as you might suppose. While most people probably think of "Matlock" or "Perry Mason" or the characters from "Law and Order" when they think of a lawyer, in truth only about 20% of law school students end up practicing in trial law. Many of my law professors have never been inside a courtroom as a lawyer representing another party. I may end up doing something quite different from trial law once I graduate, but that area is where I seem to be strongest compared to the skill sets of my colleagues. I will spend much of the remainder of my law school classes trying to improve in litigation. This work, combined with a non-stop effort to network should make for a successful job search upon graduation.

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Let your voice be heard. Do not let the loud minority at the town halls drown out the effort for health care reform. We need universal health care, and we need it now.

Nathan Marshburn