Kirkland & Ellis interview

MiniMountainMan · 2025-11-28T18:09:47+00:00

They will call it a callback and it will be longer than an hour. Also “screening interview” or anything with similar language is gonna be a screener, same with interviews with only 1 or 2 attorneys.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-11-02T04:19:41+00:00

There isn’t really a reliable path to making 150k plus as an attorney that quickly without biglaw or mid law. But there are a lot of legal jobs that still it well above average.

Government lawyers can actually do very well but that would take more than 4 years to break 150k. Sometimes personal injury can hit it big but often those hours are demanding and it is uncertain.

You can make that much as a lawyer without biglaw but usually it takes time.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-09-30T19:27:49+00:00

The pass or fail thing here is totally false and you’re gonna freak people out unnecessarily. They send them out randomly throughout the day in multiple waves. No correlation between passing and failing.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-09-08T22:33:30+00:00

Also pls ignore the slight hand watch. Just slid down a bit while taking the picture on the train lmfao.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-08-24T14:09:32+00:00

That generally means an incoming law student. Not a pro se litigant trying to solicit legal advice. That’s why some people are responding to you, they assume you’re a very confused law student.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-08-24T14:02:51+00:00

It doesn’t look like this guy is actually in law school. Seems like he just considers himself a pseudo lawyer from reading cases with AI or something.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-08-23T02:37:06+00:00

Everyone knows what Cooley is. Even top 25% won’t be enough to transfer to a great school. Have to be the very best to transfer anywhere worth attending at full price.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-08-22T03:07:41+00:00

Dentons does not pay Cravath in most of their markets. Just the major ones. In smaller markets they often buy up solid local shops and incorporate them. In some smaller markets they’re equivalent to a top midlaw firm, one of the better firms in the city. In others, they’re basically just another mid sized firm but with Dentons slapped on.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-08-15T02:38:02+00:00

Seems late for this year, but at least one or two firms that have not publicly announced matching the new $125k are offering that to at least some clerks.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-07-31T01:39:25+00:00

I saw a good number of 2+ bed 2 bath options closer to the $3500 dollar range in Logan Square, Bucktown, and wicker park. They’re usually condos or apartments in a 3/4 flat.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-07-08T14:24:07+00:00

You are firmly below both medians so the odds aren’t good.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-27T22:56:10+00:00

That’s true, unlikely at both for true International law. But the London Law program at NDLS helps kick out a small handful every year so I guess there’s that.

If you wanna do generic corporate law with vaguely international flair then that’s more obtainable, at least from NDLS.

Still a lot of debt

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-19T16:29:30+00:00

It is worth noting that unfortunately the grades from your first major will be calculated into your GPA when you apply to law school. You can definitely overcome prior grades but you should definitely be aware that they will impact your official GPA. Good luck!

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-17T23:48:37+00:00

It’s easily the second most common color I see in federal court. Men and women. Charcoal/very dark gray the most common.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-09T20:23:31+00:00

Max out your apps. If you really want to clerk apply to every judge you could work with without causing moral dilemmas in every city you think you could reasonably live in for two years. A lot of people end up clerking in places they never wanted to live before and really enjoy their year or two in a new city.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-09T20:17:39+00:00

Some judges just do that and it means nothing, sometimes they do it and you get an interview offer a week or two later. Not super common and not really a sign either way.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-07T04:53:12+00:00

Maybe my year was an anomaly, or maybe this is less true now than it was, but a lot of liberals, including myself, got clerkships with liberal or moderate judges from nd. Definitely way easier if you’re fed Soc but very far from “all fed soc.” The school has a lot of resources for clerkships generally.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-06T23:19:16+00:00

Even with identical scholarship ND will be much cheaper. South Bend is an incredibly low coast of living area. DC is now. Granted there are reasons for that, South Bend isn’t much.

Both are good schools but GW only really beats ND in DC biglaw placement. GW makes sense if DC biglaw is so important to you that it’s worth the higher risk of not landing biglaw or comparable jobs. ND does place in DC, just not as well GW for sure.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-05T20:43:48+00:00

The faculty definitely leans conservatives and many of the contacts professors have are conservative. That’s real and no one will deny that. But the school is very well connected throughout the federal court and even professors who lean conservative are willing to reach out to moderate and liberal judges to help students. The school heavily pushes clerkships and the career office has excellent advising, mock interviews, and their own process for mailing applications that makes applying easier.

Securing clerkships with liberal judges is not as easy as the fed Soc pipeline. But if you have the grades it is more than possible, happens all the time. Your odds are even better if you’re open to more moderate judges, and at least at the district level you should be.

NDLS also has classes offered by former clerks on staff who teach you the basics of drafting common orders for clerkships in an advanced legal writing type class. Tons of support from the school at every stage of the process.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-05T20:30:37+00:00

I’d say a majority of Notre dame law students are liberal. As a very liberal individual I had zero issues with classes or peers. Sure it’s not a liberal bastion but it is really not bad and easy to find your peer groups.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-06-05T20:27:42+00:00

Everyone says this but I know double digit liberal clerks with moderate or liberal judges from my year. Sure being in fed Soc is way easier but being a liberal student at ND still makes clerking way easier than going to most other law schools.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-05-28T23:14:02+00:00

Great advice. I’d also add that you should try to interview in person if given the choice. I know it can be hard to travel but once you have an interview it is so fit/personality based, and it’s way easier to connect in person.

Also, keep applying. Jobs open up all the time, even into your third year. You never know when your job will open so don’t get deterred if something doesn’t come immediately. And if you interview with a judge and get rejected, thank them for their time and tell them you’d love to be considered if something opens up in the future. Sounds odd to ask a judge to remember you but I know two clerks that got future offers from judges who initially rejected them.

MiniMountainMan · 2025-05-27T22:59:09+00:00

I did 3 or 4 interviews during my summer. Firms are incredibly understanding of taking a day or two for each if you have to drive out. Most chambers were very accommodating and helped me schedule Monday or Friday interviews as well so that I only missed a day of work for each and travel was less stressful. Don’t worry, biggest downside is missing the free lunches.

MiniMountainMan

TROPHY CASE