This is an article in a series of articles called Your Ultimate Guide to Law Student Recruitment. Don’t forget to read the previous article here: Submitting Your Law Student Recruit Application
Introduction
If you’re participating in the law student recruit and you’ve been following my blog series, then by this point, you’ve submitted your application. Great job! You did it!! And now…you wait. Waiting is the worst. No doubt you have a lot of questions and worries. One of the bigger ones probably being: Do grades matter for the law student recruit? There’s so much pressure in law school to get good grades. And if your grades aren’t the best (or maybe they’re bad), you’re probably wondering if that will blow your chances of landing an interview during the recruit. So…do grades really matter? The answer is both yes and no (I know, I know). Let’s break that down.
Yes, Grades Matter. But Only to a Certain Extent
Grades serve as a baseline metric during the law student recruit, giving law firms a way to go through a lot of applications quickly. Because law firms receive hundreds of applications for a handful of law student positions, they will often use grades to screen applicants by setting a minimum grade requirement. Only those who meet that minimum grade requirement get a chance to move on to the next round of having their application reviewed in more detail by a recruiter who will decide whether to extend an interview offer or not.
Don’t worry, the threshold for this minimum grade requirement is usually not very high for a few reasons:
- Law firms don’t want to narrow down the pool of applicants too much that they miss out on an (otherwise) qualified candidate
- Grades may not be an accurate reflection of your capabilities. Maybe you were having a bad day during finals or even a bad semester for personal reasons. Maybe you’re in 1L and it’s your first stab at a law school exam so your 1L grades are terrible. There are so many things that could affect your performance, leading to bad grades, and law firms realize this.
- There are much more important factors for success than grades e.g. a growth mindset, the ability to learn quickly and perform under pressure, etc. (more on this later)
So if grades aren’t your strong suit…maybe you’ve gotten mostly B’s or maybe you have a couple of C’s (or D’s), don’t sweat. Just try your best and do what you can with grades and then focus on the rest.
Besides, not all law firms use grades as a screening test. It just depends on the firm and the volume of law student applications they receive. For some firms e.g. small firms or even mid-sized firms that are on the smaller end, screening applicants based on grades isn’t necessary because they receive a manageable amount of applications to begin with.
So while grades do matter and they certainly help your chances, they only really get your foot in the door. Beyond that, grades don’t determine whether you’ll actually secure a law student position.
Once You’ve Got Your Foot in the Door, Grades Go Out The Window
Okay, maybe not exactly out the window. Law firms might still ask why you got a certain grade in class even after you’ve made it past the initial screening stage (especially if it’s an anomaly like a D in a sea of B’s) but grades drastically become less important. Because at this point, law firms are looking at the entire picture: your skills, your experiences, your interests, your personality…your “fit.” Yes, I know. I hate that word too. But there’s really no other way to put it. Basically, are you a good fit for the firm? Do you value the same things that the firm values? Will you get along well with other members of the firm? Are your vibes vibing??
Of course, law firms generally can’t tell all of that information on paper so subject to any major red flags on your law student recruit application, they will likely invite you for an interview. Once you get to that stage, it’s all about who you are as a person.
Your personality, skills (including interpersonal skills) and experiences tell law firms far more about your potential for success as a lawyer than your academic achievements alone. After all, remember that the practice of law is all about people: your clients, other lawyers, and judges.
Grades Don’t Define What You Can Do
One of the reassuring things to remember is that you and everyone else in law school are in law school because you are all capable, whether you’re an A student or a C student. Law firms know this and they know that you can be taught the necessary skills you need to succeed in the practice of law. Some of these skills you will learn in law school, including the ability to think critically, to interpret complex material, and to reason logically but most skills? You will learn them on the job.
In fact, many law firms expect to teach you pretty much everything you need to know because law in practice is so much different from law school. Plus, each firm has their own style, clients, and approach so of course you’ll need to learn how to do things the way they want you to. That’s what your articling year is for.
Conclusion
Grades matter initially and good grades can only help you by increasing your chances of getting a law student position during the recruit, especially at some of the firms that are more academically inclined (seriously, some of those firms will bend over backwards for you if you have stellar grades). But for a majority of the firms, grades stop being the focus past a certain point. And that point comes pretty early on in the process so it’s important not to get too hung up on grades. Yes, they are important but they’re not the be-all-end-all. Don’t forget everything else that is equally, if not more important.
This is an article in a series of articles called Your Ultimate Guide to Law Student Recruitment.
Next article: I Didn’t Get an Interview…Now What?
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