Breakfast with the Bar: Big Law brought attorneys from some of Indianapolis’ largest law firms to network and speak with students on professional life at large firms. The primary topics of discussion centered on educating law students on what recruiters at big law firms are looking for, what led big law attorneys to their practice, and the culture at large firms. Attorneys in attendance were Julia Gard from Barnes & Thornburg, Kathy Osborn from Faegre Drinker, Scott Krapf from Frost Brown Todd, Barry McGinley from Frost Brown Todd, Justin Hornbuckle from Dinsmore, John Gordon from Dinsmore, Reid Dickerson from Taft, Kyle Montrose from Dentons, and Jacob Butz from Ice Miller.
The attorneys, many of them partners or members of the recruiting committee at their firms, discussed what their teams look for in law students and prospective associates. Of course, the first thing is grades. However, not everyone follows this traditional path. Barry McGinley from Frost Brown Todd, who is on the firm’s recruiting committee, said the cover letter is your opportunity to stand out to the recruiting committee. Additionally, the attorneys stated having unique and challenging experiences on your resume are excellent ways to separate yourself from the pact. Examples of these experiences include clerkships, externships, and clinics.
Additionally, a few key insights attorney shared revolved around answering the question, “How can law students make themselves stand out as candidates for summer associate and law clerk positions?”:
1. Conduct informational meetings with attorneys at the firms you are interested in.
2. Ensure your cover letter, resume, and other materials submitted are free of errors. This mistake is far too common among individuals applying for coveted positions.
3. Participate in student organizations, classes, externships, etc., that demonstrate your interest in the area of law you are interested in pursuing. For example, if you are applying for a trademark law clerk position, join the IP student group and/or participate in the Eli Lilly IP externship.
4. As always, achieve the best grades you can.
A common theme among the attorneys was the importance of finding both career and peer mentors. A career mentor tends to be someone five years or more into their professional career in a similar field of practice. An individual who has been practicing for 5 years of less would be a peer mentor. For 1Ls, it could even be a 2L or 3L! Any students looking for additional guidance, we recommend you reach out to 3L Blaize Hiatt at blhiatt@iu.edu for her 1L Survival Guide.
Overall, Breakfast with the Bar: Big Law was a huge success and thank you to those who attended! Students who attended were able to build connections we believe will lead to great opportunities in the future!
We also want to say a quick thank you to Brooklyn Hayes, Blaize Hiatt, and Tate Coulter from the IndyBar Student Executive Committee who facilitated and ran the event. They were thrilled to see so many students build meaningful connections. Stay tuned for future Breakfast with the Bar events, like the Business Law Breakfast with the Bar on Thursday, February 8 from 8:15-9:15am on the third floor of the IU McKinney library. You can sign up here!
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