Getting a D+ in first semester law?

[Anonymous]

I got a D+ in Torts Law, and I feel quite shitty. That is my final grade. Is this the end of my legal career? 

Has anyone scored a really bad grade in law school like me, and managed to secure a good position in a good law firm? Is the chance of Bay Street out of question now? 

[mistertubby]

how? did you speak to your prof about that grade? 

[Anonymous]

2 minutes ago, mistertubby said:

how? did you speak to your prof about that grade? 

I am speaking with them next week. He never taught us in class tbh, and students got 30% on their final exams. I got a 60% but my final mark is a D+. I can try everything I can including appealing the grade, but if none of it works - and I am stuck with the grade, will I still be able to get a job on Bay Street? or is that goal never attainable due to this mark? 

[BlockedQuebecois]

Nobody is going to be able advise you on whether you can get a job on Bay Street with the information you have provided. It will depend on the school you go to, the rest of your grades, and your resume.

Most firms on bay street would probably look past a single bad grade if it was a clear outlier amongst otherwise well above average grades and the applicant was otherwise a strong candidate. But if the rest of your grades are average or barely above average and your application is otherwise average, it’s going to be an uphill climb to get OCIs, let alone an offer. 

Regardless of whether bay street is off the table, your legal career is not over. There are plenty of employers in other fields that don’t care about grades (or don’t have the luxury of getting their pick of the litter). 

Edited January 12, 2023 by BlockedQuebecois

[LMP]

I have a few friends with not so great grades who managed to secure jobs in the recurit. 

But by not so great I mean mostly average with a couple of C+ marks. A D+ is certianly a bit more of a hindrence. 

Like BQ said, this is a matter of context. If that D is nestled amongst a bunch of As, this is likely a navigable issue. In that scenario I'd advise you to have a narrative that explains the weak mark which you can whip out at interviews. 

If, however, the rest of your marks are average you'll have to take another approach. I would reccomend identifying firms that are less picky about marks and working hard demonstrate an intrest in their practice area. 

 

[Cool_name]

2 hours ago, Guest Anonymous said:

I am speaking with them next week. He never taught us in class tbh, and students got 30% on their final exams. I got a 60% but my final mark is a D+. I can try everything I can including appealing the grade, but if none of it works - and I am stuck with the grade, will I still be able to get a job on Bay Street? or is that goal never attainable due to this mark? 

The others advice about the grades effect on recruitment is fair. 
 

On a separate note, do not during interviews blame the professor for the grade. Stating you had an off day, or didn’t realize what they were looking for in a law exam, would be fine. Saying the professor didn’t teach you doesn’t garner sympathy and makes you sound like someone who blames other people for his mistakes. 
 

Your whole class didn’t get d+‘S, so they were able to figure it out, why weren’t you? 
 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had terrible teachers, but in that situation it means you just need to buckle down and figure it out yourself. 
 

First year law is rough, if a student explained to me he got poor grades in first year as he didn’t understand or misunderstood how exams were going to be marked (and grades other wise supported that once he figured that out he did fine), I would be understanding. If they told me the professor sucked, well that’s on them to figure out. 
 

PS my lowest grade was in a class taught by a terrible professor too 😋

[Whist]

It's hard to say whether you're out for the recruit without knowing where you're participating/where you study/what the rest of your grades look like. At least where I am, the 1L recruit is already difficult compared to later recruits, and plenty of people with pretty good grades wound up with non-law jobs for that summer. I agree with what others have said relative to how it affects your chances. 

I know the awful feeling seeing a poor grade and worrying like you've doomed yourself. During first term 1L I got a C- in one of my classes. It was my worst grade overall, but it wasn't my only below average grade for that term or year and I'm still kicking. You might be out for the immediate recruit but you're certainly not out for law as a career. I managed to get a non-recruit law job for that summer and have cleaned up my grades since then (I'm not a straight A student now or anything, but I changed my study habits so that I'm average or sometimes better). You've clearly already arranged to speak with your professor and that's a good start. Unless your other grades are all excellent, you probably just need to reframe how you study or how you work through exam problems and have added vulnerability with this particular class. Barring some very small enrollment courses, you're always going to be facing the curve and that means raw scores don't matter. 

[Zarathustra]

Focus on improving your grades in the second semester and 2L. There are plenty of jobs outside of OCI. After a few years of practice, your grades from 1L will become a lot less relevant. 

[CleanHands]

34 minutes ago, Cool_name said:

On a separate note, do not during interviews blame the professor for the grade. Stating you had an off day, or didn’t realize what they were looking for in a law exam, would be fine. Saying the professor didn’t teach you doesn’t garner sympathy and makes you sound like someone who blames other people for his mistakes. 

Your whole class didn’t get d+‘S, so they were able to figure it out, why weren’t you? 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had terrible teachers, but in that situation it means you just need to buckle down and figure it out yourself. 

First year law is rough, if a student explained to me he got poor grades in first year as he didn’t understand or misunderstood how exams were going to be marked (and grades other wise supported that once he figured that out he did fine), I would be understanding. If they told me the professor sucked, well that’s on them to figure out.

OP shouldn't approach the conversation with the intention of disputing the grade from the outset.

I had assumed that the conversation with the prof at this point would be to find out what went wrong. The wisdom of appealing/disputing the grade will be entirely dependent upon the explanation as to why the grade was so low. And saying "I had an off day" or "I didn't know what you were looking for" wouldn't be a basis for the grade to be revised regardless.

So...there is absolutely no reason the OP should be providing any justifications or excuses for their performance during that conversation. They should just be straightforwardly asking for feedback on why they received the grade they did. They can then go from there.

[Cool_name]

I was referring to what op should or shouldn’t say during interviews with employers, not with the prof. 
 

Obviously op needs to feel the situation out, but personally I wouldn’t be afraid of asking the prof if there is someway to attempt to make-up or improve the grade. 
 

Find out what went wrong, that’s priority one, but after that begging for sympathy with the professor is fair game and frankly I suspect more likely to be successful than a formal appeal. A c- looks better than a d+.