Are New York "MidLaw" firms as competitive as New York BigLaw firms?

[krokatron]

I hear everyone going on and on about the Vault100 (and for good reason, dont get me wrong)...but for the New York Recruit, are Vault500 MidLaw firms worth applying to? 

Salary at most of these shops still beat Toronto Biglaw in most cases. I'm just wondering if these firms even bother with Canadian students, and if a B+ student who otherwise struck out with NYC Biglaw has a chance at Midlaw.

[CB2021]

Based on personal exp (and what I have heard from my peers), in general, the lower you go on the V100 the less likely a firm will even have heard of your school. Even if a firm is aware of your school's reputation, which is what US firms really care about, the lower ranked firms don't seem to want to hire students from Canadian schools for several reasons. One, they are likely not familiar with the immigration process and do not want to bother (if you are a Canadian, you will need a J1 for the summer). Two, the lower ranked firms generally have either smaller headcounts or tend to focus on a few target schools they hire from, whether strong local schools or top ranked national schools outside of T14. As a result, it is surprisingly difficult to find graduates from Canadian schools at V70-100 (I have personally collected data for all V100 firms and found Canadian grads based on LinkedIn and firm websites). I imagine this will likely hold true for MidLaw for the same reasons I have mentioned above. There are many law schools in NY and many of them have fairly strong alum base at most of the large firms in NY, so I think MidLaw in NY will probs be the same as well. Nonetheless, it doesn't hurt to apply as most firms will at most require you to submit a cover letter on top of law transcript and resume. 

[StoneMason]

CB2021's post is spot on. Another point to add: as a general rule, the smaller a firm gets, the more important networking becomes. While applying through the general recruit may not be very successful due to Canadian schools being less recognized, it may be worthwhile to heavily network with a few select firms and then apply through referral (referrals are a lot more important in NY than Canada). Your grades will probably not hold you back with these firms as most firms outside the V20 regularly hire B average students. Your biggest hurdle will be showing that you are at a reputable law school which is where networking will be vital.  

Edited May 5 by StoneMason