Not stellar 1L grades. Wondering how much of an improvement is needed for Articling Recruit.

[Heisenberg45]

UofA 2L 

B- in Legal Research 
B+ in Contracts 
B in Torts
C in Crim
B- in Constitutional
B- in Property 

Didn't get a 1L summer job (didn't apply broadly cause midterm grades were horrible). No 2L summer job (barely any Alberta postings). Know that articling recruit and general post recruit job hunt is the next goal line. 

I haven't really spoken to very many people about marks and I have kind of a skewed perception cause the few buddies I do have in law school killed it and were on the dean’s list and got competitive 1L jobs. 

An improvement is necessary and I'm busting my ass to put the lessons I've learned from 1L into practice, but are these grades… bad? 

Edited October 29, 2024 by Heisenberg45

[FellowTraveler]

Someone from UofA would be better placed to talk about specifics, but assuming that the class average is ~B then yes, these are bad grades. You're below average in 4/6 classes, and only barely above in a single class. Without knowing the precise UofA grade profile, you would be near/in the bottom quartile at most schools.

None of that means things are hopeless, but you do have to be realistic about where you're at. Regardless of how you move forward, you need an answer for why 1L went poorly for you. Was it a lack of focus/effort/understanding? Were there extenuating circumstances? Is it a question of testing poorly?

You need an answer because a) you're not going to improve unless you critically assess what went wrong (even if it's difficult to admit it to yourself) and b) you're going to need a narrative for employers.

Your focus seems to be on improving your grades, which is great. But I would strongly advise not to make that your only focus: just like there are 100 applicants who think if they spend more time studying they'll crack a 170 next time, "learning your lessons from 1L" is not a guarantee that you're going to do significantly better this year. You might, especially if you figure out why 1L went poorly and know how to fix that. But for every applicant who goes from a 140 to a 170, there are 99 who don't.

What you should be thinking about is all the non-academic ways you can improve your profile: clinics, ECs, demonstrated interest in practice areas that don't weigh grades particularly highly. To be frank: you're not going to win by putting lipstick on a pig. Your grades are what they are, and while an improvement would be great to show trajectory/narrative, it's not going to erase them. The doors that require fantastic grades are closed to you, but the good news is that there are quite few of those doors to begin with. I know a C student who is now a partner in biglaw. Did she get there out of school? Not even an interview. But she busted her ass, got a job, and then lawed the hell out of being a lawyer. I know judges with more Cs on their transcript than you do. "Below average" grades feels like a weight around your neck, especially when most law students have always been at the top of their class, but remember that the vast majority of them get jobs anyway! So get out there, start talking to people and building a name for yourself that isn't tied to your transcript. Best of luck!

[Whist]

UofA grad here. The curve is a bit harsher in 1L at a B-, unless they've changed it very recently. (Most upper year courses are curved to a B.) Given that context, you probably fall within a stone's throw of "average."

The answer to how much you should improve is as much as you can, but the articling recruit is kind of a shitshow sometimes, and decent students can still get nothing. Definitely do what you're doing in terms of seeing where you can improve, but I'd also look to other areas of your application such as ECs. Postings will continue to come up for 2L summer jobs - it's more important than a 1L summer job, so don't give up on that.

The select high performing students are obviously not going to make you feel good to compare yourself to, so try to set aside the noise. Some people lie about their grades anyway, or at the least fudge them somewhat to their peers.

[SNAILS]

Most summer jobs in law are not advertised. The more publicized and formal job postings tend to be with bigger firms, and also better paying. However, don't make the mistake of thinking that you have a black and white choice between getting an easy to find advertised job or nothing.

You need to cold email some firms and see if they might be interested in a summer student. I would suggest sending 100 very brief emails to firms and see what replies you get. The summer experience will be invaluable. It will give you guidance on what type of law you want to practice, teach you what the practice of law is really like (FYI it's very unlike law school) and also help boost your resume. You may not get paid as much as your dean's list classmates, but the experience alone makes it worth it.

The best time to send emails would be Jan/Feb for a May 1 start to your summer job. You could start gathering names of firms now. You should also decide what kind of law you prefer (commercial, criminal, personal injury, etc).

If your grades end up being better in 2L than they were in 1L, all the better.