by

The Black BigLaw Pipeline, Inc.

Last revised December 11, 2022

The Black Biglaw Pipeline, Inc. (“BBP”) is a resource that is exclusively focused on helping Black law firm associates and summer associates succeed within BigLaw. Biglaw, as you may know, is short hand to refer to the largest law firms in the United States that usually hire a substantial number of first year associates directly from law school each year and pay junior associates salaries in excess of $200,000 per year. However, the most common question that we receive about BigLaw is “how do I get in?”

Accordingly, BBP has compiled our collective experiences on this subject in order to provide this guide to Black pre-law students, current law students and attorneys who are seeking to get into BigLaw. 

Getting Into Law School

The Basics

Perhaps the most significant factor in determining the probability of receiving an offer to work in a biglaw firm is the perceived quality of the law school you attend. For example, if you attend Yale, Harvard, Stanford or Columbia law schools, the odds are good that a big law firm will hire you irrespective of your performance at the school. The question, if you attend those schools, is not whether you will be able to practice in a big firm, rather the question becomes which firm. Conversely, if you attend a law school that is not considered one of the top schools in the country, other factors such as GPA, local ties in the legal community, prior work experience, and soft factors become significant factors in determining whether you will be hired by a big firm at all. 

There are many reasons to become a lawyer and many different career paths in a law career, but if your goal is to practice at one of the biggest firms in the United States, the first step is to get into the best law school you can. Law school admissions is primarily determined by two data points: (1) your Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) score; and (2) your GPA. 

Law School Rankings

In the United States, there are approximately 200 law schools accredited by the American Bar Association (“ABA”) and approximately 30 that are unaccredited. Since Biglaw almost exclusively hires graduates from accredited law schools only, we will focus on those schools here. The ABA does not rank law schools, nor does it condone any of the widely available commercial rankings.  However, as a practical matter, Biglaw (and accordingly, most law school applicants) religiously adhere to the US News and World Report law school rankings. 

The accredited law schools are commonly ranked into "tiers," with schools ranked number 1 through 50 making up the "first-tier" or “tier-1” schools; those ranked 51 through 100 making up the “second-tier” or “tier-2” schools; those ranked 101 through 150 making up the "third-tier" or “tier-3” schools; and schools ranked 151 through 200 making up the "fourth-tier" or “tier-4” schools. Why is this important? Because Biglaw consistently hires students who graduate from the "first-tier" law schools. In fact, even within the so-called "first-tier," Biglaw primarily pulls from what law students and pre-laws commonly refer to as the infamous "T-14," which as of this posting are as follows:

1. Yale*

2. Stanford*

3. Chicago

4. Columbia*

5. Harvard*

6. UPenn*

7. NYU*

8. UVA

9. UC Berkeley*

10. Michigan*

11. Duke*

12. Cornell

13. Northwestern*

14. Georgetown*

* - As of December 2022, these schools have officially pulled out of the US News law school rankings due to criticisms about the publication’s ranking metrics. 

Why does the list stop at 14? Why not 15 or 20? Who knows? What we do know is that, with few exceptions, these same 14 law schools have consistently held these top 14 spots since the rankings began in 1987 and have experienced very little internal movement since then. Indeed, until its 2022 withdrawal from the rankings, Yale had consistently held the #1 spot every single year going all the way back to 1990. Accordingly, it should come at no surprise that these schools send an outsized portion of their graduates to Biglaw year after year as seen in the graphic below:

Indeed, if you search the attorney profiles of any Biglaw firm in the country, you will invariably find countless alumni from the "T-14" amongst its ranks. 

The LSAT

As of this writing, the American Bar Association has voted to end the requirement that law schools use the LSAT starting in 2025. This will mean that each school will be free to craft their own admissions criteria that may or may not include the LSAT.

That being said, we’ll proceed under the assumption that the LSAT is still going to be relevant for the foreseeable future. Pursuant to the Law School Admissions Council (“LSAC”):

The LSAT® is administered in two parts. The first part consists of several 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions. The second part of the LSAT consists of a 35-minute, unscored LSAT Writing® sample.

Beginning with the August 2021 LSAT, the test will include three scored sections and one unscored section so that we can validate new test questions for future use. This validation process is a vital part of our commitment to equity and helps us ensure that our questions continue their long standard of being free from any kind of bias. The unscored section can be any one of the question types — reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, or logical reasoning — and can occur at any point in the test. The LSAT will retain this format for the next several years.

LSAT Writing is separately administered online using secure proctoring software that you can install on your own computer. You can take LSAT Writing at your convenience, as early as eight (8) days prior to the date of your multiple-choice exam. Your LSAT Writing prompt will present a decision problem, and you will be asked to choose between two positions or courses of action and defend your choice. There are no “right” or “wrong” positions; the writing sample is designed to let you demonstrate your persuasive writing skills. Law schools will examine the reasoning, clarity, organization, language usage, and writing mechanics you display in your sample. Copies of your writing sample are sent to all schools to which you apply.

Here’s what you need to know:

The LSAT is a standardized test, and like any standardized test the key to its success is becoming familiar with the test itself. To this end, we highly recommend that you invest the money for a prep course and/or prep materials and give yourself at least 3 months of study time before you sit for the actual exam. We have no preference as to which prep course you should use, but irrespective of whatever materials you choose to prepare yourself with for the exam, the key to any standardized test is repetition, repetition, repetition. 

By the time you sit for the actual exam, you should aim to have taken no less than 10 full-length practice LSATs. Even more if you can manage. The key will be in reviewing the answers that you got wrong and the answers that you got right to ensure that you got them right for the right reasons. 

Scoring: 

Arguably the most important aspect of the LSAT is how it is scored.  As between two similarly situated law school applicants, an LSAT score can mean the difference between going to a T1 school with a strong shot at Biglaw, or a T4 school with effectively no shot at Biglaw.  So let’s take a moment to understand what you’re aiming for.

The LSAT is scored on a range from 120 (the lowest possible score) to 180 (a perfect score). The “average” LSAT score is a 150, which would put the applicant somewhere around the 40th percentile. Let us be blunt: if you have Biglaw aspirations, then you’re probably going to need more than a 150. 

A score of 160 puts you at approximately the 80th percentile and is generally considered a “competitive” score. And by “competitive” we mean that, when combined with a respectable GPA, you’d get into most of the T2 schools and a fair number of the T1 schools which regularly send their graduates to Biglaw upon graduation.

In order to safely secure a seat in one of the illustrious “T14” schools which are essentially guaranteed to place you in Biglaw, then you’ll need to score 170 (97th percentile) or higher (note: it is possible to score below a 170 LSAT and still get into a T14 law school, but for purposes of this guide we’re focusing on the general rule of what is probable). To put things in perspective, these were the average LSAT scores for some of the T14 schools in 2019:

Yale Law School 173

Harvard Law School 173

Columbia Law School 172

Stanford Law School 171

NYU Law School 170

U. Chicago Law School 170

U. Penn Law School 170

Law School Debt

We would be remiss if we didn’t talk about the debt that you will likely accumulate on your Biglaw journey. The average law school graduate in 2022 owes $165,000 in student loan debt upon graduation. And for some, that number can realistically exceed $200,000. As the Hartford Business Journal accurately concluded: "Law school debt essentially means a lawyer must make $200,000 or more above what the holder of a bachelor’s degree will make over a lifetime, to have the investment break even." Many people are surprised to learn that this is the reality for the majority of law school graduates. Please keep this in mind if you are thinking about applying to law school, irrespective of whether you have Biglaw aspirations or not. 

Getting Into Biglaw

If you get accepted into one of the T-14 schools, the conventional wisdom is that your future career in Biglaw is effectively secured. These 14 schools open up doors on a national and even international basis, provide invaluable networks, and give their graduates the proverbial back-stage pass into our society's most coveted positions in big business, Congress, the Supreme Court, and even the Presidency.

Similarly, if you get accepted into one of the other 36 Tier-1 schools then your chances of landing a Biglaw job anywhere in the US are still good, but it may require a little bit more than just your law school’s reputation. Other relevant factors, ranked in order of importance to Biglaw, are as follows:

1. Grades

2. Relationships/connections

3. Class rank (if applicable)

4. Law Review or other journal

5. Moot Court

6. Relevant work experience

7. Leadership/civic engagement/volunteerism

If you get accepted into one of the Tier-2 law schools, then the experience is similar to the bottom Tier-1 law schools with two fundamental differences.  

First, unlike the Tier-1 schools which typically enjoy nationwide brand recognition and employment options, the Tier-2 schools tend to be limited to Biglaw firms within their respective geographical regions. This is because, although they lack nationwide brand recognition, most lawyers tend to take the bar exam and practice in or near the state where their law school is located, thereby establishing alumni relationships with the Biglaw firms nearby. 

Second, Biglaw hiring committees tend to view Tier-2 graduates as more “risky” than the graduates of Tier-1 institutions, and therefore place greater emphasis on grades.

If you get accepted into one of the so-called third or fourth-tier law schools, you should know that unfortunately the vast majority of graduates from those schools do not secure Biglaw jobs at graduation and, in many cases, even after graduation. This is particularly noteworthy because a common misconception that we frequently see play out in this space is that students will accept offers to attend third or fourth tier law schools with the expectation that they will have the same chances of securing a Biglaw job as graduates of first or second tier law schools.  This is not the case.

Some also mistakenly believe that even though they may not secure a Biglaw job upon graduation they may, nevertheless, secure one after accumulating years of practice in a non-Biglaw capacity. Unfortunately such gambles rarely, if ever, pay off. Can it be done? Yes. Is it likely? Not in our experience. 

But don’t take our word for it - search the website of your favorite Biglaw firm of choice and look for law school graduates from T3 or T4 law schools. If a firm has, say, 100 associates, you might find a handful of associates out of the 100 who come from T3 or T4 law schools but make no mistake, the vast majority of those 100 associates will come from T1 law schools and/or T2 law schools depending upon the geographical proximity of the T2 school to the firm.

We wanted to shine a spotlight on this disparity in our profession because it is important for you, the law school applicant, to hear this harsh reality before you enroll in law school. Far too often we hear from many frustrated T3 or T4 law students who have Biglaw aspirations, good grades and solid extra curriculars, yet find themselves struggling to gain so much as a Biglaw interview. To the extent that you can avoid this situation, please do so.

So what if you’re already enrolled at a T3 or T4 law school and you want to get into Biglaw? What then? As we said above, it is still possible to secure a Biglaw job but the answer likely involves taking a non-traditional route. Meaning after you’ve already secured top grades and extra curriculars, you will need to work your relationships (see “Relationships” below). Also note that even if you do those things, securing a Biglaw job may not happen at graduation but with proper planning in a clerkship and/or starting in a niche practice at a small or mid-sized law firm or government agency, it is possible to circle back to Biglaw after taking the proverbial “scenic” route.

Interviewing Tips

The Biglaw interview format typically consists of an initial interview with a single individual which occurs as an on-campus interview (“OCI”), followed by a “call back” interview with multiple attorneys (provided you are among the lucky few who make it to the next round after OCI). After the “call back” interview, there may be an additional interview round, but typically the “call-back” interview is the round where an offer will be made if the firm wants to hire you. 

If you are interviewing for a Biglaw position, whether its for a summer associate role or as a lateral, there is an expectation that you will have done the following: 

1. Learned the names of each of your interviewers.

2. Studied their accomplishments, articles, cases, deals, etc.

3. Became familiar with the basic details of the firm, its practice areas, etc.

If you walk into a Biglaw interview and ask a question such as whether a firm has a litigation practice group, the associate or partner interviewing you will politely smile at you as they mark down a note for the hiring committee to disregard your application. 

Even in this remote-first world, it’s important to show up with a suit or suit dress. For women, suits, dress pants, pencil skirts, knee-length dresses, blazers, neutral or light-colored blouses, sweaters or cardigans are acceptable. For men, a dark colored suit (no pocket square or lapel pins), white or blue dress shirt with contrasting tie is industry standard. 

Most interviews last for 30 minutes. A well-advised interviewer will reserve the final minutes for you to ask any questions you may have. This is your moment to shine. Have at least 3 questions prepared for each interviewer, with at least 1 of those 3 questions being something unique to the interviewer himself/herself (e.g., a case or deal they worked on, an article they wrote, etc.). You may not get through all of your questions, but you want to at least have them ready. Your questions should be probing and show your enthusiasm for joining the firm (e.g., can you describe your feedback process and how the firm invests in its associates?). 

With regard to the partners who you interview with, try to include some variation of the following question: 

“Is there any aspect of my candidacy/application materials that may give you pause as to my ability to do the job that I can address?”

This will not only give you an opportunity to address any perceived shortcomings, but will also give you key insight into how the firm sees you stacking up against the competition. 

Relationships

As a threshold matter, most of the best practices that we have discussed will require assistance from mentors and sponsors. So invest the time now as a law student or as an attorney to develop good relationships with the lawyers around you, both inside and outside of your school or office, with a particular eye towards those who are doing well in practice areas that are of interest to you.  Far too often, law students and junior attorneys make the mistake of equating success with being heads down, laptops up.  To be sure, studying the substantive law is important, but it alone will not advance your legal career.  In order to be successful, you’ll need to put the work down and actually talk to other human beings.  Schedule zoom meetings, lunches, coffees, drinks, etc. with associates and partners in Biglaw, as well as with peers in your class year (this will become super important later on as you advance in your career and your peers simultaneously advance in theirs). 

Don’t forget to also include lawyers who work for regulators, such as the SEC, or lawyers who are in-house counsel in corporate legal departments.  Mentors and sponsors can be found everywhere, so leave no stone unturned.  Find common points of interest with them (family, sports, etc.).  With regard to the law professors in your school or senior attorneys in your current office, ask them what they’re working on and offer to help in any way you can.  Offer to research and write a law journal article for them in their practice area.  With regard to all of the attorneys you meet, let them know what your career ambitions are. Most importantly, share your victories with them.  Whenever you receive a favorable result in a school or work matter or praise from a professor or client, take a second to mention those achievements to them.  This will not only help to develop your relationships, but it will also build your brand as a “go-to” attorney.

Keep in mind that we’re not talking about major time investments here.  A successful sit down for coffee can take place in 15 minutes or less (that’s a 0.3 in Biglaw speak).  You probably spend longer than that checking your Instagram page, so why not invest that time in developing a relationship with a mentor or sponsor who can elevate your career?