Counsel's Counsel: Sep. 30, 2026
Dear Jane Doe,
I keep getting rejected from 1L rep positions, and it feels like all the student organizations just don’t want me around. I applied as a 1L rep to VLW, BLSA, LALO, PILA, Lambda, and FIRSTGEN, and I was denied from all of them. I even got a rejection email that said: “Try FedSoc.”
One of my friends said I might be getting screwed over because I got arrested for hazing in undergrad, but the rejections started happening way before then.
It sucks because I’ve worked so hard to build up my resume and set myself apart. I was a pledgemaster of Sigma Chi at Alabama, an intern at Lockheed Martin, and my dad’s firm wrote me a stellar recommendation. I’m really frustrated. If I can’t start networking, I won’t be competitive for Kirkland & Ellis. I’d really appreciate some advice. I feel like everyone is such a gunner that it makes it impossible to set myself apart.
Sincerely,
Someone Missing Alabama.
Answer:
Dear Someone Missing Alabama,
Thank you for reaching out. It seems like you’re in need of some tough love. It can be hard to find your footing as a 1L, but you can’t just give up. When they go low, you go lower.
Being a 1L rep isn’t the only way to network. Have you tried attending cultural events? All the orgs you mentioned host a variety of firm events, alumni mixers, intimate community gatherings, and more. If you’re serious about your career, you need to attend all of them.
Most of your classmates won’t be willing to take on this commitment, and therein lies your opportunity. Sure, you’re wearing a suit every day, sitting in the front row, and asking questions that are so tangential your professor can’t even understand them—but so is everyone else.
Let me ask you a real question: Did you fast for Yom Kippur? Did you attend a Taylor Swift “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore” listening party? Have you even had a session with CAPS? That’s where the real networking is happening. People aren’t divulging the nitty-gritty firm secrets over lobster, they’re doing it over communion wine. You need to get tapped in.
Lastly, it seems like you’re being a little high-strung about your arrest. Just chill, man. All interactions are a networking opportunity—even if instead of at bars, they’re through them.
Yours truly,
Jane Doe