When submitting your application for law firm positions whether through OCI or direct application, you will be asked to identify the office location(s) in which you are interested. Navigating this selection when you are interested in more than one location can be tricky – follow our tips below!
- Narrow your list of locations to five or fewer. It is acceptable (and often encouraged!) to apply to more than one office of a firm, however, that does not mean apply to them all. Pick no more than five offices of a single firm.
- Read the
job posting and the employer’s website carefully. In many instances, the firm
will include information about multiple location applications (e.g., one firm
website states that candidates can select up to three locations). In other
instances, the firm may provide instructions for actually submitting
application materials (e.g., one firm website instructs that an applicant who
applied to multiple offices should submit an updated transcript to the office
in which the applicant is most interested).
- Note
the offices of the firm to which you are applying in your cover letter. For example: “I grew up outside of Boston and
look forward to practicing in New England following graduation. In addition to
your Boston office, I am applying to your Providence, Manchester, and Bangor
offices.” Or for a student with offices more spread out geographically, “I am
open geographically and am applying to your Los Angeles, Denver, and Miami
offices.”
- Be
Prepared to discuss your connection to or desire to work in each office
location to which you applied. You do not have to have strong ties to each market,
but you will want to be able to articulate the reason for your interest.
- Calibrate your cover letters in instances where you are sending more than one cover letter to the same firm. They will not be identical, but they should be able to stand together and both be true. For example, your mother cannot be born and raised in both Miami and New York, however, you can have familial ties to both markets.