<p>Those are a lot of questions! I have a few moments while I wait for word on the other side of my deal on some issues, so here goes . . . </p>
<p>First, please take the Vault's online law forums (and all online law forums) with a grain of salt. You'll find a very self selecting group of people there, and, most importantly, busy law students and lawyers more often than not do not have the time or the inclination to be frequently visiting Vault or any similar website. </p>
<p>Second, yes, I'm sure that there are students at T14 law schools who have a greater challenge than others in finding a job. That makes sense, doesn't it? Some students make law review while others do not. Some students have better grades than others. Some students have prior work experience that gives them a boost in the hiring process. Some students have better interviewing skills. Now, it certainly helps tremendously to do well in law school, even if that law school in incredibly well respected and has a solid reputation among recruiters. I'll give you an example of how this all works. When my first law firm out of law school (very prestigious, NYC) recruited at Harvard Law, we interviewed over 350 students on campus. Of these, perhaps 60-70 got call backs and 30-40 got offers to join the summer program (many law students choose to work at a law firm the summer after their second year of law school, and it's that law firm that usually makes them an offer of permanent employment at the end of the summer). That doesn't mean that the people we didn't call back didn't find jobs elsewhere, but the fact remains that we only made offers to perhaps 10-15% of the students that we interviewed on campus. Keep in mind, too, that my firm seemed to always make offers to many of the same students who received offers from the other top big law firms in NYC (which is why we made so many offers). So, while most students at Harvard Law certainly end up with jobs, not every one of them ends up with a job at their first choice employer, and I'm certain that certan students end up with multiple offers from top law firms. That's the story at all of the top law schools. Now, a law student with lower grades at a T14 law school will have a tougher path to employment, but I've certainly heard of very few, if any, law students at top law schools who end up without any kind of job. I would encourage you to look both at the websites of top law firms to see at which schools they recruit, and to look at the websites of top law schools for information on the numbers of their graduates that have jobs as of graduation (or shortly thereafter). You'll find the numbers hovering at about 98-99%.</p>
<p>Third, not everyone is trying to get a corporate job out of law school. The fact of the matter is that there just aren't enough of those to go around. If you go to a T14 law school and end up with absolutely terrible, bottom of the class, grades, chances are that you won't get one of those plum positions. A law student can always re-interview as a 3L, though the first question out of every interviewer's mouth will be, "Did you get an offer of permanent employment from your job last summer?" If the answer is no, that candidate is going to have a steep uphill climb. Many law firms do some 3L hiring at top law schools, though it is very limited since firms tend to fill their classes from the students in their summer classes who are known quantities at that point. If you do reasonably well in a T14 law school (even if you do fairly poorly), you will likely get a job, though you have to go into the hiring process with an open mind about your options. </p>
<p>Fourth, yes, it is difficult, if not impossible, to move to a job at Wachtell, Cravath, Sullivan & Cromwell, etc. from a job at a mid-sized or lesser regarded firm, unless you wait several years and have a particular skill set that is heavily in demand. Otherwise, these three firms, in particular, pride themselves on developing their associates, doing little to no lateral recruiting (hiring after graduation from law school, typically of someone who already has some firm experience) and on promoting to partner those associates who came up through their ranks. </p>
<p>Fifth, I can't definitively say at what point your grades or class rank at a T14 law school will disqualify you for a job at a big law firm (some of which, by the way, pay better and are much more prestigious than others). I would have to argue that there is no definitive line that you cross, because the interviews can be all important. I have sent out letters to rejected candidates more than once asking them to bring up their grades and to come back to see us again as a 3L. (As an aside, many law students refer to first semester second year as the "great equalizer", because so many of the students with top grades from first year are time challenged (law review, multiple call back interviews, etc.) that their grades drop second year.) </p>
<p>Sixth, yes, you can work for a law firm for a long time and never make partner there. You always run that risk. Yes, at the point when you finally decide to leave your law firm, especially if you work for a big NYC firm, you may be not so elegantly wearing those golden handcuffs, that may prevent you from leaving for a situation in another city or with better hours, for example, if your lifestyle demands that you maintain a certain level of income. The decision of whether to leave your firm may be quite problematic, since some firms never make it entirely clear whether or not you are on the "partner" track. Yes, you may have some trouble finding another job if your areas of specialty and knowledge are not in demand or if you are just too senior to make the move to another firm at anything but the partner level, where you would typically be expected to bring a book of business with you. Keep in mind, too, that in house jobs are in demand and the competition for these jobs is quite stiff. Don't look at that as an easy way out.</p>
<p>I hope that this helps.</p>