1. A student asked about whether he/she should transfer from a not great school to a more prestigious school. I would say, particularly in the legal market the next few years, it probably is a good idea to upgrade schools. The one caveat I would have is if your grades are superb, you like the current school, and you plan to practice in the region where that particular school is viewed favorably, you may want to stay. If you want to work in a big market and you are not there, or you are there but at a mediocre school, you've got a tough rode. I saw someone who transferred from a mediocre school to Georgetown. We interviewed them. They would not have received an interview if their resume indicated they were still at the mediocre school. That said, if I were a regional firm in that mediocre school's region and this candidate had top grades, law review, etc., the person probably would do just fine.
2. We've had several questions on following up after callbacks. I have to say, there are several candidates "on hold" at HP's firm because HP is waiting to see if other people accept their offers. It is perfectly acceptable to check in after a couple weeks, and even a couple weeks after that. Of course, there's a fine line between obsession and professionalism. I like when people check in because it shows me they are still interested in us. So, if I am deciding whether to give an offer to Student A or Student B, part of what I am thinking of is who is likely to accept (perhaps before the NALP deadline!) and I may choose based on who seems most interested. I haven't heard from someone in a while and figure he's moved on while we have seen other candidates. Maybe he thinks we are not interested in him? In any event, I am probably going with someone else who I think will take the offer.
3. This actually isn't answering a question, but putting out a request. If you've got multiple offers and -- since you have firm X you aren't taking firm Y, please go ahead and politely decline firm Y. We understand people make choices for different reasons. We may ask you your reasoning just so we can understand and if it is something we can improve, to find out what that is. In this economy, it would really help your colleagues and others if you decline early so that we can move on. I realize I am calling on your altruism but, as my high school foreign language teacher used to say "it's nice to be nice." If you are waiting on other firms, we usually understand that, but do keep the other firms informed of upcoming NALP imposed deadlines on your offers.
I hope that helps guys and gals. HP is going to go watch some baseball.
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