Ann Israel is the legal profession's Dear Abby. A New York legal recruiter since 1979, Ann is a past president of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants. Advice for the Lawlorn is updated every Tuesday.

Dear Readers:It's been a while since I ran a column where I answered multiple questions. I thought it was time to do that again so, here goes ...

Dear Ann: From your answers to questions asked, it seems the ideal candidate is under 25 and in the upper third of his/her class. I wondered if you are willing to talk to older graduates from third-tier law schools. If not, does this reflect the view of all law firms or just the bigger firms?

Older Person in L.A.

Dear OP in L.A.: If you go back through the archives of this column, you will find that my ideal candidate has nothing to do with age but, rather, schools and grades. That is owing to the fact that my experience is skewed from the vantage point of a headhunter working for law firms and corporations in major cities. This does not in any way reflect the view of all law firms, whether they are big or small. It only concerns the firms and corporations when they are paying a fee; it is then that they want a very specific type of candidate.

If you look through the Martindale listings of the big firms, I submit to you that you will see attorneys from just about every law school out there. Don't think you can't get a job with a Biglaw firm just because my column doesn't seem to address your specific background!

Dear Ann: You provide such good advice. Here is my question. I'm finishing up a clerkship as we speak. In the fall, I'm off to a big firm in some city in the South with the full accoutrement of bonuses, etc., that come with doing well in law school and clerking for a great judge.

My situation: Since I accepted a job with said Biglaw firm, I've started seriously dating a girl in New York. The law firm I'm going to has offices in New York, and because I do the litigation thing, the firm would allow me to transfer there. I've taken and passed a couple of bars already and would rather take New York while some bar-exam memories are fresh in my mind. I intend to stay in the city I'm going to for at least 18 months. Do you think it would raise red flags if I took the N.Y. Bar as soon as possible, as opposed to waiting off into the future?

Thanks!

North/South in Atlanta

Dear North/South in Atlanta: I don't see any reason why you shouldn't take the N.Y. Bar now. You've already taken a number of other bar exams, and this is just one more added to the group. I don't think it will raise any red flags at all. In fact, the firm might be pleased that you will be admitted in New York just in case you are needed to work on something in the New York office from time to time.

As far as moving to New York 18 months from now for that nice girl you have just started dating, who knows what the future will bring?

Dear Ann: I did great my first year -- I was in top 5 percent of my class and received an offer for summer employment from one of the top firms on the East Coast. However, my second year my grades slipped to the point where I am getting about a B+ average and am probably in only about top 15 to 30 percent of my class. I am petrified that I will not get an offer from my summer firm due to my declining grades. To be honest they slipped because I was really burned out, I had a lot of things on my plate and I wanted to reconnect with my family and friends.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to minimize the damage I have caused. Do most firms care that much about 2L grades?

Thank you so much!

Slipping in Boston

Dear Slipping in Boston: Yes, the firms do care about the 2L grades, just as they will care about how you do during your third year in law school. The good news here is that you do have a summer job, and they are not going to pull that away from you.

Slipping from the top 5 percent to somewhere between the top 15 to 30 percent is more of a fall than a slip. You can be certain that someone at the firm is going to sit down and speak with you this summer about your declining grades. I would strongly urge you to come up with a better response than just being burned out. You'd better toughen up before that talk because I can't imagine a law firm partner at one of the top East Coast firms being terribly sympathetic to 2L burnout.

The best way to minimize the damage is to be the best summer associate in the class. Work the hardest, play the hardest, be the most visible and show the firm that you are tireless, a team player and excited to be a lawyer. Let them know that you want to be associated with the firm and there is nothing you desire more than an offer of permanent employment.

In reality, if you are in the top 15 percent of your class, you probably don't have that much to worry about. Make sure you make a commitment to return to school and bring your grades back up to where they once were. Reconnect with your studies during your third year and forget about being burned out, at least when you are sitting and talking with the partners and associates at the firm this summer! Please write back to me at the end of the summer and let us know how things turn out.

Best wishes to all of this week's advice seekers!

Sincerely,
Ann Israel
President, Ann Israel & Associates