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.

Q:I am currently attending a top-10 law school and am in the beginning stages of looking for that all-important 2L summer job.

Although my school doesn't rank its students, I am at least in the bottom 20 percent of the class. However, everyone seems to think my resume is incredible, including firms that interviewed me for 1L summer jobs. Still, I didn't get any offers from firms then, and I am worried about that happening again, although I know firms are more interested in hiring 2Ls than 1Ls.

I am also a minority and am worried about how that will affect my chances with firms. A former hiring partner has told me it will benefit me, but I have my doubts, especially with my grades being low. Everyone, including the former hiring partner, seems to believe I will definitely get something because of my resume. One market consultant told me my resume is the best she has ever seen.

What do you think about how firms will balance my grades, resume, school reputation and minority status?

Balanced

Dear Balanced: I'm afraid I am about to throw you off-kilter. Unless you have omitted telling us about some amazing job or feat that exists on your resume, I can't imagine why you are being told that your resume is "incredible" and, according to a "market consultant," "the best she has ever seen." Why, because you are at a top-10 law school?

I am sorry to knock the wind out of your sails, but putting yourself, at best, in the bottom 20 percent of your class tells me that 80 percent of the students at your law school alone are looking better than you right now.

Let's forget about the resume for a moment.

What happened during those 1L interviews? If the hiring partners were so dazzled by your resume then, why didn't you receive any offers? Generally speaking, they wouldn't be sitting there with a transcript in front of them, so it shouldn't have anything to do with bad grades. And minority status should be a positive with both 1L and 2L interviewing.

Let's forget about what happened at the 1L interviews. That's history.

Hopefully, you will be able to schedule a number of 2L interviews since, I believe, the first interviews are set up on-campus and without seeing a transcript. You need to take a no-holds-barred approach to interviewing because this is your only hope and your only chance to get a 2L job call-back and, eventually, an offer.

Your minority status is good news -- it's your class ranking that is the killer. Unless you have everyone falling in love with you prior to seeing your transcript, you are dead in the water once they realize you are in the bottom 20 percent of your class. One C on someone's transcript is not a deal breaker, but it would appear that you have more than one.

For each firm that schedules an interview with you, you need to be so prepared that it will seem as if you already work at that firm. You will need to know why you want to work at that firm, what their client base is all about, what practice areas they are known for, the history of the firm, why you think this would be the right place for you, etc., etc., etc.

Ultimately, if you are the greatest interviewee and truly have convinced the interviewers why you should be hired, the firm will look at your minority status and your great law school, along with your sincere desire to work at that particular firm, and will, hopefully, decide that your class ranking is outbalanced by these other factors.

As I have written many times before, your transcript will follow you for the rest of your career. I still don't understand why, as a law school student starting your second year of law school, your resume is so amazing, but I do know that you have two more years of law school to work on your grades. I strongly urge you to take this seriously and focus on bringing up your grades. In the meantime, as the time for the 2L interviews draws near, start preparing for your interviews.

Good luck!

Sincerely,
Ann Israel
President, Ann Israel & Associates