Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams, 2nd Edition

The "guerrilla tactics" concept was a popular 2000s book format for convincing you that you were about to read some against-the-current secret, advanced techniques when in reality it was mostly the same things said by other authors at the time.This book tells you a lot of what seems like common sense after the fact in searching for legal jobs when you don't have a family hookup for a job or find yourself getting offers from OCI. It's lengthy but not written densely. It's a better guide for landing internships and jobs than your career services department which is more of a marketing department than what they purport to be. Career services cares about filling all the OCI slots they can for the school by whoever they can get in those slots. They don't especially care about you personally getting an internship or job. You need somebody to tell you how it really is if OCI isn't your path and like me you didn't have attorneys in the family to fill that role.Generally the book is right. As somebody who worked in other professions before law school, interned at small firms and government offices, ran a solo practice and worked in large plaintiff-side firms I can attest that the general principles are correct. Building relationships and persistence are the best supplements to your law school transcript. Most small firms hire through relationships and sometimes hire because they found somebody they thought would add value to the firm not necessarily because they had a need for another attorney.There are a few things I dislike about the book. One, it tries to fit that guerrilla tactics model by sticking in some rare examples where people did something unusual and it worked out for them. Yes, sometimes an against-the-grain tactic works but generally not. Two, the book doesn't do as great of a job of distinguishing between trying to get jobs in big or mid-sized firms versus small firms as it could. Biglaw and even a lot of midlaw are more akin to large corporations and their hiring practices while small firms hire entirely different. Three, I don't think the example documents are especially great for all purposes and perhaps at this point dated for the current job market. All that said, this is still one of the better books on the market.

There aren't many books that by themselves are going to get you a job. The economy just isn't great...which sucks for us new law school grads.That said, this book really does give some decent advice; some of it I knew, but some I really didn't. Even more than that, it's a positive reinforcement to keep looking even when nothing is panning out. I especially like the chapter on rejection, because Walton is right, other career books don't talk about it. (I've read quite a few). I also like how she doesn't really suggest doing outlandish things like going firms and handing out your resume in person (maybe she does and I haven't got to that point? It's a long book).I could see why some people are turned off by the tone, and certainly some of those "smart human trick" stories are corny, but personally, I like it better than all the other "Law school is a scam; Kill self" stuff I read on the internet these days.It was worth the $ [...] I spent on it (and trust me, I barely have $ [...] to spend- I am after all unemployed).I only gave it 4 stars because it alone isn't going to get you a job, and you'll probably benefit from reading other job aid books (ie, resume writing, cover letter writing) because hey, the chapters addressing these things have be expounded upon in other books, and you are better off with more knowledge than less. Finally this book really doesn't help with non-legal job searches (but then again, it doesn't purport to).

I was skeptical about purchasing this product because of the reviews that were less than glowing. After reading the first chapter, however, I felt as if I stumbled across a gold mine. As a first generation law student who does not have any relatives in a white collar profession, attends a school not in the T-15, and is not in the top 10-15% of the class, I started to panic after my 1st semester. My career services center SUCKS, thus, I felt as if I was hopelessly wading through the muddy waters of finding a job. This book is a little overly cheerful and for individuals who are not willing to work hard to implement the numerous strategies and take heed to the model real life examples of success stories, then this book will not work for you. But for individuals who are tired and overwhelmed with the nebulous job search and desire clear cut practical strategies that THEY ARE WILLING TO WORK THEIR BUTTS OFF TO TRY, then BUY this book. I got a firm job (PAID) after my 1L year and I have options lined up for the 2nd summer (And I have not even begun my 2nd year of school yet!) I think this book's helpfulness is directly proportional to when you purchase and how you use it. So...3Ls, I'm not saying it's too late but get a move on! And for 1Ls, 2Ls, you NEED this book. Unless of course you are set on the misconception that a BIG Law firm job will fall into your lap.Right.You and everyone else buddy.

This should be that book. Kimm lays out, in straightforward language, exactly what you need to do in order to get the best job for you. I go to a top 30 school and, because of Kimm, I am competing with students from top 10 schools.You might hear on a law school discussion message board, or be told by your LSAT prep teacher, that you shouldn't read (or read very little) before law school. They are wrong, and if you read this book you will see how much of an advantage you have over people who don't use this book. It is easy to feel guilty with so much powerful knowledge at your fingertips, so try not to keep this book too much of a secret.If you go to a tier 3 or 4 school: I'm willing to bet that if you read this book and follow its advice that it will open the door to jobs that are usually only available to tier one students.This book is the best $30 I've ever spent. For just $30 dollars I have offers from firms that pay $2000 a week! Now that's a rate of return I can live with!Thank you, Kimm!

I bought this book whilst applying for a new job, and used some of the tips in writing my application, CV and formatting speculative enquiries. Some of the tactics are better suited to the American job market. However, there were some great tips for answering job interview questions. For example: turning a setback into an opportunity by admitting that you have learning to do, or acknowledging where you might fall short, turning it into a positive by saying that is the challenge you are seeking etc. The writer discusses real life many scenarios, so if there is something you are worried about and would like to learn how to tackle - this book has plenty of information to help you. I got a new job within a few months...and I had not had such luck before. I also gave it to a colleague of mine who was seeking a new job and she found it helpful too.