I did a bunch of applications before OCIP (during summer break), and I chose which firms to apply to in this pre-OCIP round based on their presence on the Ms. JD site as sponsors. I figured if they had given money to help start Ms. JD, they at least had women's issues on their radar. I wanted a place where I wouldn't have to explain why support for women at the firm was important to me- but where it was already a priority. So I sent my resume and cover letters to a few firms on the corporate sponsor list.

When I went to my callback at a firm a few weeks later, one of the partners saw Ms. JD on my resume and mentioned that one of their summer associates was involved in Ms. JD as well. It was extremely helpful that the firm knew what Ms. JD was, and beyond mere recognition, that it demonstrated a commitment to its female attorneys in the half-day I spent at the office. After the callback I emailed that summer associate involved in Ms. JD to ask her opinion of the firm, and to find out about her experience there. She was extremely helpful (despite our never having met in person), and her enthusiasm for the firm definitely contributed to my ultimate decision to accept their offer.

I think my point here is to show the role Ms. JD played in my big firm job hunt process. In the end, of course, I applied to many firms who were not corporate sponsors, but the list of sponsors initially motivated me to apply to a firm that did not interview at my law school, and then also provided me with an immediate contact at the firm. Ms. JD definitely did its job of creating a network of female law students, and I took full advantage of that as I emailed the Ms. JD-involved summer associate with many, many questions about her experience at the office. I found a great match with the help of Ms. JD, and I encourage others for whom all big firms look the same to check out the list of corporate sponsors as a starting place when deciding which firms to consider.