What do I do if I’m in the bottom half of my class?

This question is answered by Shauna C. Bryce of  Bryce Legal Career Counsel.

As a student, Bryce  graduated with honors from The Johns Hopkins University before going on to graduate from Harvard Law School. She was published in the Harvard International Law Journal, where she was also the book review editor and an articles editor, and served as a research assistant for two professors.  Bryce is an attorney with a deep law firm experience.  She worked in an international law firm, a regional law firm, and in-house at a regional company. During this time, Bryce reviewed countless resumes, conducted interviews, worked on a firm’s hiring committee, and mentored junior and mid-level associates.

Bryce brings this expertise to the specialized world of legal job hunting and became a career adviser and resume writer. Bryce answers this and many other relevant questions in a blog called “Ask The Hiring Attorney.” She’s also the author of  “How to Get a Legal Job: A Guide for New Attorneys and Law School Students.”

Bryce offers some great suggestions like  first step should be to identify your strengths. Are you more of a hands-on learner rather than a classroom learner? Are you good on your feet? Good at explaining technical terms to lay people? Identifying your strengths will not only help you better find employers who value you, but also give you a much-needed boost in confidence as you start looking for job opportunities.

Next think about employers who value those strengths. For example, while many large or premier firms place a high value on grades, many smaller law firms value new attorneys who can deal with clients and go to court right away. These are better environments for hands-on learners, confident speakers, those with client interaction experience, and those who are simply good on their feet.

Even after you’ve identified your strengths and found employers who value those strengths, you still may have to face the music about your weaker grades. Don’t despair. Think about the reasons—not excuses—for those weaker grades. Did you work full-time? Were you a very active student involved in leadership? Did you have a difficult adjustment to law school that doomed your cumulative GPA? A student working full-time to put herself through school has an understandable reason for not having as high grades as a student who didn’t have to work and could concentrate fully on his studies.

Look at trends in your grades. Did you do better after the first year? Did you have a particularly high (or low) semester? If your GPA had an upward trajectory, then focus on that rather than your slow start.

Consider also the courses in which you earned your highest (and lowest) grades. Did you perform best in courses related to your target practice area? If so, then you can focus on that trend. For example, if you earned top grades in your federal tax classes and you want to pursue tax as a practice area, then perhaps prospective employers will care less that you received low scores in immigration law.

Don’t forget the power of great references and networking. Networking has always been a powerful tool in finding and securing opportunities, and if you have real or perceived strikes against you, then networking becomes even more important. Secure your letters of reference up front, and enlist your references and your network in your job search to help you find potential employers and get your foot in the door.

Lastly, don’t despair. As time goes by, your grades will matter less and less. You can then focus on your experience and expertise, and few employers will care about your transcript.