Hiya
@lawstudent2
Wanted to get some honest feedback to you, and hope this helps. The truth is, some US and Magic Circle firms
can be pretty particular when it comes to academic consistency. That said, many are more flexible than you might think. They’ll usually look at
what subjects the lower grades were in. For example, a 2:2 in something like tax or family law might not be as concerning to them as a 2:2 in contract or tort. They’ll also be thinking about the overall pattern (e.g. was this a one-off dip? Did your performance pick up later? Were there any mitigating circumstances that you've mentioned?)
But here’s the most important part:
please don’t self-select out. Way too many candidates self-select out based on assumptions that may not be true and often based on very weak evidence (this is something I've found frustrating when meeting really great candidates on here who may have a few blips in their academic record). A well-crafted application can absolutely help balance out academic performance in certain modules. I’ve seen plenty of people with uneven transcripts go on to secure offers at US firms because they demonstrated excellent commercial awareness, showed growth, and drafted strong applications.
So yes, be realistic, but don’t write yourself off unless you have strong evidence that these grades are going to be a deal breaker at some firms (this is actually quite difficult evidence to get in the case of some firms). Just focus on what you
can control heading into this next cycle. Good luck!
