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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]At law school, we were all advised to include our high schools for resumes for jobs in the City or town where the high school is located. This was Harvard Law school, so it wasn't as though we were grasping to find some school to gain us a privileged edge that was lacking.  The reason for including the high school was to indicate in the resume, without the firm needing to read through a cover letter, that we were from the town where the job was located, which would make it seem we would be more likely to stay. Especially in transient cities like Washington, employers may be more interested in hiring people they believe will remain long-term, rather than get DC experience then move back to their home towns. It made sense to me, so I included my area high school on my resume for DC law firms, but not on resumes going to firms in other cities. All turned out fine.[/quote]

Was told the same thing at another law school on the other side of the country.  At least for law firm hiring it was seen as a big deal to have city ties -- certainly that might not be the case in other industries, but for law it was a thing. And when I was on the hiring committee at a firm in DC, it did help when people (I mainly remember Sidwell showing up) listed their DC independent school. [b] My guess is that it can help and it wouldn't hurt[/b] -- OP's snarky post aside, a great resume won't get thrown in the trash bc an applicant listed their local HS.[/quote]

Decisions like these should require more than guesswork.  As I said before, the different reactions that you're seeing here confirm that the practice is, at the very least, controversial.  And as a partner in a major DC firm I have to tell you -- there is a real concern among hiring partners about hiring new lawyers who aren't afraid or unwilling to get their hands dirty.  I'm not saying that STA or Sidwell grads are lazy or self-important, but I am saying that there are some lawyers involved in the hiring process who feel strongly that they'll get more bang for the buck from a scrappy kid who came from nothing and is hungry.   So, again, why risk it?  The upside is small, and the downside is potentially large.

If you want to make an exception for local high school graduates of fancy schools whose parents moved from the area after you graduated, fine.  But you're being nit-picky.

I'm pretty sure that no one commenting on this thread has as much experience in this area (big law firm hiring in DC) as I do.    [/quote]

I am not sure that your additional years of interviewing (I've been at it for over 20) would necessarily provide any greater insight on the question.  For my part, I don't think the DCUM is particularly reflective of those making hiring decisions.  From what I understand, one of the well-known DC law firms is the largest employer of parents with kids at Beauvoir.  Most of those kids go onto NCS and STA.  I don't think those parents mind one bit seeing that applicants to their firm attended the same school their children attend or attended. It's a nice point of contact. This is a small town with lots of shared experiences.  That can be a good thing for an applicant to understand.  [/quote]

Agree.  I spent 10 years on the hiring committee at a well-known DC firm.  Tons of SFS, STA/NCS, GDS parents/Board Members/Board Chairs in the partnership and they liked the schools their kids attended.  People also liked any local kid, period, for the ties to the area.[/quote]

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