What Is Mass Mailing and Does It Work?

What It Is

Mass mailing means sending your application materials, resume, transcript, cover letter, and sometimes a writing sample, directly to a large number of law firms outside of OCI. You're essentially cold-applying.

Students typically mass mail to firms that don't recruit at their school through OCI, or to supplement a thin OCI schedule. In the newer recruiting calendar, direct applications can also be an early path, not just a cleanup move after OCI.

When to Do It

Mass mailing makes the most sense if:

• OCI didn't go well. You got fewer interviews or callbacks than expected and need to widen the net.
• Your school has a small OCI program. If only 20-30 firms come to campus, mass mailing opens up dozens more options.
• You're targeting a specific market. If you want to practice in a city where most firms don't recruit at your school, direct applications are your primary path.
• Firm portals open before your school process. Some firms post direct applications before the formal school-run interview window. For the next cycle, students should be watching firm portals and career office postings around October, then checking again after the main January window if they still need options.

Does It Actually Work?

Honestly? The response rate is low. Expect somewhere around 2-5% of your applications to result in an interview. That sounds discouraging, but consider the math: if you send 100 applications and get 3-5 interviews, that's 3-5 real shots you didn't have before.

The students who succeed with mass mailing are the ones who treat it strategically, not as a numbers game of identical letters sent to 200 firms.

How to Do It Right

Target carefully. Don't just pull the Am Law 200 list and send letters to all of them. Research firms using the firm directory and identify the ones where your background, interests, and geographic preferences align.

Write real cover letters. Each letter should have at least one paragraph that's specific to that firm. Mention a practice area, a recent matter, or a connection to the office. Generic letters are obvious and get ignored.

Time it well. There are now two useful windows. The first is the early direct-application window, which may begin around October for some firms and schools. The second is the post-OCI window, when firms assess whether they filled their summer class. Sending too late in the cycle, after most classes have closed, generally does not land.

Follow up. If you haven't heard back after 2-3 weeks, a brief follow-up email to the recruiting coordinator is appropriate. One follow-up. Not three.

What to Send

• Personalized cover letter
• Resume
• Transcript
• Writing sample (if the firm requests one, check their website)

Address everything to the hiring partner or recruiting coordinator by name. "To Whom It May Concern" goes straight to the trash.

So What Should You Do?

Mass mailing isn't glamorous and it's not efficient. But it works often enough to be worth doing if you need it. Pair it with networking, firm events, and other paths to BigLaw for the best odds.