The BigLaw Bear Library
Everything you need to navigate BigLaw recruiting: guides, data, and firm intel.
Data & Research: 18 articles
What Are Quimbee and Cubby? Law School Study Aids Without the Hype
Quimbee is a study-aid platform. Cubby may refer to Cubby Law or to local school shorthand. Either way, supplements should support your outline, not replace it.
3 min read
ABA Formal Opinion 512: What Law Students Should Know About Lawyers Using AI
ABA Formal Opinion 512 does not ban AI. It says lawyers using generative AI still owe duties of competence, confidentiality, communication, supervision, candor, and reasonable fees.
4 min read
Harvey, Legora, CoCounsel: What Law Firm AI Tools Mean for Students
Law firm AI is moving from experiments to firmwide tools. Students do not need to know every vendor, but they should understand how the work is changing.
4 min read
Law School Enrollment Rose in 2025. Here Is What the ABA Data Actually Says
ABA 2025 enrollment data shows more JD students and a larger first-year class. That matters for students, but not in the simplistic way people usually talk about competition.
4 min read
The Class of 2025 Law Graduate Employment Data: What Students Should Notice
ABA Class of 2025 employment data shows strong overall placement and a high law-firm share. The details matter more than the headline.
4 min read
ABA Standard 206 Is Suspended Through August 2026. What Does That Mean for Law Students?
The ABA has suspended enforcement of Standard 206 through August 31, 2026. That is an accreditation fact, not a simple answer about what law schools will do with diversity programs.
4 min read
ABA 509 Reports Explained: The Law School Data Students Should Actually Read
ABA 509 reports are the closest thing law students get to a standardized fact sheet for every accredited law school. Here is how to read them without mistaking disclosure for advice.
5 min read
What Is a Good 1L GPA?
A 'good' GPA means different things at different schools. Here's the framework.
2 min read
Where Our Data Comes From
Every number on BigLaw Bear comes from a public, verifiable source. Here is where each data point comes from, which year it represents, and how often we update it.
7 min read
How Does the Law School Grading Curve Work?
The curve is the most misunderstood part of law school. Here's how it actually works.
3 min read
What Is Class Rank and How Do Firms Use It?
Some schools rank. Some don't. Here's what firms actually do with that information.
2 min read
How to Read a NALP Form
NALP forms are dense but full of useful data. Here's a guide to finding the information that actually matters.
2 min read
What GPA Do You Need for BigLaw?
The GPA you need depends entirely on where you go to school. Here's the honest breakdown by tier.
3 min read
Do You Need to Go to a T14 Law School to Get BigLaw?
T14 schools dominate BigLaw hiring, but they're not the only way in. Here's what the data actually shows.
3 min read
Do Grades Matter After You Have a BigLaw Offer?
You got the offer. Can you coast? The honest answer might surprise you.
2 min read
How Much Do 1L Grades Really Matter?
Short answer: a lot. But maybe not in the way you think.
2 min read
BigLaw Lateral Market 2026: What Is Moving
The lateral market tells you which practice areas are hot, which firms are growing, and where associate demand is strongest. Here is what 2026 looks like.
4 min read
I Got Bad 1L Grades. Is BigLaw Still Possible?
It's harder, but it's not over. Here's what actually works.
3 min read