Career Paths: Jacob Kansco ’25L After graduation, Jacob Kansco will join the general litigation group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York City.

Jacob Kansco ’25L

Jacob Kansco ‘25L is from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He attended Virginia Tech for his undergraduate degree where he received a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science. After college, he worked in New York City as a legal assistant for a small personal injury firm. At W&L, he is on the  Law Review and is involved with the Outing Club. After graduation, Jacob will join the general litigation group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York City.

Did you know coming into law school that you wanted to work in this field?

I knew that I wanted to work at a large firm in New York City. What I did not appreciate was the difference between transactional and litigation work. Most people have to make this decision pretty early on, either when applying for firm jobs right after your 1L year, while you are a summer associate right after your 2L year, or perhaps sometime during your first two years of practice. I spoke with many transactional attorneys and I found that most of them chose transactional over litigation not because they knew they would enjoy transactional work, but because they knew they would not enjoy litigation. I found that I enjoyed my 1L coursework, which leans heavily towards litigation work, and my 1L judicial internship. These experiences made it clear that I would likely enjoy litigation work over transactional.

What role did the size and location of the firm play in the search and decision process?

The size and location of the firm were essentially the only factors I considered during my search process. Initially, I only applied for large firms in New York City, and I was fortunate enough to get an offer early enough in the summer that I did not need to broaden the scope of my search.

Was there anything in your law school or summer job experience that confirmed this career choice?

My judicial internship following my 1L year solidified my interest in litigation. I believe that a judicial internship is one of the best things someone can do after 1L year. Unless you decide to pursue a clerkship after graduation, it is one of the few opportunities you have to work in chambers.

What classes do you think are helpful to prepare for this job?

One of the best things about working in a general litigation group is that the subject matter of the cases varies widely. For this reason, I think any course that has you engaging with case law and understanding arguments is helpful for a career in litigation. However, I do believe that participating in a clinic is one of the best things you can do in law school. I am in the Community Legal Practice Center Clinic and there are skills that I have gained that could really only be learned through practical work.

Can you describe the job search process?

Firms are hiring earlier and earlier after 1L. It used to be that firms relied heavily on the On-Campus Interviews (OCI) that are organized by the law schools. While OCI is still active and law firms will participate, a significant amount of 2L summer associate positions are filled by the time OCI happens, particularly in NYC. I knew this and tried to get my applications in front of firm recruiters as early as possible. Almost all firms have application portals you can find on their website that open sometime in late spring/early summer. Many people will tell you that applying through these portals is a waste of time, and this may be largely true, but this is exactly how I secured my position at Kirkland & Ellis. Every firm is different, and my advice is to try anything and everything you can to get your name in front of the firm’s recruiting department. In fact, I would recommend that applicants not only apply through a firm’s portal, but send a follow-up email with your resume/cover letter to someone in the firm’s recruiting department to ensure that it is seen.

What are you most looking forward to about this job?

I am most excited for the legal training that a large firm like Kirkland & Ellis can provide. Kirkland & Ellis is known to provide young lawyers opportunities that are usually reserved for senior associates such as taking depositions, performing oral arguments, or even participating in trial as first or second chair. I am excited for the experience I will gain from working in such a fast-paced environment.