It seems as if every day, we’re hit with another invitation to a law firm 1L reception. They all sound pretty much the same. “You may have heard of us from the rejection letter we sent you a month ago when you sent us your resume looking for a summer associate position. However, we’d like you to forget about that, tear our rejection letter from your dart board, and come join us for free food and drinks so that we can convince you to send us your resume again next year. So we can reject you one more time. Ha ha ha.”

Some firms have decided that a fancy invitation in our mailboxes is the best way to woo us. “You, generic student, and all of your classmates (or non-law student friends who can pretend), are individually invited to our informal gathering where we will distribute reams of promotional material.” Others have opted for the cheaper e-mail route, following in the footsteps of the “Lower Your Mortgage Rate,” “A Free Gift Is Waiting For You,” and “Enlarge Any Body Part You Want” businesses in deciding that the best way to get people to do things is to send them lots of spam. As if the seventh time we get a reminder e-mail – “Weil & Gotshal reception is just 23 weeks away!” – we’ll suddenly decide that we want to attend.

I think they should combine the MIT matchmaking service (described in a post a few days ago) with the 1L law firm receptions. Each firm could ask us a few questions about our legal interests, and what we’re looking for in a mate, and match us up with an associate at their firm who can simultaneously be our recruiter, and our date. Frankly, I think they’d get a huge turnout. Of just the kind of associates they want, actually – single ones, without a family to keep them from working 160 hours a week. Hey, I think I’ve stumbled onto something here….