At what point do grades not matter? Having been in banking for a few years, I want to start practicing.
I don't think your grades matter very much after you've been out of law school for a few years. Certainly, if you have bad grades, and you've never practiced it, they may do some harm. Grades are really used to distinguish you from other attorneys, and the reason is that there's really no other way for them to judge you when you're in law school.
After you get out of law school and you've done other things, then they can judge you based on the experience you have at that point. So grades really stop being a problem after you've been out for a few years. Now, the way they can be a problem is at certain major law firms.
Certainly, like AmLaw 100 law firms and so forth may be concerned about your grades, and even some smaller, very prestigious boutiques will be, the longer you've been out. All the attorneys of the firm will pride themselves on having their grades and stuff. I personally know some attorneys that had horrible grades in law school or didn't do very well and are exceptional attorneys now. I think a lot of what you learn is on the job, and depending on the people you're working with, I don't think grades have that much to do with your success.
After you get a couple of years of experience, I don't think your grades are going to hurt you very much, except maybe with the very best firms in whatever market you're in.
