The IRS and Moneyball

In my other blogging gig on MoneyLaw, I followed up on Tuesday's post on the the IRS's recruitment of new lawyers by asking Is the IRS Applying Moneyball Principles in its Hiring of Law Students?:

Would the IRS be better served recruiting students at the top of the class at a non-elite school rather than a student at the bottom of the class at an elite school?

Jim Chen (Minnesota), my MoneyLaw boss, offers a detailed response in The Best of the Worst Versus the Worst of the Best:

I've already admitted in this forum that I mostly ignore both law school pedigree and class rank. But if I had to choose, I'd go with the high-ranking graduate of the nonelite school. When forced to rely on gut instinct, I'll put my trust in someone who has worked hard to finish as high as possible, even in a less elite talent pool, ahead of someone whose lone claim to distinction depends on her or his classmates.