Summer Associate Class of 2017 Forum

[ernie]

My first summer was a piece of cake; out of the office by six most days, never any work on weekends, events three times a week. It was super fun.

My second summer I worked like a dog. Wasn't gunning, I was trying to understand the job, figure out if it was for me. I was miserable, which is why I stepped off the big law track.

[genericwit]

I usually come in around 8:30 and leave around 6:30. But I'm being given actual work. I've written a couple of pleadings and sat in on a couple of client meetings. So I'm sure it's different than for folks who are at a firm that's social heavy but work light. Excluding daily lunches, we only have events like 2-3x/week. A lot of my friends have social events almost daily. And there are days where I get out earlier. Like Friday, I was out as soon as I finished my assignment, which was like 5. Either way, as long as you do what you need to in order to meet expectations and get a return offers, who cares what your hours are?

I do wonder though, for people pulling all nighters, are you asking when your stuff is due? My standard questions are "What's the format? What's it for? When's it due?" and most of the time (excluding days we have hearings or have pleadings due), the answer is "eh, no rush. Next week sometime?" And when I report back to the head of the program on assignments, I tell him what I have/how long it'll take, and I'm not really overloaded.

[RaceJudicata]

I usually come in around 8:30 and leave around 6:30. But I'm being given actual work. I've written a couple of pleadings and sat in on a couple of client meetings. So I'm sure it's different than for folks who are at a firm that's social heavy but work light. Excluding daily lunches, we only have events like 2-3x/week. A lot of my friends have social events almost daily. And there are days where I get out earlier. Like Friday, I was out as soon as I finished my assignment, which was like 5. Either way, as long as you do what you need to in order to meet expectations and get a return offers, who cares what your hours are?

I do wonder though, for people pulling all nighters, are you asking when your stuff is due? My standard questions are "What's the format? What's it for? When's it due?" and most of the time (excluding days we have hearings or have pleadings due), the answer is "eh, no rush. Next week sometime?" And when I report back to the head of the program on assignments, I tell him what I have/how long it'll take, and I'm not really overloaded.

(and I have two weeks of experience)

[Anonymous User]

I usually come in around 8:30 and leave around 6:30. But I'm being given actual work. I've written a couple of pleadings and sat in on a couple of client meetings. So I'm sure it's different than for folks who are at a firm that's social heavy but work light. Excluding daily lunches, we only have events like 2-3x/week. A lot of my friends have social events almost daily. And there are days where I get out earlier. Like Friday, I was out as soon as I finished my assignment, which was like 5. Either way, as long as you do what you need to in order to meet expectations and get a return offers, who cares what your hours are?

I do wonder though, for people pulling all nighters, are you asking when your stuff is due? My standard questions are "What's the format? What's it for? When's it due?" and most of the time (excluding days we have hearings or have pleadings due), the answer is "eh, no rush. Next week sometime?" And when I report back to the head of the program on assignments, I tell him what I have/how long it'll take, and I'm not really overloaded.

(and I have two weeks of experience)

Yeah. Is there a problem?

[Anonymous User]

[like to stay anon]

Got feedback on an email research assignment (short, "tell me what this word means in 9th Cir" email). Didn't cite the case right because I am unfamiliar with this state's cite format... Atty told me to make sure to have my citations correct.. Instant panic of no-offer (srs).

Seems like a small critique that is easily fixed, but still nervous. Anyone else gotten feedback of where they need to improve?

[Npret]

[like to stay anon]

Got feedback on an email research assignment (short, "tell me what this word means in 9th Cir" email). Didn't cite the case right because I am unfamiliar with this state's cite format... Atty told me to make sure to have my citations correct.. Instant panic of no-offer (srs).

Seems like a small critique that is easily fixed, but still nervous. Anyone else gotten feedback of where they need to improve?

Feedback like that can mean they care about your work not that they are creating a list of your errors. Look at it as a positive minor correction and don't cite incorrectly again.

[Anonymous User]

[like to stay anon]

Got feedback on an email research assignment (short, "tell me what this word means in 9th Cir" email). Didn't cite the case right because I am unfamiliar with this state's cite format... Atty told me to make sure to have my citations correct.. Instant panic of no-offer (srs).

Seems like a small critique that is easily fixed, but still nervous. Anyone else gotten feedback of where they need to improve?

You'll be fine. It's an easy fix that doesn't really reflect on you as a person. Be glad that was all they had to say.

[Anonymous User]

After my first day at a litigation firm of ~25 attorneys some of my previous suspicions were confirmed that I don't quite fit in with the lawyer crowd. Quite frankly, I think I'm too nice/not aggressive/not adversarial enough. Hoping this feeling goes away with time.

[Anonymous User]

After my first day at a litigation firm of ~25 attorneys some of my previous suspicions were confirmed that I don't quite fit in with the lawyer crowd. Quite frankly, I think I'm too nice/not aggressive/not adversarial enough. Hoping this feeling goes away with time.

nobody at my firm that I've interacted with seems not nice/aggressive/adversarial.

[Anonymous User]

Staying late, etc. doesn't necessarily mean you are a gunner. My summer was some years ago at a v100 and our assignments were substantive. The workload was manageable but most of us had to work very late or on weekends at some point. With all the firm events, trainings, lunches, outings etc., it was just difficult to find the time to complete assignments sometimes during the regular work day.

[OhBoyOhBortles]

.

[buckiguy_sucks]

i read through an email like 10 times today before sending it and then sent it and realized there was an extra period in it fuck me man

[Gray]

.

[buckiguy_sucks]

i read through an email like 10 times today before sending it and then sent it and realized there was an extra period in it fuck me man

I assume you were just overcompensating for your lack of punctuation on TLS

should i explain this to the associate

[Vincent Adultman]

i read through an email like 10 times today before sending it and then sent it and realized there was an extra period in it fuck me man

If it makes you feel any better this shit continues to happen throughout at least the first year, likely longer.

[foregetaboutdre]

i read through an email like 10 times today before sending it and then sent it and realized there was an extra period in it fuck me man

If it makes you feel any better this shit continues to happen throughout at least the first year, likely longer.

My SA e-mail grammar has been on point. When I decided to be nice during OCI and write thank yous, I almost always fucked up something (even if I read the note like 10 times aloud). Another reason to not write TYs.

[Anonymous User]

[like to stay anon].. lots of people in my SA class staying pretty late every night...is that really necessary? Don't think it is expected, I think people are doing it just to be gunners?

[sublime]

[like to stay anon].. lots of people in my SA class staying pretty late every night...is that really necessary? Don't think it is expected, I think people are doing it just to be gunners?

You don't need to say you want to stay anon. Unless you are blatantly abusing anon, nobody will out you.

I only did to Hikko because he was complaining about not having food while making $3500 a week.

[Anonymous User]

[like to stay anon].. lots of people in my SA class staying pretty late every night...is that really necessary? Don't think it is expected, I think people are doing it just to be gunners?

Some people actually have work. And some people have events to go to all the time that prevents them from doing the work during the day.. so better to get it done at some time than never at all. Also, why does anyone care? I don't pay attention to when the other summers leave. If they want to be "gunners", idc. At the end of the day I'm gone if I don't have an event to do. It really doesn't affect my offer what they do

[sublime]

It varies a lot depending on firm tbh.

[Anonymous User]

I think we can all agree that folks who don't use their alloted free lunches for the week are weird. Oh you had to back out of Jean Georges to work on that totally not made up internal memo? Suckers

[Vincent Adultman]

If you're not getting you're lunch paid for every day you're doing something terribly wrong.

[Anonymous User]

If you're not getting you're lunch paid for every day you're doing something terribly wrong.

Tbh if your day doesn't consist of reading the WSJ hungover, three hour lunch, two hours of work then drinks until midnight you are doing something terribly wrong.

Astounded that ostensibly intelligent people can be presented with an opportunity to be a highly paid degenerate for 10 weeks and instead decide to take on a bunch of work and slave over BS research assignments.

[Vincent Adultman]

If you're not getting you're lunch paid for every day you're doing something terribly wrong.

Tbh if your day doesn't consist of reading the WSJ hungover, three hour lunch, two hours of work then drinks until midnight you are doing something terribly wrong.

Astounded that ostensibly intelligent people can be presented with an opportunity to be a highly paid degenerate for 10 weeks and instead decide to take on a bunch of work and slave over BS research assignments.

I agree with brave anon.

[Dr. Nefario]

The wealth of daily lunches has led to me not eating dinner. SO is not happy that there's no one to cook now.