2L Summer Firm Jobs (Outside of OCI)

[Jumpman32]

I'm a 2L at UCLA/USC with an above-median GPA, on a journal (no law review), and some externship experience in-house. I was wondering what the timeline is for small-midsize firms looking to hire 2Ls. Is it too late or too early? You would think our symplicity is exclusively for attorneys with 3-5 years of experience if you looked at the postings.

I've been told to cold e-mail firms that I would want to work for and inquire about any open summer positions. Is there a resource to look up firms in LA? I'm focusing on transactional work but don't have much of a preference with regards to a specific practice group. Any other tips or advice would be appreciated. Thanks everyone.

[Anonymous User]

Hey. Lots of people, including myself, keep posting this question, and they don't exactly bring in all the replies, which sucks. I think the general advice is what you're doing... I'm in the same boat.

I think reaching out to alumni is another useful strategy. The career adviser at my T-13 has basically admitted that it would be a good idea to apply to some government jobs as well just to make sure you have SOMETHING this summer, and it would still help you get a job 3L. As far as timelines, my impression is that most of the data is anecdotal from this point on. You'll hear lots of people say they got/know people that get mid/small firm summers going all the way to May, but I don't know how common that is. From what I understand right now is the sweet spot, so mass-mail/reach out to alumni and go to every networking event offered. Good luck!

[Anonymous User]

The problem is vast majority of small firms don't have summer 2L positions. Many generally don't have formal HR processes and aren't seeking to grow their staff every year. If you get a paid summer 2L position at a small firm, it's got to be through networking and going to be more of a favor than anything. Many would rather their money to go elsewhere (I've heard from Vault 100 partners now that even they post entry level associate positions out and are experimenting with different ways to hire fresh grads because they feel the summer positions are too costly and are seeking more cost effective ways).

I have a few friends that got summer 2L positions at midsize firms (50~ attorneys) by mailing or networking. They were pretty aggressive in how they got their positions.

[JHP]

3L here. T30 school, east coast, middle of my class, didn't get a big law job through OCI.
I don't know if you are ultimately looking to do big law, but I might be able to offer my story about getting a big law job through 3L recruiting, if that's what you're ultimately looking for.

As for mid-size firms, I don't know that it differs so much from coast to coast, and I don't have tips on LA-specific searches, but I had found that many of the mid-size firms had already done much of their recruiting earlier in the school year, more in line with the OCI timeline. I didn't get any bites by cold-emailing, mostly because most of the firms I reached out to had already recruiting and filled their summer classes. Like what others have said, lean on your alumni, keep networking, e-mailing, etc. Go to your local bar association events, really get to know people who work at anywhere and everywhere--if it comes up that you don't have a summer job, several of them can have that, "Oh, let me connect you with X at Y who said they needed a hand this summer," moment. If you have attorney mentors, reach out to them as well.