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Open Thread: It’s Going to be an Interesting Summer

no offer factories.jpgThe summer of 2009 should be very different from past summers of fun and excess. Many are expecting this summer to be a twelve week (or ten week, or eight week) “job interview” that current Biglaw associates didn’t really have to go through.

This shouldn’t come as a galloping shock to A) regular ATL readers, B) casual ATL readers, C) people who can read, or D) anybody at all that has been paying the slightest bit of attention to the legal industry.

But it is time to ask “how bad is it going to be?” We started receiving reports this weekend on perhaps a new paradigm for summer associates. Here’s a rumor that has been swirling around Nixon Peabody:

Nixon Peabody [has] informed their summer class they will only be hiring 50% of the summer associates?? Basically they said…only HALF of you are going to make it and we are going to give you real work to see who is worthy.

After the jump, Nixon Peabody unequivocally shoots down this rumor.

The firm responded very quickly and denied our reports of a Draconian summer program.

Contrary to what you’ve heard, we haven’t had any communications with our class of 2009 Summer Associates regarding offers which will be given out at the end of the summer. Nixon Peabody has a long tradition of giving a significant percentage of offers each year. Our offers will be based on our projection of needs in various practice groups for Fall 2010, a process we have yet to begin. In regards to our summer associate program, we strive to give our summer associates a realistic view of life and work at Nixon Peabody. In the past, we have provided our summer associates with substantive client work along with pro bono work and more academic assignments such as assistance with article writing. We will continue to provide associates with this type of substantive work this summer and the summers ahead.

But just because these things are not happening at Nixon Peabody doesn’t mean anybody should expect their 2009 summer to be “normal.” Last summer we saw that many firms ended up extending offers to around 90% of their summers. People were outraged at the time (pre-Lehman) but right now, how many people would gladly sign up for a 90% offer rate?

Or 75%?

If summers are going to have to compete for offers in ways that haven’t happened in a decade, what kind of work will they be getting in order to distinguish themselves from their classmates. We’re hearing reports from all over Biglaw that work is slow. Are firms even going to have enough work for incoming summers? And will that work be substantive enough to allow firms to make meaningful determinations about who should stay and who should go?

A lot of 2Ls who interviewed during the opening salvo of the global financial crisis think that the worst is behind them. But even if you are lucky enough to have a summer offer, the difference between that and having a full time offer for employment after you graduate is bigger than it has been in a long time.

What can 2Ls do to distinguish themselves this summer?

Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of no offers

Comments

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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:50 AM

not enough ASSLOBSTER, didn't read

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:51 AM

first to say that SUCKS

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:51 AM

nixon peabody owns you

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:51 AM

Ducktales

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:52 AM

Half of you are winners at Nixon Peabody.

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:53 AM

I wannna smear my CUM on Elie's BUM!!

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:53 AM

Of course it's nonsense. Because EVERYONE'S a winner at NP!!

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:53 AM

I wannna smear my CUM on Elie's BUM!!

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9 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:54 AM

zomfg!!!11!!!!!!1 An actual summer associate program that is really part of an interview process, and not just an extended wine-and-dine party with a few fluff work assignments thrown in? And it's COMPETITIVE for a limited number of openings to boot?

Who says law firms can't learn something from reality tv!

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10 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:55 AM

Did YOU buy you BHO dildo?? I DID!! So now BHO can REALLY fuck me!!

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11 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:56 AM

Winner winner chicken dinner!

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:57 AM

There is not going to be enough work for summer associates anyway so this post is moot.

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13 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:57 AM

Half of the comments are real classy, d-bags. Put that dildo up your asses and shut the fuck up, losers.

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:58 AM

"Are firm even going to have enough work for incoming summers?"

Come on, Elie...

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:58 AM

When people discuss censorship that traffic will move to another site, who is really going to leave (besides the original posters) if we don't have the pleasure of reading the following posts:

1. KASH!!!

2. ASSLOBSTER!

3. Any irrelevant post about Cahill or Wildman Harrold

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:59 AM

Half of the comments are real classy, d-bags. Put that dildo up your asses and shut the fuck up, losers.

17 Posted by nervous T10 1L | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:01 PM

*starts shaking uncontrollably after reading this article*

does anyone have any advice for a nervous soon-to-be sa?

-nervous T-10 1L
4 interviews
3 offers
1 sa position

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:01 PM

15- What's that about Cahill? Do you have any confirmation on the rumored layoffs?

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:02 PM

While I think offers will be majorly reduced this summer, I think summers are kidding themselves if they think they'll be getting REAL work to weed them out. At many firms, REAL work is in scarce supply, so firms are not going to use summers to do it (unless they then let 2 associates above them re-do it and bill for all).

They'll get work, and they'll get weeded out -- but it won't be real work.

And, summers will still find a way to not realize that it is a ten-week job interview that they actually have to put some effort and common sense into. They acted like schoolchildren last summer when the writing was on the wall, so I have no hope that this year's crop are any smarter.

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:03 PM

*business formal daily
*fellatio on-demand
*no complaining about your *office" being a card table in the cafeteria
*fellatio on-demand
*take no days off (this includes weekends)
*in the office at 7a.m.
*out of office at 8pm
*no more than 3 drinks for the total of the summer
*fellatio on demand
*no personal web surfing (they track it)
*a book of business of at least 50k
*fellatio on demand

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21 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:03 PM

WILDMAN HARROLD, WHATS IN YOUR WALLET?!

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22 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:05 PM

wait there are Cahill layoffs?

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:06 PM

Like seriously, get these AHoles off that keep filling the comments with smut and useless nonsense.

Here's an orginal thought to those folks summering, actually do some work properly. Ask for assignment and follow up assignment, ask to sit in on stuff you can't participate in but can learn something from listening to or watching. Lastly, don't be a complete tool.

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24 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:06 PM

17, yea, don't f it up. Do what your told and do a good job. If you have social events don't drink more than one drink because some people do really stupid stuff when they get drunk. Everyone is going to have their eyes on the SA's this year.

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25 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:07 PM

SA advice is easy. Don't take on too many assignments and do a good job on the ones you have. Show genuine interest in the work. Be a fun person and build relationships with the people on the recruiting committee (who are all there because they're fun and well adjusted). That's all it takes. Half you class will fail at these simple tasks.

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26 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:07 PM

Elie - I think you're vastly overestimating the value of an offer of full time employment. Just ask anybody who had such a thing from Thelen or Thacher -- or any of the Proskauer first year associates who actually started work and got laid off three months later.

I think what you meant to say was "there's a difference between a SA offer and having enough money in T-Bills and/or FDIC insured savings accounts to weather the Depression."

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27 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:08 PM

Why bother. Quit law school now and move to Canada. At least you get health insurance.

28 Posted by Rusty Danger | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:10 PM

Time to start REGULATING these comments, Danger Style. (See theme song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi7UUJ6cwLQ ).

Decent people, let's reclaim the comments section from the juicies, the ASSLOBSTERS, the dildos, and others who aim to derail thoughtful conversation and real humor.

1, 6, 8, 10, etc.: your comments are immature and unwelcome. Please grow up or leave.

I've recently talked with a few people on my firm's recruiting committee, and there is real concern that there won't be anything for the summers to do when they get here. There are still many first year associates (who started last fall) clamoring for any assignments they can find. Adding a few dozen summers may be brutal for all involved.

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29 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:10 PM

9 - great alternative to dissolving and a great way to increase revenues. A Reality TV summer program where a few summers are voted off each week! I'd watch the shit out of that!

-08 Summer Associate who beat the buzzer. Count it!

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30 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:11 PM

ASSLOBSTERS to 190!

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31 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:11 PM

This is another example of ATL attempting to make news rather than report news. The problem with this approach is that if firms think they can get away with it they will do it (salary freeze anyone). We know the market drives so as soon as someone big says 50% offers everyone else will say me too and then it will become the norm for now.

32 Posted by nervous T10 1L | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:12 PM

thanks for the advice everyone. getting no-offered is something that genuinely makes me nervous (i would've been fine working for free this summer, but now that i'm getting paid i don't want to mess it up).

do you think firms will be more likely to give me an offer because i'm a 1L and won't start until fall 2011?

-nervous T-10 1L
4 interviews
3 offers
1 sa position

ps nice story elie... *gives elie a bear hug just like old times*

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33 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:13 PM

Drinking is a hard call. Sure it's a great way to make an ass of yourself, but it's also a great way to really connect with people at the firm.

Just use some common sense. If you're at a dinner and half the people at your table are equity partners, don't get hammered at dinner. If all the young attorneys go out afterwards and a junior partner buys a round of shots, feel free to let loose. It's not rocket science.

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34 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:14 PM

28 = racist antislobster

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35 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:15 PM

My fellow associates-
How shall we torture our summers as they quake in fear? suggestions?
- bastard who scraped in under the door.

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36 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:16 PM

Like seriously, get these AHoles off that keep filling the comments with smut and useless nonsense.

Here's an orginal thought to those folks summering, actually do some work properly. Ask for assignment and follow up assignment, ask to sit in on stuff you can't participate in but can learn something from listening to or watching. Lastly, don't be a complete tool.

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37 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:19 PM

What is wrong with you Elie !!!

You're creating something out of nothing and potenially making it very difficult for SAs.

Firms hired less this year to begin with - and in the end - the DO need bodies -- so stop trying to create hysteria and potenially causing our summer this year to end up being a raterace !

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38 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:19 PM

Toy Story 2 was just okay.

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39 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:19 PM

What is wrong with you Elie !!!

You're creating something out of nothing and potenially making it very difficult for SAs.

Firms hired less this year to begin with - and in the end - they DO need bodies -- so stop trying to create hysteria and potenially causing our summer this year to end up being a rat race !

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40 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:20 PM

32 - Work hard and you might get an offer to come back for next summer.

There is no way you are getting a fill time offer out of anything you do this summer in this environment as a 1L.

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41 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:21 PM

Sorry Nervous, the only offer you can expect in '09 is an offer to come back for a couple of weeks in the summer of '10. IF you do well.

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42 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:22 PM

this is the type of post that makes me sad with atl. there is no real substance to it. its just meant to stir up controversy and scare SA's. do your job elie and get something of substance to write about

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43 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:22 PM

I think "Running Man" was Arnold's best work. Then again, there are a couple of Oscar-worthy lines from "Predator" as well.

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44 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:23 PM

28 = HUGE TTTool

36 = GIANT, TEXAS AIDS SIZED TTTool

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45 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:26 PM

Remember when the comments to ATL threads used to be useful? Yea, me neither.

Lat needs to hire someone to screen the comments to this blog. I'm sure there are a ton of out-of-work lawyers on the Street who'd be willing to do it.

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46 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:26 PM

This post is blatant fear mongering in an attempt to generate a comment clusterf*ck.

Annoying to say the least.

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47 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:27 PM

35:

We're on the same page. Personally, I can't wait to watch these idiots show up to work everyday stark white and drenched in sweat. This may be the best summer in the history of this stupid, summer associate grab-ass era.

Oh. And working at a law firm sucks dick. So enjoy the "reward" should you succeed this summer in obtaining an offer.

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48 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:35 PM

2 Tips for SA's

1) make everyone like you. Go to events, but don't act cocky are make an ass of yourself. Only drink heavily when there is a drinking event (ie, no partners are attending)

2) don't turn in anything sloppy. proof read, ask questions, have another summer lookover your stuff.

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49 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:35 PM

hey 45 - do you know how i know you're a giant tool? your capitalization of "the Street." congratulations on reaching levels of douchebaggery usually reserved for Bush appointees and Regent Law grads

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50 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:36 PM

Future summers: (1) show up to work on time; (2) leave work late; (3) work on everything as if your life depended on it; (4) be respectful and friendly to everyone; (5) don't make an ass of yourself at firm events; (6) when in doubt, dress up; (7) check your blackberry/phone messages regularly; (8) never turn down work; (9) don't take any days off; (10) keep your work station/office tidy.

Oh yeah, I forgot, this applies to EVERYONE. Come on people - it ain't hard. The best way not to get laid off is not to deserve to get laid off. Everything else is out of your control anyway, so try not to worry about it. The same is true for no-offers.

51 Posted by Rusty Danger | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:36 PM

44 : lame, unoriginal. Neither funny nor witty, so calls others a "TTTool" and jokes about cum and AIDS in fifth-grader like fashion. Writes IN ALL CAPS to compensate for physical and emotional shortcomings.

Leave this site.

--RusTTTy Danger--

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52 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:39 PM

What are the odds V10s will have sub-100% offer rates?

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53 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:39 PM

This is 45. Yes, I'm aware of the irony of having several grammatical errors in my post.

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54 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:39 PM

hey RusTTTy - kill yourself. thanks.

love, ATL community

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55 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:40 PM

God I hope that most of the SA's get no-offered, so these whiny, petulant, self-entitled children who think that just because they got into an Ivy law school the world should fellate them forever have to hustle for personal injury clients with the rest of the gutter trash.

I'm actually tingling with glee at the prospect.

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56 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:42 PM

The comments on ATL used to be smart, witty, and sometimes insightful. Perhaps the readership has changed? Dealbreaker hasn't gone down the same path. What happened folks?

Editors: you already monitor the boards and sometimes comment yourselves. Can some of these "commentator's" IP addresses be blocked? Don't you start losing credibility if you if your comment pages look like the above? Don't you start loosing readers?

57 Posted by nervous T10 1L | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:43 PM

55: i don't go to an ivy league school...can we be friends?

*tries to act non self-entitled in preparation for the summer*

-nervous T-10 1L
4 interviews
3 offers
1 sa position

58 Posted by Pacific Reporter | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:43 PM

"What can 2Ls do to distinguish themselves this summer?"
Bend over and I'll show you.

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59 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:43 PM

51 is a horrible poster. where is an "ATL's Worst/Most Annoying Commenter" poll when you need one?

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60 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:44 PM

56 - Loosing readers onto what? Or out of what?

Oh, did you mean "losing" readers? That makes more sense.

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61 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:48 PM

60 - the grammar and spelling mistakes are spreading. Myi apollogeeze.

62 Posted by Rusty Danger | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:52 PM

44 = 54 = 59 = "ATL community"

= Lame, unoriginal. This site was never intended to facilitate your cowardly insults. I'm sorry you're insecure and depressed, and that you feel the need to use this forum to express your anger and immaturity.

You are not welcome here.

RusTTTy (who doesn't claim to speak for "ATL community")

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63 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:52 PM

fuck this website.

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64 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:58 PM

7: Plainly you misunderstand the meaning of "at Nixon Peabody," in the non-theme song to which you refer. Being "at Nixon Peabody" as meant in said song, refers not to physical presence at a Nixon Peabody location, but instead to having procurred permanent employment at Nixon Peabody. A summer associate is therefore not "at Nixon Peabod" in the relevant sense, and a summer associate is therefore not necessarily a "winner." Should said summer associate finish in the top one-half of said summer associate's summer class, then said summer associate shall be deemed to have "won" the summer, and therefore the right to be "at Nixon Peabody." Under such circumstances, said (former) summer associate shall be deemed a "winner."

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65 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 12:59 PM

To add some more to 48's and 50's excellent posts:

1) Be interested in the firm; ask questions outside of the specific projects you are working on; show people that you want to be part of the team and learn about your future employer.

2) Volunteer for non-billable "experiences" such as accompanying litigators to court appointments or transactional attorneys to negotiations.

3) Reach out to the "nerdy" associates who do not usually go to SA events - oftentimes these are the busiest people in the firm, and in this day and age being busy probably means being very good and in high demand (i.e. these people are doing something right).

4) Look sharp, even on weekends (regardless of whether the associates look like complete slobs).

5) As already pointed out repeatedly - DO NOT STAND OUT AS A TYPE-A PERSONALITY A-HOLE! Be nice, likable, polite and competent. There is already enough type-A personality a-holes in biglaw. They are called partners. Don't try to compete. You will lose.

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66 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:02 PM

Nervous 1L - will you at least tell us the city you are going to this summer? or a Vault range?

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67 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:02 PM

Most people and most law firms assume that the financial crisis will be over by the end of 2009 or early 2010. This year summer associate will start working during the last few months of 2010 so they should not have a problem. Most firms know that if they are in business by the end of 2010, they will probably have enough work and will need those summers.

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68 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:05 PM

Most people and most law firms assume that the financial crisis will be over by the end of 2009 or early 2010. This year summer associate will start working during the last few months of 2010 so they should not have a problem. Most firms know that if they are in business by the end of 2010, they will probably have enough work and will need those summers.

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69 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:08 PM

67-68: I think you're being slightly optimistic. I agree that the financial crisis will end in 2010 -- though I'd go a bit later, 2nd-3rd quarter -- but the pace isn't going to pick back up to 2005-2006 levels until NEVER. I-Banking just isn't coming back, and all the corporate transactional attorneys sitting around twiddling their thumbs will have more work to do... but not nearly as much as before, and staffing levels are going to of necessity be lower.

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70 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:09 PM

They actually said something pretty similar to me when I interviewed there in September. The hiring partner said the firm wasn't going to treat an offer as automatic like the other firms and would only give an offer after a careful review of the SA's work. He obviously didn't say they'd no-offer 50%, but the doubt was enough for me to turn down the SA offer (not that what he said was bad, it was just much more along the lines of "We might no-offer some people" than I heard from other firms)

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71 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:09 PM

If offers are limited this year, why would a 1L get one?

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72 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:10 PM

I protest the "no offer for you" factor picture. In this context, it appears to be similar to a crematorium. Please remove it immediately.

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73 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:11 PM

Advice to all of you: Do everything you're asked to do, with a smile on your face. Don't whine and complain about anything to anyone. Save your money. This is not the time to buy rounds of drinks for your buddies on your student loan money. Read the WSJ, there are going to be bread lines. Do not buy an apartment, or rent one that costs more than a third of your net income. Save your money. The party is over This is no longer The Millionaire Show. It was cancelled. It's The Survivor. I advise you all to play the game on table, not the one that was in your head when you went to LS.

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74 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:12 PM

62 = racist naked GULCer living in mother's basement

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75 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:13 PM

So much for... "Everyone's a winner at Nixon Peabody"

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76 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:15 PM

73 - Exactly. This is the real deal, everybody. Time to save up as much money as you can, because the odds of you getting laid off -- no matter how great you are at your job -- are pretty good. And finding new work now is IMPOSSIBLE. Maybe one in fifteen or twenty people laid off will be able to find a comparable job. Lateral positions all-but don't exist.

Just saying to be ready for it.

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77 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:22 PM

75: See 64.

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78 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:22 PM

70 - so you elected to take an offer where they lied about it? Make no mistake - summer classes are smaller AND there will be fewer opportunities available at the end of the summer. Everybody knows this (regardless of whether they admit to it or not). Had I been in your shoes I would have preferred to accept an offer at a firm where the expectations were made clear up front, and not where I have to spend the summer guessing whether the Survivor game is a competency, popularity or beauty contest. But that's just me (though it worked out well for me back in the dot.bomb era)...

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79 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:23 PM

Proskauer Rose made a permanent offer to at least one of its summers last year and it has since been rescinded. These days at Proskauer, permanent offers don't necessarily mean permanent employment.

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80 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:29 PM

51 - Go fuck yourself rusty. This is the int3rn3t5! Calm the fuck down n00b.

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81 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:33 PM

This Rusty character has to be the worst schtick in the history of the internet

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82 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:36 PM

Wow, real competition. Now we will actually see if T14 schools really are better than the rest of the top 40 or 50.

My guess is they won't fare too much better.

83 Posted by Tay_Zonday | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:46 PM

Chocolate Rain! Summer will be rough as we can see.
Chocolate Rain! No one wins at Nixon Peabody!

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84 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:49 PM

Anticipating no firm offers this summer (go to a <T14 school), I took an extern position for a FD judge. Do firms look well on this during summer interviews?

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85 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:50 PM

82,

I don't know. Since there isn't going to be any real work to compare between the summers I think it is going to go like this...

If you want to give offers to 20 of our 30 summers.

Take the 5 from HLS, YLS, and SLS. Give them offers because if you don't nobody from those schools will want to interview at your firm again.

Take the 10 from the rest of the T14 and as long as they don't do anything really stupid and seem like decent human beings and give them offers.

Take 5 of the remaining 15 that everyone at the firm "likes" the most because they are fun/hardworking/not weird. Increase this number for each of the T4-T14 students that turned out to be total failures.

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86 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:54 PM

Are you LS people all brain dead? First year associates were for awhile, but they get it now. It's war out here. It's going to be war for jobs, housing, food, you name it. Wake up! Or sleep very soundly so you don't feel the boots of those of us know the drill and will trample you.

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87 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 1:55 PM

85,

I think you're making doubtful assumptions. For instance, you're assuming next year there will be enough biglaw spots available for everyone at HLS, YLS, and SLS to pick and choose who they want to interview with.

Remember how HLS and YLS fared this year? Not as well as usual. They're gonna take what they can get.

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88 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:00 PM

85 - You're wrong about the not being any real work to compare the summers by.

I'm going to be giving real work to my SA's -- not client-billable work, but real, actual work to do, even if it's on made up hypothetical litigation. I want to see who gets me the best results, not who's going to be the whiniest / most entitled and incompetent.

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89 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:06 PM

Rusty is my hero.

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90 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:08 PM

Hordes of panicky partners seem to be no-offering SAs for some unknown reason. Elie, without knowing precisely what the danger is, would you say it's time for our viewers to crack each other's heads open and feast on the goo inside?

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91 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:09 PM

Is that a lawyer factory? Like Georgetown?

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92 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:14 PM

So I went to a crappy law school in los angeles, ca and it took me 4 times to pass the bar. For the life of me I can't even get an interview.

Should I just throw in the towel?

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93 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:15 PM

So I went to a crappy law school in los angeles, ca and it took me 4 times to pass the bar. For the life of me I can't even get an interview.

Should I just throw in the towel?

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94 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:16 PM

Practice areas - will SAs and incoming first year associates have ANY say as to what practice areas they will join???

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95 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:17 PM

@90 - I call Elie's head. It's filled with Boston Creme.

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96 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:18 PM

Are you LS people all brain dead? First year associates were for awhile, but they get it now. It's war out here. It's going to be war for jobs, housing, food, you name it. Wake up! Or sleep very soundly so you don't feel the boots of those of us know the drill and will trample you.

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97 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:19 PM

94 -- I'll be assigning practice areas to my incoming SA's after 2 weeks. If they get assigned to Corporate, they should know that they're getting no-offered at the end of the summer.

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98 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:31 PM

“We can’t afford the same politics of fear that invokes 9/11 as a way to scare up votes. The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result. And that’s a risk we can’t take. Not this year. Not when the stakes are this high.”

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99 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:34 PM

92-93, yes.

If your fellow SAs have better credentials than you, I would generally suggest some form of sabotage. Fun and potentially effective. But if you get hammered dogshit with me this summer, you will get my recommendation.

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100 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:50 PM

FIRST to say that Elie's grammar has improved dramatically.

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101 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:54 PM

Just wanted to add my support of Rusty's comments--it gets old quickly reading irrelevant blather about whatever random phrases people decide to repeat in the comments every day.

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102 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 2:58 PM

the rusty guy might be the most pathetic attempt at humor in the history of atl.

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103 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:06 PM

The silent majority supports Rusty's mission.

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104 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:12 PM

People are just going to have to get used to summers not being all fun anymore. When I was a summer, in 1990, the economy was pretty much in the toilet. At the NYC firm where I summered there was maybe 23 or so SA's. At least 4 didn't get offers. Several got cold offers. I think the economy was bad enough that one or two even returned to the firm with cold offers. In the end, around 13 went back to the firm in the fall of 1991.

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105 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:12 PM

85, that's your IQ, right?

HLS, Chicago, Yale - no one is going to admit to how big a disaster 2008 OCI was relative to expectations. Law students lie extensively on all things and law schools are worse when it comes to employment.

When NALP actually comes out with summer class sizes, we'll be able to back-engineer who got hurt where, but the actions of trying to shift OCI around and the e-mails that have been sent around suggest that even the T8 schools - and it's 8, not 10, look at the job funnel, dbags - had a rough time of it.

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106 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:16 PM

I thought Rusty Danger was a character from a movie I had never seen. I thought that's why I didn't get his jokes.

I thought wrong.

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107 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:28 PM

if you are a 2L lucky enough to have a summer gig you should ignore most of the comments on this thread. be social and professional and go beyond what is expected of you (like I'm sure you have been doing your whole life) and notwithstanding your firm going under, you will most likely get an offer.

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108 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:30 PM

summers should offer to do a lot of pro bono public interest work.

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109 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:33 PM

summers should offer to do a lot of pro bono public interest work.

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110 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:35 PM

107 - "notwithstanding your firm going under, you will most likely get an offer."

Really? How's that work? Other firms will feel bad for you and give you an offer? Did you mean "unless your firm goes under"?

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111 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:41 PM

I'd just like to add my support for those (like Rusty) speaking up over the inane and immature comments that plague this blog. A little policing from those running this place would go a long way. It's not much incentive to come here when I have to wade through five posts of shit for every one making a reasonable point.

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112 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:44 PM

I'm throwing my bar number away and going into porn. Anyone want to start a porn production company?

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113 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:51 PM

94, probably not. It's a bad time to actually be interested in corporate or real estate.

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114 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 3:59 PM

94, probably not. It's a bad time to actually be interested in corporate or real estate.

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115 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 4:03 PM

105: "and it's T8, not 10, look at the job funnel, dbags"

Oh really? And you get your data where?

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116 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 4:09 PM

50 - "(8) never turn down work"

This is bad advice. You can easily get bogged down and your work product will suffer because of it. Firms want to see that you have the workload management skills (read: balls) to turn work down.

Better advice: your workload should be such that you are always busy but not juggling too many balls in the air.

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117 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 4:10 PM

Overblown panic as usual (or at least on the wrong issues). 2009 SAs are prospects for late 2010 (or later with clerkships) employment. A wise firm in reasonably good shape should be thinking how to replace a thinned crowd of associates when the economy should be coming back. With generally reduced 2009 summer class sizes, there might even be MORE offers out there.

That said, you can be concerned that 1) work will be light 2), and the associates that normally love to hang out may be rather tense and 3) the firm you are at might disappear before you arrive in late 2010

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118 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 4:11 PM

82, I disagree. I think the firms will cut the non-T14 students first, unless someone from the non-T14 is extremely impressive. When times were booming firms needed and could take risks with hiring non-T14 grads, why would they do so now?

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119 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 4:17 PM

80 (and others who I hope never do any legal work for me),
Do you find it ironic that you are yelling at someone to calm down for complaining about other posts WHEN YOUR VERY COMMENT IS JUST A COMMENT COMPLAINING ABOUT ANOTHER COMMENT? You say it is the internets, which I think is your way of implying that people should be allowed to post what they want, but isn't this just a reason to allow RusTTTy to post whatever he wants?

I, for one, have no problem posting about other people who post about other people's posts.

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120 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 4:42 PM

Act as if you are at work.

Done.

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121 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 5:05 PM

Its about time this whiny little bitches learn that nobody loves them.

My firm is kicking around the idea of giving attorneys bamboo sticks to give the summers corporal feedback with.

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122 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 5:07 PM

Act as if you are not who you are.

Done.

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123 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 5:23 PM



115 - Look at this

http://www.elsblog.org/the_empirical_legal_studi/2008/04/large-law-firm.html

The T14 are not at all created equal (and arguing over whether the 26th or 34th ranked school is better for BigLaw also happens to be pointless).

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124 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 5:25 PM

everyone on this site is a total moron.

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125 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 6:19 PM

The T14 are not all created equal, but they are overwhelmingly represented in biglaw compared with the non-T14 schools (except for Yale grads). After the T14, it comes down to hiring from the best regional schools in the area, regardless of "national" USNWR rank. Saying it's all about T8 or T10 in reference to biglaw hiring makes little sense.

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126 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 7:17 PM

The T14 are not all created equal, but they are overwhelmingly represented in biglaw compared with the non-T14 schools (except for Yale grads). After the T14, it comes down to hiring from the best regional schools in the area, regardless of "national" USNWR rank. Saying it's all about T8 or T10 in reference to biglaw hiring makes little sense.

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127 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 7:22 PM

i'm in the 2009 NP SA class - no such communication to me.

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128 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 7:30 PM

I am also in the 2009 Nixon Peabody SA class, no communication to me either. I smell bullshit. Is ATL hurting for stories?

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129 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 7:30 PM

I am also in the 2009 Nixon Peabody SA class, no communication to me either. I smell bullshit. Is ATL hurting for stories?

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130 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 8:46 PM

Maybe Elie is just totally bitter towards big law...

131 Posted by Jim Mora | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:04 PM

In my opinion, this post sucked. It isn't worth diddly-poo.

Seriously, Ellie MysTTTal, why kick one of your core audiences in the nuts like this? Why throw out the 50% figure with no support, practically inviting one or more firms to do just that? You're killing us. A post about what the future might hold is fine, but the approach you've taken here is just wrong. In the future, if you're going to steer the news re: SA hiring, please at least try to steer it in the right direction.

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132 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:32 PM

Every firm that is freezing salaries points out that their "peers" or that even the more prestigious firms are doing so because the blogs are reporting this. So now that you are blogging a rumour that only 50% of summers at this firm are getting offers, firms will be able to point to this blog post as a reason as to why they should do the same.

Elie, you are directly contributing to a race towards the bottom. Please STOP. Or start paying my Sallie Mae loans (which may wind up being larger than my salary at this point) for me. Thanks.

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133 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:40 PM

132 -- Boo hoo. My student loan balance was triple my salary when I first got out of school. Oh well. Suck it up. We're in a Depression, people. Be happy you're not selling apples.

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134 Posted by guest | Permalink Monday, January 26, 2009 11:55 PM

I am a NP SA from a school with other NP SAs. There has been no communication about any such thing. This story is weak, weak, weak. Did you pick NP out of a hat or were you just worried the month would pass without an "Everyone's a winner" joke?

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135 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, January 27, 2009 12:11 AM

Elie is being much more evil and self-serving than we acknowledge; everyone keeps telling him that his posts will lead firms to no-offer more SAs this summer, as if this is something Elie wants to avoid. Far from it! If firms really do screw SAs this year, ATL will be flooded with hits. By perpetuating the crisis, Elie (unethically) lines his own pocket.

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136 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, January 27, 2009 2:30 AM

ELIE, YOU GET A ZERO FOR THE DAY. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. WE ALL EXPECT BETTER FROM YOU, YOUNG MAN.

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137 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, January 27, 2009 11:43 AM

Elie MysTTTal. Wow, never been truer. I don't know why we're surprised Mr. MysTTTal is reporting garbage and being lazy. He's a HACK.

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138 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:20 PM

That's not just an unsubstantiated rumor. It's a lie. Even if a firm decided to only give offers to about half of its summers, would it tell them that before the summer started? No. If a firm did tell its incoming summer class something like that, would half of them report it to you, forwarding any e-mail or letter? Yes. Did anybody do that? No.

You don't have to be a winner to know this post is BS.

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139 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:21 PM

That's not just an unsubstantiated rumor. It's a lie. Even if a firm decided to only give offers to about half of its summers, would it tell them that before the summer started? No. If a firm did tell its incoming summer class something like that, would half of them report it to you, forwarding any e-mail or letter? Yes. Did anybody do that? No.

You don't have to be a winner to know this post is BS.

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140 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 11:10 PM

NP did call students with outstanding offers informing them that the summer class at a particular office was already oversubscribed and so that the chance of receiving an offer at the end was much lower. No such calls were made to the students who had already accepted the offer.

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141 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:03 AM

140 is the only useful piece of information on this page, including the original post.

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142 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:04 AM

140 is the only useful piece of information on this page, including the original post. This is why it is sad that bloggers have replaced reporters.

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143 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:05 AM

140 is the only useful piece of information on this page, including the original post. This is why it's sad that bloggers have replaced reporters.

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144 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:06 AM

140 is the only useful piece of information in this whole thread, including the original post. This is why it's sad that bloggers have replaced reporters.

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145 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:06 AM

140 is the only useful piece of information in this whole thread, including the original post. This is why it's sad that "bloggers" have replaced reporters.

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146 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:07 AM

140 is the only useful piece of information in this whole thread, including the original post. This is what happens when news comes from bloggers instead of reporters.

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147 Posted by guest | Permalink Tuesday, February 10, 2009 2:08 AM

140 is the only useful piece of information in this whole thread, including the original post. This is what happens when news comes from bloggers instead of reporters.

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