Summer Associates

Above the Law Summer Associate Event: These People Need Jobs

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Space is still available for our Above the Law Event: We Know What You Should Do This Summer. But we are filling seats, so sign up today if you would like to join us — and our co-sponsors, Practical Law Company and the ABA Law Student Division, Second Circuit — for a frank discussion about how to make the most of your summer experience. It’s taking place on April 6th at 6:30 p.m.

As we’ve said before, we’d like this panel to provide information attendees can actually apply towards their summer experiences. Whether you have a summer position locked down or not, there are things you can do with your summer that will make you more attractive to employers in the future. Towards that end, let’s meet another one of our panelists.

Anastasia Boyko is the Professional Development Manager at Practical Law Company (PLC). She specializes in professional development and training, and she’ll be there to add some insight into how people can use their summers to actually become better lawyers. Before joining PLC, Boyko was an attorney at Akin Gump and Katten. Prior to that she was an investment banker and has her Series 7, 63 and 79 licenses. She is also a founding member of a NYC women’s networking organization. Boyko received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 2005.

Get TicketsIf you want to learn how to use all of the tools at your disposal this summer, we’re here to help. We hope to see you on April 6.

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Advice for Would-Be Summer Associates: Let’s Meet Some Panelists

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Last week we told you about our spring event for law students who want to learn about how to make the most of their summer experience. Like many of the things we do around here, it should be a lot of fun. But it should also be extremely useful — to law students who need to turn their internships into full-time offers, law students who don’t have jobs yet and are exploring all their options, and law students who just want general career advice from a panel of experts.

The panel discussion, entitled We Know What You Should Do This Summer, is taking place on Wednesday, April 6, at 6:30 p.m. It’s being co-sponsored by the Practical Law Company and the ABA Law Student Division, Second Circuit.

Steven Molo

Over the course of this week, we’ll be revealing the other panelists (in addition to David Lat and Elie Mystal). First up is our small-firm partner: Steven Molo, founding partner of the litigation boutique MoloLamken (whose launch we covered here). Before starting MoloLamken, Steve was a prosecutor in Chicago; a partner at Winston & Strawn, where he served on the firm’s Executive Committee; and a partner at Shearman & Sterling. Given the breadth of his career experiences, Steve has a tremendous amount of wisdom to impart.

Get TicketsThere’s a small admission fee (to help us cover the cost of the venue), but we’re extending the $5 DISCOUNT until Friday, March 18, at 11:59 PM, because some people were away on vacation last week and didn’t get a chance to take advantage of the offer. We’ll also be giving away free ATL t-shirts to the next 25 people to sign up (as well as everybody who signed up last week). Just enter the following discount code when registering: Y084BG.

But don’t delay, since seating is limited, and the discount code expires on Friday night. You can get details and register by clicking here (or on the button above). See you on the 6th!

A Special ATL Event for Law Students

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Are you a law student concerned about this upcoming summer? Perhaps you haven’t figured out what you’ll be doing yet. Or maybe you have landed a coveted summer associate position, but want to make sure that you land that full-time job offer (and don’t get no-offered).

If you’re looking for advice on how to make the most of your summer, Above the Law is here to help. On Wednesday, April 6, we’re hosting a panel discussion, together with our friends at the Practical Law Company, entitled We Know What You Should Do This Summer. The panel will include a wide range of perspectives, including a Biglaw partner, a partner at a small firm, a legal recruiter, and ATL’s very own David Lat (to discuss non-private sector options, like judicial externships and government positions).

There’s a small admission fee (to help us cover the cost of the venue), but from now until this Friday, March 11, at 11:59 PM, we are offering a $5 DISCOUNT. Just enter the following discount code: Y084BG .

But don’t delay, since seating is limited, and the discount code expires on Friday night. You can get details and register by clicking here.

We hope to see you on April 6!

Get Tickets

Howreying for the Exits: More Partner Departures; Bootcamp Gets the Boot

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The spinning of the revolving door at the beleaguered Howrey law firm is making our heads spin here at Above the Law. Keeping track of all the partner departures is becoming quite the challenge. We’ve collected some links about the latest partner defections, after the jump.

At this rate, it’s not clear how many lawyers will be left for “rescue” by white knight Winston & Strawn. (Protip: check the armor for bedbugs.)

Here’s some new (but hardly surprising) information: Howrey has canceled its summer program. Yes, the famous Howrey Bootcamp, touted by the firm as “[f]ar more intense and rewarding than traditional summer associate programs,” and offering “an entirely unique approach to associate recruitment and training.”

Bootcamp participants received intensive litigation training — and inspirational poetry from firm CEO Robert Ruyak, which we share with you below….

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Summer Associate Job Survey: The Kids Are Still Stressed

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The American Lawyer just released its annual summer associate job survey. Back in the day, law students paid a lot of attention to how summers before them enjoyed their summer associate experience. Of course, back in the day the summer associate experience used to be a 12-week-long recruiting event.

Now, it’s a 12 (or 10, or 8) week job interview. And the stress of that showed up in the summer associate surveys.

But despite a difficult job market, some summers still found time to bitch about the lack of lavish recruiting lunches. And Am Law looked at all the surveys and came up with a ranking of the top summer program.

Let’s take a look at the best (and the whiniest) summer programs…

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Career Center: Navigating the Callback – 10 Tips for a Successful Interview

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'So, do you have any questions for ME?'

Not too long ago, when law firms used to supersize their summer associate classes and make offers to anyone who had a pulse, callback interviews were a mere formality.  Today’s post-recessionary firms are understandably more careful about hiring, and as a result,the callback interview has become a sine qua non for getting into Biglaw.  We talked with an attorney recruiter, as well as attorneys currently conducting callback interviews, to bring you the top ten tips for getting an edge over the competition.

The complete article is available on the Career Center, but we’ve highlighted the first three tips after the jump.

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Career Center: Are You Deciding Where to Summer?

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Summer associate survey results have been out for a while. If you’re trying to decide where you’d like to be a summer associate, be sure to check out the profiles below, to see which firms scored big with its summers — and which firms could use a little improvement. Before accepting that summer associate offer, visit the Career Center for some useful insider information on the firms that interest you.

  • Summer associates at this firm get tons of formal training and are even assigned a “writing advisor” who will assist them with written project assignments. The 2009 summer associates who were lucky enough to land offers started as scheduled in the fall of 2009.
  • Even though this firm cancelled its 2010 summer program in all of its California offices, summer associates say the firm is pleasantly laid-back, and they got to attend various social events — baseball games, cooking classes, dinners. Rather than rescinding offers to its 2009 summer associates, the firm gave new associates the option of voluntarily departing with a “go-away” stipend or joining its public interest deferral program with a monthly stipend.

More profiles, after the jump.

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UCLA Law: The Jobs Will Come Out… Tomorrow!

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Last month, on their blog, Bruin Briefs, staffers in the career services office of UCLA School of Law offered some advice to 3Ls who didn’t receive offers from their summer employers. If you’re in this ship that be sinking boat, you might find the counsel helpful; check it out here.

One UCLA law student identified this language as the best excerpt:

To many, [being no-offered is] a huge, unforeseen blow. If it’s happened to you, you may be cycling through feelings of anger, betrayal and/ or self-doubt. You’ve worked hard only to have the rug pulled out from under you. Give yourself a bit of time to recover. Remember to use your support systems and seek out help if needed. Take care of yourself and remember you’re the same person you were at the beginning of the summer. This experience doesn’t define you.

The tipster’s take: “It sounds like it was lifted from a suicide prevention handbook.”

We found a part of the post that we liked better….

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Career Center: Summer Programs to Approach With Caution

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If you’re looking for brutally honest opinions about the summer programs at the top law firms, head on over to the Career Center.  Here are some examples of what you’ll find there:

  • Although this firm had one of the largest summer associate classes in 2010, a high offer rate in 2009, and no start date deferrals, summer associates still couldn’t slack off, since “the standard for most assignments is perfection” and “the pressure is on” to get an offer.

  • Summer associates get the real associate treatment at this firm’s summer program, but only those fortunate enough to land an offer — and not have it rescinded — will actually get to join the first-year associate ranks.
  • Despite making 100% offers to this year’s summer class, summer associates at this firm may not be so quick to accept them, warning that they were not given “real” work assignments and that associate morale was “through the floor.”

For information on summer programs and associate life at all the top firms, visit the Career Center.

Career Center: More Summer Program Profiles

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About to head out for that call-back interview? See if that firm is one of the profiled firms listed below. While you’re at it, go to the Career Center, and browse through the profiles for more in-depth information on all the major firms.

  • The summer associates at this firm describe the full-time attorneys as “extremely friendly” and always eager to help. Summer associates here also really enjoy the social events because they usually leave the office by 6:00 p.m. and are not assigned BlackBerrys.
  • 100% of the 2009 summer associates at this 160-year old firm received full-time offers. While there are plenty of professional training opportunities, summer associates here are advised to “manage-up” when it comes to handling work assignments.
  • The summer experience of the East Coast and West Coast summer associates vary widely at this firm. Still, summer associates on both coasts can attend unlimited firm lunches and usually enjoy the firm’s “low-key” social events.
  • Even though this firm is opening new international offices, it still takes the time to focus on its summer program. Summer associates praise the firm for providing a great balance of real work assignments and fun social events. In addition to constant informal feedback, summer associates also get plenty of partner contact and free lunches throughout the program.
  • No smoke and mirrors at this “Magic Circle” firm, where summer associates are treated the same as full-time associates and expected to produce the same quality of work. But it’s not all work here, as the firm flies its U.S. summer associates to its London office for a firm-retreat, in addition to standard social events.

For information on summer programs and associate life at all the top firms, visit the Career Center.

Career Center: Feel-Good Firm Summer Programs

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Want to know where the happy summer associates work?  More importantly, want to know if the happy summer associates eventually turn into happy full-time associates?  Click on the Career Center links below to find out.

  • Bragging rights go to this Wall Street firm’s summer associates, who say they do substantive and high-profile work, but have reasonable hours, get 100% offers, and have no start date deferrals.
  • Summer associates at this firm reaped the benefits of an 80% decrease in summer class size, reporting that they were “impressed” by how often the assigning attorneys took time to go over their assignments and offer suggestions.
  • Praises abound for this firm’s summer program, which summer associates say offers “excellent hours,” “easy access to a broad range of real, substantive assignments,” and “the positive sense you get…that people actually enjoy their jobs.

For information on summer programs and associate life at all the top firms, visit the Career Center.

Career Center: Trivial Pursuit, Summer Associate Edition

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Do you know which firms are described by their summer associates in the blurbs below? Check out how each firm fared in our 2010 Summer Associate Survey by clicking on each firm below, or by visiting the Career Center homepage and searching by name for the firm you are curious about.

  • Summer associates at this firm rave about its “laid back” work environment and the “fantastic” people they get to work with. Things are so laid back at this firm that summer associates were brave enough to force a couple of attorneys to chug bottles of Smirnoff Ice.
  • Bravery is also a required trait of the summer associates at this firm, where feeling lost during the summer program takes new meaning. Between mock trial competitions and hikes of active volcanoes, boring is definitely not an adjective used by the summer associates surveyed here.
  • Work assignments given to summer associates at this firm range from “big-name client” projects to pro bono work. When they aren’t busy in the office, summer associates were busy golfing, rafting, and gallivanting around the city of Austin during a firm retreat. 
  • While the hours may be “long,” summer associates at this firm still describe its culture as “laid-back.” Plus summer associates do not have to worry about bringing money for lunch, since they get to attend an unlimited number of free lunches.
  • This firm received high marks from its summer associates for providing “real” assignments as well as firm-sponsored volunteer opportunities — but summers also warn that it can get “ridiculously busy” at times. It’s not all work here, though, as summer associates still have time to attend baseball game, dinners, and Friday happy hours.

For information on summer programs and associate life at all the top firms, visit the Career Center.