We often lament that summer associates don’t royally embarrass themselves anymore. There’s the occasional unfortunate Slapsgiving or impolitic request for gym time, but we used to have real summer misadventures.
It really shouldn’t count as a summer associate mishap until the Coast Guard gets called.
Anyway, apparently some summer out there has already gotten canned.
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Speculation is now open on what “something I shouldn’t have done” means because getting fired from a Summer Associate job is the adult equivalent of failing Recess.
So to address this Summer’s question, this isn’t a great development for your career, but it’s not necessarily a death knell. Unless the transgression was truly abominable, in which case this 2L should be more worried about “being admitted” than “finding a career in Biglaw.” So let’s assume it’s something serious but not highly unethical. Something like, “got in a fight with a partner because I thought I knew the law better” or “hooked up with an associate against firm rules” as opposed to “embezzled from the trust account.”
First of all, it’s not public knowledge (or particularly salacious) or we’d have received other tips about it. This person didn’t jump into the Hudson River, so no one can hop on the Internet to figure out what ended the summer. That means they can control the narrative on what cut that job short. Obviously this isn’t an invitation to lie — that would raise even more ethical fitness problems — but it means they can get ahead of it. Again, assuming it’s not something wildly disqualifying, one can say, “honestly, I made a mistake borne out of my lack of experience and I accepted the consequences — personally, I think it makes me a better candidate today because I’ve learned…” yadda yadda yadda.
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Second, Biglaw is very forgiving for people with good credentials. We don’t know where this 2L is going to school, but assuming a stellar transcript from a good school, firms will take a flyer on a good candidate for an entry-level job.
Third, someone at the firm must still like this person. If there’s advice to give, it’s to reach out immediately to that friendly mid-level or senior and be upfront — assuming the whole firm doesn’t know what happened — and ask them if they’d vouch for you going forward. If a future employer wants to talk to someone at the old firm, be prepared to have someone willing to offer a balanced assessment of the good and the bad.
Take the lumps and press on to 3L interviewing season. It’s a regrettable position to be in, but it’s (probably) not the end of the world.
Earlier: Can A Summer Associate Please Blow A Goat Or Something?
Did A Biglaw Lawyer Just Get Slapped By A Summer Associate?
Summer Associate Hopes Meeting Doesn’t Interfere With Gym Time
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.