1L summer job problem: I don't know how to do anything. Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have a great GPA (4+) at a 50ish ranked school. I'm hesitant to apply to jobs for the summer because, frankly, I am useless unless they train me on the job. For instance, I got an A in legal writing (obviously), but one of the jobs I was going to apply for required me to draft memos/briefs - I don't think I can do that on my own just yet. Don't get me wrong; I'm fairly intelligent and will be able to learn quickly, but I don't think I can jump in and do anything without being held by the hand.

Is it understood that 1L summer employees are worthless or will I be fired on my first day?

[Anonymous User]

Is it understood that 1L summer employees are worthless

This. Also, it is understood that most 1L summer employees are not paid. It is about getting experience. You have to start somewhere.

[LawIdiot86]

I have a great GPA (4+) at a 50ish ranked school. I'm hesitant to apply to jobs for the summer because, frankly, I am useless unless they train me on the job. For instance, I got an A in legal writing (obviously), but one of the jobs I was going to apply for required me to draft memos/briefs - I don't think I can do that on my own just yet. Don't get me wrong; I'm fairly intelligent and will be able to learn quickly, but I don't think I can jump in and do anything without being held by the hand.

Is it understood that 1L summer employees are worthless or will I be fired on my first day?

Ummm, wow. All law students are worthless for about the first year on the job. You're expected to be willing to learn and to do excellent work when told what to do, but no one expects you to have a clue on how to do it. Are you scared of failing, because everyone fails at every job; they just learn from their mistakes.

[existenz]

You are a 4.0+ student and can't write a memo or brief? Out your school please.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not afraid of failing; I just know I will fail.

Not in comparison with my peers, obviously - I'll probably do better than them. I'm in a position (what with my GPA) to get a paid internship, I believe; there are several $15-20/hour, full-time summer jobs available to me (not exactly OCI money, but eh). The problem is that these job postings require experience - they ask for things like, as I posted in the original post, an ability to draft memos.

Suppose I applied and got the job. I can just imagine showing up my first day, meeting my boss, and him being like, "Write a memo on the current state of patent law in the Congo as it applies to these five cases and our case. Give it to me by the end of the day. See you then." And I'd be like, "Wat." And then at the end of the day he'd be like, "The fuck is this. Get out." And I'd be like, "Okay..."

[Ludo!]

If you got a 4.0 in law school, you can write a memo. It's not hard.

[kalvano]

First off, no one expects 1L's to be able to do anything at all.

Second, real-life work is nothing like bullshit academic work. If you're assigned a memo, it will most likely be over a fairly narrow legal topic. That's not to say it won't be a long project, but it won't be some stupid bullshit like "adverse possession". It will be more like "does adverse possession apply when XXX has done YYY but ZZZ?"

[Anonymous User]

It's not just writing memos. I barely know how to do legal research; I've done it like twice and had unlimited time to be as inefficient as I wanted. IDFK how to do anything, to be completely honest. I just studied the law of torts and civil procedure and criminal law and wrote good exams.

I guess I'm just going to go forward on the assumption that they're used to incompetence / failure from 1L summer employees. Should I preface my employment with a clear statement that I don't know how to do anything or should I let them find out on their own?

[kalvano]

You can't possibly be this stupid if you have a 4.0. They have minimal expectations other than you filling up space and possibly contributing something useful maybe once. The actual practice of law and law school are two very different things.

Quit fucking worrying about it, it's not rocket surgery.

[Anonymous User]

How rude.

It would be stupid for someone to not have the concerns that I do. I have no skills; how can I expect to perform a job?

[harborleaguemvp]

Is this a pity party? I really don't get it

[azntwice]

your concerns are totally valid and frankly anyone who's intelligent enough to be a good lawyer should recognize that they don't know the first thing about the law in most situations (even though i realize your concerns are more about the mechanics of being a lawyer). but please get over it and start applying to jobs because:

1) the clock is ticking and if you haven't already applied, there's not going to be many jobs left for the taking soon anyway;

2) most legal training is done on the job;

3) you will probably not be allowed to write a brief and it's ten times easier to write memos;

4) if you don't know how to do anything, you should run all your assignments by a junior associate or junior staff attorney before giving it to anyone up higher.

that is all there is to it.

[cinephile]

How rude.

It would be stupid for someone to not have the concerns that I do. I have no skills; how can I expect to perform a job?

But no one has any skills. That's what jobs are for, to train you.

[JoeMo]

Quit fucking worrying about it, it's not rocket surgery.

LMAO! Rocket surgery.

Is it bad that this thread is giving me a serious case of the Lolz? I mean, I get OP's feeling of inadequacy but the desperation of it all is just classic. Don't let this thread die. PLEASE!

[071816]

OP sounds like a real winner and lol at "rocket surgery"

[LawIdiot86]

Quit fucking worrying about it, it's not rocket surgery.

LMAO! Rocket surgery.

Is it bad that this thread is giving me a serious case of the Lolz? I mean, I get OP's feeling of inadequacy but the desperation of it all is just classic. Don't let this thread die. PLEASE!

OP sounds like a real winner.

This might be why grades aren't always the best indicator of success in real life or interviews. OP's extreme lack of confidence despite his enviable grades are likely to come through to interviewers and might manifest themselves at a job through procrastination to the point of blowing deadlines because s/he is so scared of doing it wrong. There's a difference between the healthy fear of fucking up and therefore double-checking everything and the level of terror OP seems to be exhibiting.

[cantabaout]

writing a memo - or conducting research at a law firm is a lot more fun than writing a memo in your silly LRRW class.

it's usually on very, very narrow topic. you may or may not find anything directly on point. I actually enjoy the real work a lot better

[bk1]

It's normal for 1L's not to have any practical legal job skills (you've never held a legal job).

It's not normal to freak out about because (a) every other 1L is in the exact same position, and (b) places that employ 1L's already fucking know this.

[wiseowl]

You will likely liberally use previously-filed boilerplate and do a lot of copying and pasting. Fret not.

[Anonymous User]

It's normal for 1L's not to have any practical legal job skills (you've never held a legal job).

It's not normal to freak out about because (a) every other 1L is in the exact same position, and (b) places that employ 1L's already fucking know this.

Aren't you a 1L, dude? How are you qualified to talk shit to OP, much less give advice?

[Anonymous User]

It's normal for 1L's not to have any practical legal job skills (you've never held a legal job).

It's not normal to freak out about because (a) every other 1L is in the exact same position, and (b) places that employ 1L's already fucking know this.

Aren't you a 1L, dude? How are you qualified to talk shit to OP, much less give advice?

Because it's common fucking sense.

[snowpeach06]

Just apply to whatever. No one really knows how to do anything until they've been working for a while. And even then... no one expects you to be a real lawyer. They know you are still a student. Just work hard, be willing to learn, and figure out if your employer does/doesn't like answering questions. Part of most jobs is just figuring it out as you go, anyway.

But... on cover letters, pretend like you know a ton.

[c3pO4]

epic bragging flame. u wish the 4.0 kids were actually like this

[NYC Law]

Unless you're the first 1L they've ever hired, this probably won't be an issue.

[DreamsInDigital]

OP, I have the exact same concerns you do, but I'm just telling myself what everyone else in this thread is saying; anyone that has hired 1Ls before knows how useless we are. Just go in and do your best, try and learn as much as you can, and just make a good impression.