Reneging on Accepted Offer Forum

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sunynp

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by sunynp » Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:31 pm

sparty99 wrote:Clearly you need to learn how to play the game. You have already ruined relationships and have Partners emailing you. Be a damn man. Tell them you need xyz date or accept the offer and renege down the line. You sound kind of greedy. I would have pulled the offer.

I strongly disagree. OP doesn't sound greedy. OP isn't sure he wants to stay at this firm.


What OP has done is very poor communications with the firm. OP, you need to get out in front of this now. I liked my idea- tell them you loved the firm but you need some more time.
Just keep in mind that you are damaging your relationship with the firm. If you know when your other callbacks are, tell the firm when you interview that you would appreciate knowing when they can get back to you with an answer. You need a firm date to make this decision as soon as possible. They know you are looking around and they need to know if they should hire someone else.

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fatduck

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by fatduck » Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:54 pm

f7u12 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Hey TLS,

In a bit of a dilemma here. I am getting a lot of pushback from my summer firm about accepting my offer. Apparently, I am the only summer who has yet to accept my offer and some associates have told me (informally) that my delay in accepting my offer has upset some of the partners, etc. A few partners have even emailed me to ask whats up . . .

Unfortunately, everyone knows that I am not applying for clerkships, so I can't use that excuse. I would like until November 1 to make a formal response . . . what do I tell the firm? Should I just accept and then renege later if I find something else that I'd rather do? Or is that a terrible idea?

This is a major firm in a major market - we have had our offers for about 30 days.
Wait, did you just not respond to his email?
if he responds, they'll know he's alive and seeking other offers. better to keep them in the dark, that way they think he might have got in a car accident or slipped into a coma or something.

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IAFG

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by IAFG » Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:57 pm

I don't know why you would think a firm wouldn't be annoyed by attempts to trade up.

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:03 pm

Could you imagine if your firm somehow tripped over this TLS thread and saw that you were willing to talk with complete strangers about this but you havent actually responded to emails from partners at a firm that have paid you a vast amount of money..... >.<

IMO, Email them back, call the recruiting person or whoever, tell tem you are sorry for being out of touch. Apologize. Dont make some lame excuse, just own the mistake. And ask how long you have to make a final response to their offer. Thank them for being patient, and comply with that deadline.

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:00 am

OP here.

There's a lot of great stuff in this thread, thanks. I am definitely thinking the situation over and I will let you guys know how I choose to proceed.

FWIW, all of the firms that I'm interviewing with are lower vault ranked and definitely less prestigious than my summer firm. Additionally, I'm looking into a lot of non-firm opportunities. This is not a case of prestige whoring, as I think some people are assuming.

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:02 am

f7u12 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Hey TLS,

In a bit of a dilemma here. I am getting a lot of pushback from my summer firm about accepting my offer. Apparently, I am the only summer who has yet to accept my offer and some associates have told me (informally) that my delay in accepting my offer has upset some of the partners, etc. A few partners have even emailed me to ask whats up . . .

Unfortunately, everyone knows that I am not applying for clerkships, so I can't use that excuse. I would like until November 1 to make a formal response . . . what do I tell the firm? Should I just accept and then renege later if I find something else that I'd rather do? Or is that a terrible idea?

This is a major firm in a major market - we have had our offers for about 30 days.
Wait, did you just not respond to his email?
OP here again. No, I responded to the emails but I was pretty vague about what I was thinking as far as next year goes. I think I will come back with something more direct on my next turn to respond.

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sunynp

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by sunynp » Mon Sep 03, 2012 11:09 am

Anonymous User wrote:
f7u12 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Hey TLS,

In a bit of a dilemma here. I am getting a lot of pushback from my summer firm about accepting my offer. Apparently, I am the only summer who has yet to accept my offer and some associates have told me (informally) that my delay in accepting my offer has upset some of the partners, etc. A few partners have even emailed me to ask whats up . . .

Unfortunately, everyone knows that I am not applying for clerkships, so I can't use that excuse. I would like until November 1 to make a formal response . . . what do I tell the firm? Should I just accept and then renege later if I find something else that I'd rather do? Or is that a terrible idea?

This is a major firm in a major market - we have had our offers for about 30 days.
Wait, did you just not respond to his email?
OP here again. No, I responded to the emails but I was pretty vague about what I was thinking as far as next year goes. I think I will come back with something more direct on my next turn to respond.
Do you have a date you will know if you are getting offers from other firms? If there is any way to be positive and pro active about this situation?

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by sparty99 » Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:38 pm

keg411 wrote:
sparty99 wrote:Clearly you need to learn how to play the game. You have already ruined relationships and have Partners emailing you. Be a damn man. Tell them you need xyz date or accept the offer and renege down the line. You sound kind of greedy. I would have pulled the offer.
FWIW - this is exactly why NALP has the November 1 rule; so that employers can't pull the offer. And there are reasons to see what else is out there for reasons besides "greed", such as wanting to be in a practice area that your SA firm has no room in or indicated you won't be placed in or just doesn't have in general.

Obviously the firm has reasons to want to know, but I don't think OP is in the wrong here. (And this comes from someone who accepted in the first few days).
FWIW, NALP's rule is 28 days, not until Nov 1st and if this isn't a NALP firm that offer would have been pulled....

Klinklang

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by Klinklang » Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:41 pm

OP: boo-hoo, I got a job offer from a major firm in a major market well before graduation, I'm sooo upset.

GTFO. Seriouslah

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clintonius

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by clintonius » Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:55 pm

sparty99 wrote:
keg411 wrote:
sparty99 wrote:Clearly you need to learn how to play the game. You have already ruined relationships and have Partners emailing you. Be a damn man. Tell them you need xyz date or accept the offer and renege down the line. You sound kind of greedy. I would have pulled the offer.
FWIW - this is exactly why NALP has the November 1 rule; so that employers can't pull the offer. And there are reasons to see what else is out there for reasons besides "greed", such as wanting to be in a practice area that your SA firm has no room in or indicated you won't be placed in or just doesn't have in general.

Obviously the firm has reasons to want to know, but I don't think OP is in the wrong here. (And this comes from someone who accepted in the first few days).
FWIW, NALP's rule is 28 days, not until Nov 1st and if this isn't a NALP firm that offer would have been pulled....
This thread is about permanent employment after graduation, not a summer associate position. From NALP: "Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates previously employed by them should leave those offers open until at least November 1 of the candidate’s final year of law school." (http://www.nalp.org/fulltextofnalpprinc ... dstandards)

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 05, 2012 10:26 pm

Klinklang wrote:OP: boo-hoo, I got a job offer from a major firm in a major market well before graduation, I'm sooo upset.

GTFO. Seriouslah
I don't know why people are giving OP a hard time. It sounds like he actually has a chance at 3L OCI and his firm is being a bit passive-aggressive. Who knows what law firm he's at, but we all know that if things go bad like at Dewey or Latham, they would have no problem heaving OP to the curb. He has every right to hold the offer open until November 1st, especially given that he has CB's at other firms. True it was a bad move not to respond to the partners, but I understand not knowing how to respond. To OP: talk to your Career Services office and see what they advise. You aren't the first person to do this, they will know what to do.

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by gulcregret » Wed Sep 05, 2012 10:38 pm

Pursue public interest, then the offer should stay open until spring (April 1, maybe) per NALP.

Also, just tell them what you are doing. You really liked the firm and are strongly considering the offer but want to, for personal reasons, consider all your options because you want to be certain when you commit, etc.

You owe them transparency, nothing more. If you get something better take it. People are real crazy on here about how the firm is so helpless here. That they want to know now. I remember going through CBs and wanting to know if I was going to get an offer immediately also. They make us wait, why can't they deal with the same. Firms are like bad friends.

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Sep 05, 2012 10:49 pm

gulcregret wrote:Pursue public interest, then the offer should stay open until spring (April 1, maybe) per NALP.
Isn't the just for SA positions, not offers after graduation?

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gulcregret

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Re: Reneging on Accepted Offer

Post by gulcregret » Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:38 pm

B. Full-Time Employment Provisions

Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates not previously employed by them should leave those offers open for at least 28 days following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first. Offers made after December 15 for full-time positions to commence following graduation should remain open for at least two weeks after the date of the offer letter.

Candidates may request that an employer extend the deadline to accept the employer’s offer until as late as April 1 if the candidate is actively pursuing positions with public interest or government organizations. Candidates may hold open only one offer in such circumstances. Employers are encouraged to grant such requests.

Employers offering full-time positions to commence following graduation to candidates previously employed by them should leave those offers open until at least November 1 of the candidate’s final year of law school. Candidates should reaffirm these offers within thirty days from the date of the offer letter. Employers may retract any offer that is not reaffirmed within the 30 day period.

Employers offering candidates full-time positions to commence following graduation and having a total of 40 attorneys or fewer in all offices are exempted from Paragraphs 1-3 of this Section. Instead, offers made on or before December 15 should remain open for at least three weeks following the date of the offer letter or until December 30, whichever comes first, and offers made after December 15 should remain open for at least two weeks.

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