ITT: Summer Associates Post About Their Anxiety (2012) Forum

[Emma.]

SA in the bag (apart from day drinking tomorrow). We don't get offers til next week, but my final review was all positive & partner told me he wishes I was graduating tomorrow, so not at all worried.

[rad lulz]

Received missed calls when I was out of the office. Those things always make me nervous.

Offers from both my firms won't go out until mid August, so I'll have to wait. Ugh.

[Anonymous User]

So here is what I was told today:

(1) Every feedback has been positive
(2) People like me very much
(3) I have done the best job an SA could have done
(4) Since the hiring committee will not meet until early Sept, you should still do 3L OCI at your T10 school. (I was assured that every SA was told so.)

From a V firm with 700+ lawyers.

I don't like it.

[Anonymous User]

Was told early on by my V20 firm that it is almost certain that we will know if we have an offer by the time we walk out the door on the last day. The past few years, I believe they broke the news all at once at a big summer farewell dinner by bringing out the champagne and making an announcement on the spot. 100% offer rate for the past 4 or 5 years, at least in my office. My work efficiency has slowed down a bit in the 2nd half of the summer and I made a few beginners mistakes, but I'm certainly hoping the 100% trend continues.

[Anonymous User]

6 days left at my small firm (~20 people). not really a formal summer program so I haven't had any formal reviews, but informal feedback has been good all summer. no clue if/when they're planning on offering. don't know what their past summer hiring patterns have been either

[romothesavior]

So here is what I was told today:

(1) Every feedback has been positive
(2) People like me very much
(3) I have done the best job an SA could have done
(4) Since the hiring committee will not meet until early Sept, you should still do 3L OCI at your T10 school. (I was assured that every SA was told so.)

From a V firm with 700+ lawyers.

I don't like it.

Shit that is rough and also kinda ridiculous.

[somewhatwayward]

So here is what I was told today:

(1) Every feedback has been positive
(2) People like me very much
(3) I have done the best job an SA could have done
(4) Since the hiring committee will not meet until early Sept, you should still do 3L OCI at your T10 school. (I was assured that every SA was told so.)

From a V firm with 700+ lawyers.

I don't like it.

wow that sucks....will you out the firm?

[Anonymous User]

So here is what I was told today:

(1) Every feedback has been positive
(2) People like me very much
(3) I have done the best job an SA could have done
(4) Since the hiring committee will not meet until early Sept, you should still do 3L OCI at your T10 school. (I was assured that every SA was told so.)

From a V firm with 700+ lawyers.

I don't like it.

wow that sucks....will you out the firm?

No, because I actually like the people and may still work there. The firm's hiring timeline is really problematic though.

[09042014]

Sounds like that firm is sinking. I wouldn't take an offer unless you have no other choice.

[romothesavior]

Sounds like that firm is sinking. I wouldn't take an offer unless you have no other choice.

Agreed. A 700+ person firm who can't tell their summers until September? I'd be getting on the OCI/mass mail train ASAP

[Anonymous User]

Sounds like that firm is sinking. I wouldn't take an offer unless you have no other choice.

Agreed. A 700+ person firm who can't tell their summers until September? I'd be getting on the OCI/mass mail train ASAP

Mine won't be making offers till October.

[Anonymous User]

Wow, that sound pretty negative (not about your chances, but about the firm in general). EDIT - this comment is directed to the guy who said that his firm recommended that he still go through with 3L OCI

This is my last week at my SA and my mentor partner took me to lunch today. He said that the firm is "very good" at offering SAs, and that he thinks that I have a "very good" likelihood of an offer. Problem is, this is the same guy who asked me not just how the current market is for upcoming graduates when I first started, but was shocked when I said that it was brutal. This economy + vague answers from someone that didn't realize that the hiring market is shit results in me now being incredibly nervous. On top of that, I've heard from other people that I won't find out about an offer for at least a month. As this thread is directed to anxiety, I thought it would be safe to vent...

[Emma.]

Sounds like that firm is sinking. I wouldn't take an offer unless you have no other choice.

Agreed. A 700+ person firm who can't tell their summers until September? I'd be getting on the OCI/mass mail train ASAP

Mine won't be making offers till October.

WTF???

[09042014]

Sounds like that firm is sinking. I wouldn't take an offer unless you have no other choice.

Agreed. A 700+ person firm who can't tell their summers until September? I'd be getting on the OCI/mass mail train ASAP

Mine won't be making offers till October.

Sounds they want to ditch as many summers as possible without no offering. It's better than just no offering I guess.

[Anonymous User]

Sounds like that firm is sinking. I wouldn't take an offer unless you have no other choice.

Agreed. A 700+ person firm who can't tell their summers until September? I'd be getting on the OCI/mass mail train ASAP

Mine won't be making offers till October.

Sounds they want to ditch as many summers as possible without no offering. It's better than just no offering I guess.

Apparently, they've always made offer decisions in October. I have no idea why that would be the case but ours is not to reason why.... Still nervous as fuq.

[fl0w]

ok the anxiety level is rising. this thread is delivering.

[Anonymous User]

If a firm said at the midsummer reviews that they really like your work and if you keep it up, you'll easily get an offer, but that they don't make offers until mid-September, so you should do your school OCI just to protect yourself and to let them know if you get other offers, was that a cold-offer?

[Anonymous User]

Offers are going out at my V5 firm on a rolling basis.

[IAFG]

Sounds like that firm is sinking. I wouldn't take an offer unless you have no other choice.

Or maybe they just remember having to no-offer summers in the past and want their summers now to have an exit plan if something happens in the next 2 months.

[09042014]

If a firm said at the midsummer reviews that they really like your work and if you keep it up, you'll easily get an offer, but that they don't make offers until mid-September, so you should do your school OCI just to protect yourself and to let them know if you get other offers, was that a cold-offer?

That's not a cold offer. But that might be a "we over hired summers and don't want to fuck any of them over, but if several take offers elsewhere, everyone will be better off."

Or they might just be slow, and want to know about other offers so that they can give you one if the other firm is waiting.

[Anonymous User]

Interested to know how a "cold offer" is made. Any insight?

[letsdoit]

Interested to know how a "cold offer" is made. Any insight?

also interested in this.

[09042014]

Interested to know how a "cold offer" is made. Any insight?

It only happens at firms that always keep 100% and where the person can actually find a different job. So I wouldn't worry if you aren't V10 SA.

ITE people just accept cold offers at average firms.

[Anonymous User]

Interested to know how a "cold offer" is made. Any insight?

It only happens at firms that always keep 100% and where the person can actually find a different job. So I wouldn't worry if you aren't V10 SA.

ITE people just accept cold offers at average firms.

Is this correct?

[mark2012]

Have you considered online networking events for lawyers? Like SPAMMY SPAM? You can speak face-to-face with other lawyers (of course not at your current law firm) and get some insights on what to do and not to do.