Summer Associates 2014: Thoughts, Anxieties, Experiences... Forum

[Anonymous User]

Just got my offer today (firm waits until 2 weeks after the program has wrapped up). Bring on 3LOL, and for those still waiting, hang in there.

[Anonymous User]

Sutherland doesn't tell summers until end of September. Pretty incredible.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not feeling as carefree as I thought I would after receiving an offer. Rescinded offers aren't a thing (excepting Brown Rudnick events) right?

[PepperJack]

I'm not feeling as carefree as I thought I would after receiving an offer. Rescinded offers aren't a thing (excepting Brown Rudnick events) right?

??? You gotta relax. Just don't be an idiot, and it's a non-issue.

[gregfootball2001]

Anyone else still waiting to hear?

Just finished on Friday. Probably won't hear for another 3 weeks or so. Not fun.

[PepperJack]

Anyone else still waiting to hear?

Just finished on Friday. Probably won't hear for another 3 weeks or so. Not fun.

Why 3 weeks? That anxiety is definitely the one unfun part about it. Aside from that it's really more like summer camp than a real job except for being silently judged the whole time. I mean I'm sure kids silently judge one another in summer camp, but the judgment has 0 stakes.

[gregfootball2001]

Anyone else still waiting to hear?

Just finished on Friday. Probably won't hear for another 3 weeks or so. Not fun.

Why 3 weeks? That anxiety is definitely the one unfun part about it. Aside from that it's really more like summer camp than a real job except for being silently judged the whole time. I mean I'm sure kids silently judge one another in summer camp, but the judgment has 0 stakes.

Well, people aren't given the evaluation forms until after I leave. Then, the committee reads all the forms, meets, and makes a recommendation to the managing partner. He then decides. All in all, about a 3 week process.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone else still waiting to hear?

I got my offer a week before I finished. Anybody else have this experience?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone else still waiting to hear?

I got my offer a week before I finished. Anybody else have this experience?

Yeah. I got mine a couple weeks ago, and the firm is keeping me on a while longer. I just got it the same time as everyone else (which was the second to the last day of the program officially ending).

[Anonymous User]

I just got it the same time as everyone else (which was the second to the last day of the program officially ending).

Same

[Anonymous User]

Anyone else still waiting to hear?

I got my offer a week before I finished. Anybody else have this experience?

Yeah. I got mine a couple weeks ago, and the firm is keeping me on a while longer. I just got it the same time as everyone else (which was the second to the last day of the program officially ending).

Why are they keeping you on longer? That's awesome. Can't imagine any of the work we do is generally worth 3k a week.

[El Pollito]

Anyone else still waiting to hear?

I got my offer a week before I finished. Anybody else have this experience?

Yeah. I got mine a couple weeks ago, and the firm is keeping me on a while longer. I just got it the same time as everyone else (which was the second to the last day of the program officially ending).

Why are they keeping you on longer? That's awesome. Can't imagine any of the work we do is generally worth 3k a week.

Not sure if this is why, but some SAs have to start later because their schools are on the quarter system (SLS, Chicago) and sometimes the firm will let them make it up after the SA program officially ends.

[Anonymous User]

I was an SA for a Philly firm's NYC office. Our summer class was mostly T-14, but we had 3-5 kids from lower tier schools. When I was choosing a firm, people from this firm assured me and others that they had an 100% offer rate. Supposedly, the only guy that had been no offered in the last 3 years was a goofball who didn't take his job seriously.

Anyway, at the end of the summer they dropped a bombshell on us and said they wouldn't be able to give offers on the last day. They said it was because of red tape firm stuff and that we had nothing to worry about. Fast forward two weeks, and 2 people got no offered. Both of them were totally blind-sided. Neither was from a T14. I don't know how good their work was, but I know they definitely didn't goof of like that other kid.

How typical is this? If the firm has changed its approach (I know from talking to associates that they have given offers to horrible summers in the very recent past), is this a sign of money trouble? Won't this make candidates from topflight schools shy away? Should I be concerned?

[Nelson]

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[Danger Zone]

If it's MLB, their money issues are pretty well known.

Maybe, but it could also be Dechert or Pepper, which would be surprising.

[Anonymous User]

If it's MLB, their money issues are pretty well known.

Maybe, but it could also be Dechert or Pepper, which would be surprising.

Dechert NY was 100%. There were no bombshells or surprises.

[Anonymous User]

I was an SA for a Philly firm's NYC office. Our summer class was mostly T-14, but we had 3-5 kids from lower tier schools. When I was choosing a firm, people from this firm assured me and others that they had an 100% offer rate. Supposedly, the only guy that had been no offered in the last 3 years was a goofball who didn't take his job seriously.

Anyway, at the end of the summer they dropped a bombshell on us and said they wouldn't be able to give offers on the last day. They said it was because of red tape firm stuff and that we had nothing to worry about. Fast forward two weeks, and 2 people got no offered. Both of them were totally blind-sided. Neither was from a T14. I don't know how good their work was, but I know they definitely didn't goof of like that other kid.

How typical is this? If the firm has changed its approach (I know from talking to associates that they have given offers to horrible summers in the very recent past), is this a sign of money trouble? Won't this make candidates from topflight schools shy away? Should I be concerned?

Hey!! I summered with you. So I know what ur talking about. Yea I've been wondering the same thing. Although I thought they were pretty transparent about money, firm debt, and the directional growth the firm is trying to take in the future, so I wasn't thinking there was too much to worry about....but letting us kno the last week definitely raised flags for me. And because of thinking it would be 100% offers, most of them didn't sign up for OCI in time.

[Anonymous User]

If it's MLB, their money issues are pretty well known.

What issues are those?

[Anonymous User]

Re: MLB financial problems, I went on a callback for a SA position at an office of theirs in a major city. I thought everyone was nice enough, but a sense that the firm was cutting back (on the budget for callback lunches, on social activities for attorneys, etc.) pervaded. The lunch itself was pretty weak, and the firm had clearly been cutting office space in this office location. Among other things, it seems like some of their bulwark practice groups--traditional labor, employment discrimination--have priced themselves out of the market. Specialty firms like Littler and Ogletree seem to cultivate relationships with businesses that don't have in-house teams, whereas those with in-house counsel find they can litigate or counsel on employment matters for far less than the rates partners at places like MLB charge.

[Anonymous User]

Re: MLB financial problems, I went on a callback for a SA position at an office of theirs in a major city. I thought everyone was nice enough, but a sense that the firm was cutting back (on the budget for callback lunches, on social activities for attorneys, etc.) pervaded. The lunch itself was pretty weak, and the firm had clearly been cutting office space in this office location. Among other things, it seems like some of their bulwark practice groups--traditional labor, employment discrimination--have priced themselves out of the market. Specialty firms like Littler and Ogletree seem to cultivate relationships with businesses that don't have in-house teams, whereas those with in-house counsel find they can litigate or counsel on employment matters for far less than the rates partners at places like MLB charge.

thanks for the info.

[Nelson]

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[Nelson]

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[Danger Zone]

If it's MLB, their money issues are pretty well known.

Maybe, but it could also be Dechert or Pepper, which would be surprising.

Dechert NY was 100%. There were no bombshells or surprises.

Dechert isn't exactly the picture of financial health but they seem to have slashed their class size to the bone lately.

Fuck Dechert. Actual comment by my screening interviewer last year at OCI: "I don't know why they send us here. We wouldn't callback anyone from [my T2 school]."

[Anonymous User]

If it's MLB, their money issues are pretty well known.

Maybe, but it could also be Dechert or Pepper, which would be surprising.

Dechert NY was 100%. There were no bombshells or surprises.

Dechert isn't exactly the picture of financial health but they seem to have slashed their class size to the bone lately.

I actually heard that Dechert had a much smaller SA offer acceptance rate than expected. Sounded to me like they wanted a larger class size than they got.

[Nelson]

Seems unlikely that they would botch their yield two years running.