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

[09042014]

OK I'll say it, summers don't real work.

[OneMoreLawHopeful]

OK I'll say it, summers don't real work.

And I agree that summer work isn't "real" I just think it's funny that Mal wants to be included with people "in the know" about biglaw.

[Mal Reynolds]

I never claimed to be in the know. I can just spot a retard when it's right in front of me.

[mephistopheles]

all i'm going to say in this hilarious argument is that i've been billed, and told i've done better than junior associates on assignments. the myth that (all) summers don't so "real work" is just that, a myth

[09042014]

all i'm going to say in this hilarious argument is that i've been billed, and told i've done better than junior associates on assignments. the myth that (all) summers don't so "real work" is just that, a myth

I've been told I have a penis so large it hurts. Don't believe flattery is accurate.

[Druid]

all i'm going to say in this hilarious argument is that i've been billed, and told i've done better than junior associates on assignments. the myth that (all) summers don't so "real work" is just that, a myth

[mephistopheles]

all i'm going to say in this hilarious argument is that i've been billed, and told i've done better than junior associates on assignments. the myth that (all) summers don't so "real work" is just that, a myth

I've been told I have a penis so large it hurts. Don't believe flattery is accurate.

okay, glad you pulled a regular summer. not everyone is like that

[Anonymous User]

My fellow SA and I billed throughout the summer, but I don't think that means that we were doing a spectacular job. Rather, I think it has more to do with the fact that the firm has enough clout that it can get away with that and not have clients go elsewhere. (Or maybe the clients just don't know exactly who they're paying for.)

[09042014]

My fellow SA and I billed throughout the summer, but I don't think that means that we were doing a spectacular job. Rather, I think it has more to do with the fact that the firm has enough clout that it can get away with that and not have clients go elsewhere. (Or maybe the clients just don't know exactly who they're paying for.)

Somebody goes through the bill before it's sent to the client. Some clients may just not look close enough, but it's not common.

[gk101]

oh good it's a special snowflake convention here

[El Pollito]

all i'm going to say in this hilarious argument is that i've been billed, and told i've done better than junior associates on assignments. the myth that (all) summers don't so "real work" is just that, a myth

[mephistopheles]

cool, the just-not-shitty-enough-to-be-nooffered kr3w is here

[rickgrimes69]

The firm I paralegaled at wrote off 100% of summer time, no questions asked

Was told that ~80% of my time this last summer would be written off

Summers might do some "real" work but that doesn't mean clients will pay for it

[Anonymous User]

Same Anon as before. I don't understand why every disagreement of opinion has to be followed by dozens of curses and ad hominem attacks. This isn't the 23rd hour of a do or a die deal. Be civil, but I'm sure nobody cares how much you billed. Who are you trying to impress?

[Old Gregg]

This thread has grown so rich in content. Love it.

[Druid]

Same Anon as before. I don't understand why every disagreement of opinion has to be followed by dozens of curses and ad hominem attacks. This isn't the 23rd hour of a do or a die deal. Be civil, but I'm sure nobody cares how much you billed. Who are you trying to impress?

Which post was yours?

[El Pollito]

cool, the just-not-shitty-enough-to-be-nooffered kr3w is here

Swamped is an understatement and we have coordinators. As a rising 2l I assumed things would be not that serious but im on all sorts of shit that matters.

I've been given somewhat critical positions on a couple of major matters actually. I've been working similar hours because I need to be there.

ok bro.

[PepperJack]

In today's changing legal market many firms have adopted a 6 step strategy to make it to the top:

1.) Start a respected firm over roughly a century.
2.) Bring in partners with decades of experience, and big books of client business.
3.) Wait until the clients' legal issues become really complex, and need urgent problem solving.
4.) Hire summers.
5.) Put the fate of the clients and the firm in the summers' hands.
6.) Profit.

[BuckinghamB]

I hate law students

[Druid]

I hate law students

TBH I just hate people. You find a few in law school that you can bro out with, just like you find a few in the rest of life that you can bro out with. But stressed out type A fuckwads are a special level of idiot.

[sideroxylon]

As much as I love hating on phisto I don't think he is totally wrong here

I mean I can point to the (worthless, unimportant, entirely procdeural) motion I worked on for part of the summer. It was filed. I know exactly what I wrote.

I also know I was more likely to be staffed on non billable matters like research for pitches and the like

Just because it is makework or not billable doesn't mean it isn't "real"

I also worked on a budget so I know exactly the rate that summers were billed out at.

[Druid]

As much as I love hating on phisto I don't think he is totally wrong here

I mean I can point to the (worthless, unimportant, entirely procdeural) motion I worked on for part of the summer. It was filed. I know exactly what I wrote.

I also know I was more likely to be staffed on non billable matters like research for pitches and the like

Just because it is makework or not billable doesn't mean it isn't "real"

I also worked on a budget so I know exactly the rate that summers were billed out at.

I was making fun of him because "all i'm going to say in this hilarious argument is that i've been billed, and told i've done better than junior associates on assignments. the myth that (all) summers don't so "real work" is just that, a myth" is a a goober thing to say. I don't think anybody even asked him to clarify what he meant by "real work."

[Anonymous User]

all i'm going to say in this hilarious argument is that i've been billed, and told i've done better than junior associates on assignments. the myth that (all) summers don't so "real work" is just that, a myth

I've been told I have a penis so large it hurts. Don't believe flattery is accurate.

okay, glad you pulled a regular summer. not everyone is like that

Memphis, did you ever think that the difference between billable and non-billable work is that the billable work is just for a client who is not a pro bono client? Everyone does a lot of billable work, and has some work sent directly to a client. I'm 100% sure that either the work was supposed to be easy, or it's a minor issue that doesn't have much significance to the overarching case.

[oblig.lawl.ref]

I got a sentence in an agreement over my summer. I drafted it. It went out to the client. So, I don't think it's fair to say we do NOTHING.

But otherwise it was just a lot of lawyers telling me how important my work was as they shuffled it into the blackhole abyss of summer work product and made sure that I "billed" my time. But I guess I don't have the superior legal mind that others possess.

I also ran a lot of blacklines. I'm pretty sure that was real work. But maybe not the same level of excellent and totally billable work that others achieve.

[BuckinghamB]

I hate law students

TBH I just hate people. You find a few in law school that you can bro out with, just like you find a few in the rest of life that you can bro out with. But stressed out type A fuckwads are a special level of idiot.

Yeah, I was excluding my chill friends obviously. But my feelings apply to most law students