The Official 1L Summer Employment Thread - 2012 Edition Forum

[estopped]

I'm still unemployed and am still hoping to get a firm job. Within the last two weeks, I had a 2 hour in office interview with a top boutique firm in the city and also a 30 minute interview with another firm in the city of my undergrad. Both said that that interview would be the final step in the decision process. One said 2.5 weeks ago that they would know within 10 days and let me know, the other said it would be 4-5 days, and that was just about exactly 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard from either.

Does this normally mean I didn't get it? Should I just hold my horses and not ask them when I will find out (because I don't have to respond to another job offer or anything)? Also, there are several other firms that I had screening interviews with at least a month ago and haven't heard anything - are those clearly no longer an option?

I just want to know where I stand so that I can start looking for public interest things appropriately.

[Lasers]

I'm still unemployed and am still hoping to get a firm job. Within the last two weeks, I had a 2 hour in office interview with a top boutique firm in the city and also a 30 minute interview with another firm in the city of my undergrad. Both said that that interview would be the final step in the decision process. One said 2.5 weeks ago that they would know within 10 days and let me know, the other said it would be 4-5 days, and that was just about exactly 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard from either.

Does this normally mean I didn't get it? Should I just hold my horses and not ask them when I will find out (because I don't have to respond to another job offer or anything)? Also, there are several other firms that I had screening interviews with at least a month ago and haven't heard anything - are those clearly no longer an option?

I just want to know where I stand so that I can start looking for public interest things appropriately.

if they specifically told you they would decide within a time period (10 days; 4-5 days) i would think that they have already made their decision and you are no longer in the running.

also, for the screeners, if that was a month ago, then yeah, out on those as well.

[birdlaw117]

I'm still unemployed and am still hoping to get a firm job. Within the last two weeks, I had a 2 hour in office interview with a top boutique firm in the city and also a 30 minute interview with another firm in the city of my undergrad. Both said that that interview would be the final step in the decision process. One said 2.5 weeks ago that they would know within 10 days and let me know, the other said it would be 4-5 days, and that was just about exactly 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard from either.

Does this normally mean I didn't get it? Should I just hold my horses and not ask them when I will find out (because I don't have to respond to another job offer or anything)? Also, there are several other firms that I had screening interviews with at least a month ago and haven't heard anything - are those clearly no longer an option?

I just want to know where I stand so that I can start looking for public interest things appropriately.

if they specifically told you they would decide within a time period (10 days; 4-5 days) i would think that they have already made their decision and you are no longer in the running.

also, for the screeners, if that was a month ago, then yeah, out on those as well.

It's also possible they extended offers to other individuals and you are on a pseudo-waitlist in case those students don't accept the offer.

[Lasers]

I'm still unemployed and am still hoping to get a firm job. Within the last two weeks, I had a 2 hour in office interview with a top boutique firm in the city and also a 30 minute interview with another firm in the city of my undergrad. Both said that that interview would be the final step in the decision process. One said 2.5 weeks ago that they would know within 10 days and let me know, the other said it would be 4-5 days, and that was just about exactly 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard from either.

Does this normally mean I didn't get it? Should I just hold my horses and not ask them when I will find out (because I don't have to respond to another job offer or anything)? Also, there are several other firms that I had screening interviews with at least a month ago and haven't heard anything - are those clearly no longer an option?

I just want to know where I stand so that I can start looking for public interest things appropriately.

if they specifically told you they would decide within a time period (10 days; 4-5 days) i would think that they have already made their decision and you are no longer in the running.

also, for the screeners, if that was a month ago, then yeah, out on those as well.

It's also possible they extended offers to other individuals and you are on a pseudo-waitlist in case those students don't accept the offer.

yeah, this is also a possibility.

regardless, i would start applying now for other opportunities/public interest.

after i struck out with larger firms/paid corporate stuff i've been looking only at small firms and public interest. have a few interviews lined up for the next couple weeks so there are still a lot of opportunities out there.

[estopped]

Bah. I was really hoping to make some scratch too. Why would so many places be so unprofessional as to not follow up? Rude. Thanks for the encouragement though - I guess I'll start sending off them resumes.

[bk1]

Bah. I was really hoping to make some scratch too. Why would so many places be so unprofessional as to not follow up? Rude. Thanks for the encouragement though - I guess I'll start sending off them resumes.

They might have sent a letter that is winding its way through the US postal service. Or they might just not follow up. Both of these are pretty common in my experience.

[ilovesf]

yeah, this is also a possibility.

regardless, i would start applying now for other opportunities/public interest.

after i struck out with larger firms/paid corporate stuff i've been looking only at small firms and public interest. have a few interviews lined up for the next couple weeks so there are still a lot of opportunities out there.

awesome - good luck!!

[r6_philly]

I'm still unemployed and am still hoping to get a firm job. Within the last two weeks, I had a 2 hour in office interview with a top boutique firm in the city and also a 30 minute interview with another firm in the city of my undergrad. Both said that that interview would be the final step in the decision process. One said 2.5 weeks ago that they would know within 10 days and let me know, the other said it would be 4-5 days, and that was just about exactly 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard from either.

Does this normally mean I didn't get it? Should I just hold my horses and not ask them when I will find out (because I don't have to respond to another job offer or anything)? Also, there are several other firms that I had screening interviews with at least a month ago and haven't heard anything - are those clearly no longer an option?

I just want to know where I stand so that I can start looking for public interest things appropriately.

if they specifically told you they would decide within a time period (10 days; 4-5 days) i would think that they have already made their decision and you are no longer in the running.

also, for the screeners, if that was a month ago, then yeah, out on those as well.

It's also possible they extended offers to other individuals and you are on a pseudo-waitlist in case those students don't accept the offer.

FWIW, the offer I end up taking came almost 8 weeks after the interview, and I am pretty sure I was not an alternate. I think I was alternate at 2 other firms, and I finally got the yes/no about 4 weeks after the time frame they gave me. Don't lose hope, you are in the running until you are not. But in the mean time, explore some other options before it's too late.

[r6_philly]

Bah. I was really hoping to make some scratch too. Why would so many places be so unprofessional as to not follow up? Rude. Thanks for the encouragement though - I guess I'll start sending off them resumes.

They might have sent a letter that is winding its way through the US postal service. Or they might just not follow up. Both of these are pretty common in my experience.

I thought if you had an in-firm interview you would always get a response. Screeners sadly no.

[birdlaw117]

I'm still unemployed and am still hoping to get a firm job. Within the last two weeks, I had a 2 hour in office interview with a top boutique firm in the city and also a 30 minute interview with another firm in the city of my undergrad. Both said that that interview would be the final step in the decision process. One said 2.5 weeks ago that they would know within 10 days and let me know, the other said it would be 4-5 days, and that was just about exactly 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard from either.

Does this normally mean I didn't get it? Should I just hold my horses and not ask them when I will find out (because I don't have to respond to another job offer or anything)? Also, there are several other firms that I had screening interviews with at least a month ago and haven't heard anything - are those clearly no longer an option?

I just want to know where I stand so that I can start looking for public interest things appropriately.

if they specifically told you they would decide within a time period (10 days; 4-5 days) i would think that they have already made their decision and you are no longer in the running.

also, for the screeners, if that was a month ago, then yeah, out on those as well.

It's also possible they extended offers to other individuals and you are on a pseudo-waitlist in case those students don't accept the offer.

FWIW, the offer I end up taking came almost 8 weeks after the interview, and I am pretty sure I was not an alternate. I think I was alternate at 2 other firms, and I finally got the yes/no about 4 weeks after the time frame they gave me. Don't lose hope, you are in the running until you are not. But in the mean time, explore some other options before it's too late.

Yeah, I was just trying to show that all hope is not lost. You are not the only person I know who got a firm job after some extensive waiting.

[r6_philly]

Yeah, I was just trying to show that all hope is not lost. You are not the only person I know who got a firm job after some extensive waiting.

I know you know I know. I am just saying you might even be an alternate. They might just never got around to get the whole committee to meet. It's not recruiting season.

[Puttanesca]

How important is it to get a 1L summer job relevant to the type of law I want to end up practicing? I'm deciding between two offers right now: one is directly relevant to what I want to do (or at least what I think I want to do); the other is not relevant but is in a area of law I have always been curious about but don't know if I would want to do as a career. I prefer the non-relevant one but am afraid it will hurt me in the future.

[071816]

How important is it to get a 1L summer job relevant to the type of law I want to end up practicing? I'm deciding between two offers right now: one is directly relevant to what I want to do (or at least what I think I want to do); the other is not relevant but is in a area of law I have always been curious about but don't know if I would want to do as a career. I prefer the non-relevant one but am afraid it will hurt me in the future.

Everybody that I have talked to about this has told me that nobody expects 1Ls to know what type of law they want to end up practicing. If you're interested in a really niche practice area, it could be useful to take the relevant job just to see what it's like. However, I would probably just take the highest paying/most interesting offer in your preferred location at this point. If that position happens to relate to your interests then cool. If not, it doesn't really seem to matter.

[r6_philly]

How important is it to get a 1L summer job relevant to the type of law I want to end up practicing? I'm deciding between two offers right now: one is directly relevant to what I want to do (or at least what I think I want to do); the other is not relevant but is in a area of law I have always been curious about but don't know if I would want to do as a career. I prefer the non-relevant one but am afraid it will hurt me in the future.

1L summer is a much better time to be trying things out. 2L summer you have to focus on getting a permanent offer. So I would take the one you are curious about for this summer. If you end up not liking it, it would help you affirm your commitment to practice A.

[Lasers]

yeah, this is also a possibility.

regardless, i would start applying now for other opportunities/public interest.

after i struck out with larger firms/paid corporate stuff i've been looking only at small firms and public interest. have a few interviews lined up for the next couple weeks so there are still a lot of opportunities out there.

awesome - good luck!!

thanks.

[partyrock]

Got an offer at a government office doing what I want to do after graduation, very excited about it. Keep hustling, even though its late in the game, there is stuff out there. Honestly, take ANYTHING you can get, you need to have some security going into finals.

[FeelTheHeat]

Got an offer at a government office doing what I want to do after graduation, very excited about it. Keep hustling, even though its late in the game, there is stuff out there. Honestly, take ANYTHING you can get, you need to have some security going into finals.

This is a terrible approach.

[partyrock]

Got an offer at a government office doing what I want to do after graduation, very excited about it. Keep hustling, even though its late in the game, there is stuff out there. Honestly, take ANYTHING you can get, you need to have some security going into finals.

This is a terrible approach.

meh. I think I'm with the majority of TLS posters that say doing anything legal is better than doing nothing. I guess saying "ANYTHING" was a bit broad, I should probably have said "ANYTHING LEGAL." In any case, I do think its a poor decision to go into finals with nothing, its sets you up for uneasiness while studying, the potential of a bad summer job, and nothing to talk about at OCI.

[Guchster]

Got an offer at a government office doing what I want to do after graduation, very excited about it. Keep hustling, even though its late in the game, there is stuff out there. Honestly, take ANYTHING you can get, you need to have some security going into finals.

This is a terrible approach.

meh. I think I'm with the majority of TLS posters that say doing anything legal is better than doing nothing. I guess saying "ANYTHING" was a bit broad, I should probably have said "ANYTHING LEGAL." In any case, I do think its a poor decision to go into finals with nothing, its sets you up for uneasiness while studying, the potential of a bad summer job, and nothing to talk about at OCI.

So the alternatives are nothing or anything?

[partyrock]

Got an offer at a government office doing what I want to do after graduation, very excited about it. Keep hustling, even though its late in the game, there is stuff out there. Honestly, take ANYTHING you can get, you need to have some security going into finals.

This is a terrible approach.

meh. I think I'm with the majority of TLS posters that say doing anything legal is better than doing nothing. I guess saying "ANYTHING" was a bit broad, I should probably have said "ANYTHING LEGAL." In any case, I do think its a poor decision to go into finals with nothing, its sets you up for uneasiness while studying, the potential of a bad summer job, and nothing to talk about at OCI.

So the alternatives are nothing or anything?

Options for 1L's are no job, non-legal job, and legal job. I think the order of preference should be legal job, non-legal job, and no job.

[Guchster]

So before you take "anything legal," you need to make sure you're going to get substantive experience and hopefully a good writing sample out of it.

If you are only going to sit on the sidelines all summer, this won't be helpful for OCI.

While I agree it's best to have a job before finals, I don't think it's time to drop everything and freak out, quite yet. There's still time to find something. I'd start to be more panicky about now, but come on--no need to go full retard yet.

Judgment and discretion is kinda the basis of our future profession...

edited for clarity.

[partyrock]

So before you take "anything legal," you need to make sure you're going to get substantive experience and hopefully a good writing sample out of it.

Working for a judge and sitting on the sidelines all summer isn't going to be that helpful during OCI.

While I agree it's best to have a job before finals, I don't think it's time to drop everything and freak out, quite yet. There's still time to find something. I'd start to be more panicky about now, but come on--no need to go full retard yet.

Judgment and discretion is kinda the basis of our future profession...

I think Guchster's advice is TCR. I didn't mean to incite panic mode with my post, that wouldn't be helpful for anybody. I guess I just wanted to encourage 1L's still in the job search to expand their idea of what would be acceptable. In my personal opinion, at this point jobs that would give you substantive legal research and writing experience should be considered.

[FeelTheHeat]

So before you take "anything legal," you need to make sure you're going to get substantive experience and hopefully a good writing sample out of it.

Working for a judge and sitting on the sidelines all summer isn't going to be that helpful during OCI.

While I agree it's best to have a job before finals, I don't think it's time to drop everything and freak out, quite yet. There's still time to find something. I'd start to be more panicky about now, but come on--no need to go full retard yet.

Judgment and discretion is kinda the basis of our future profession...

Working for federal/appellate judges simply consists of a lot of sitting around? I've gathered otherwise from people I've spoken to.

[Guchster]

Working for federal/appellate judges simply consists of a lot of sitting around? I've gathered otherwise from people I've spoken to.

Oh sorry, that's not what I meant. I think judges look at their interns very differently--I think most give pretty substantive stuff. But there are federal judges out there who think proper summer programming for interns is to sideline and watch--versus writing and researching.

I was just trying to illustrate a point that just because it's legal (or just because it's a judge), doesn't mean it's necessarily helpful for OCI/skill development/resume, etc.

ETA: I fixed the above quote to be more clear.

[partyrock]

So before you take "anything legal," you need to make sure you're going to get substantive experience and hopefully a good writing sample out of it.

Working for a judge and sitting on the sidelines all summer isn't going to be that helpful during OCI.

While I agree it's best to have a job before finals, I don't think it's time to drop everything and freak out, quite yet. There's still time to find something. I'd start to be more panicky about now, but come on--no need to go full retard yet.

Judgment and discretion is kinda the basis of our future profession...

Working for federal/appellate judges simply consists of a lot of sitting around? I've gathered otherwise from people I've spoken to.

at the federal/appellate level, if you are getting an offer its most likely to do some substantive research and writing. I have seen some posts on TLS about people getting offers from state judges, basically offering to let 1L's observe trials but not do anything beyond that. It seems like you wouldn't have much to offer other employers after this type of experience.