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[sparty99]

SA money is effectively a signing bonus. SAs don't do anything of actual value when they're working over the summer, and their offers are pretty near guaranteed. So the firm essentially agreed to pay a $37.5k signing bonus and then reneged on that. I'd be pissed too, just as anyone at a typically market-paying firm that doesn't pay special bonuses will be pissed. Very reasonable thing to be upset about, and I'm not sure why people are attacking OP. Also weird that people keep talking about "mitigating damages"...there's not really a realistic alternative avenue to get $37.5k as a law school student, much less for 10 weeks of "work".

The guy is complaining about not getting an internship but yet he still has a full time offer. What if he did the internship and never received an offer like some people? He had 12 months to do some other work to mitigate his damages but probably sat on his hands and did nothing. We all worked during law school. It's not that hard. I worked and passed the bar. The dude could also request to start early to even further make up his lost income. But please. He is complaining already and talking about leaving (either now or in 2 years) when he hasn't even joined the firm. He hasn't even written a brief or completed one assignment for this firm. He sounds so entitled it's not even funny. Typical privilege.

[Anonymous User]

No offers from firms that pay summer associates that much are pretty damn rare. Summer associate pay is better viewed as a signing bonus than salary. It's kind of ridiculous to assert that OP should've just mitigated his damages when there just aren't alternatives to SA gigs that pay nearly that well.

You're really just coming across as bitter here.

[aegor]

The guy is complaining about not getting an internship but yet he still has a full time offer. What if he did the internship and never received an offer like some people?

That would suck more. So would have your arm chopped off by a machete-wielding African warlord after being gangraped by members of his paramilitary. None of that is relevant here, however, because OP was asking how to approach finding another firm, not your opinion of how mad they should be about the lost income or where OP's situation falls on the spectrum of misfortune.

He had 12 months to do some other work to mitigate his damages but probably sat on his hands and did nothing. We all worked during law school. It's not that hard. I worked and passed the bar.

None of that matters. OP is not looking for advice on any of that. Also, unless you can point to specific positions that last 10 weeks over the summer and pay $37k, then the substitute is not a substitute and you should really, really shut the fuck up already. And working during the school year is a problem when like 0 of your classmates are and you are all gunning for a finite number of BL spots where grades factor in heavily.

The dude could also request to start early to even further make up his lost income. But please. He is complaining already and talking about leaving (either now or in 2 years) when he hasn't even joined the firm. He hasn't even written a brief or completed one assignment for this firm. He sounds so entitled it's not even funny. Typical privilege.

I do not think that expecting other people to do what they said they were going to do is "entitled" or "privileged." The firm said that it would do X and then did not do X. Viewing that as a negative or even a deal-breaker is perfectly reasonable.

[blair.waldorf]

Sparty’s anger here is just weird at this point.

[sparty99]

No offers from firms that pay summer associates that much are pretty damn rare. Summer associate pay is better viewed as a signing bonus than salary. It's kind of ridiculous to assert that OP should've just mitigated his damages when there just aren't alternatives to SA gigs that pay nearly that well.

You're really just coming across as bitter here.

It is hard to be bitter when I am not complaining of unfair treatment and I myself actually did the summer associate program. He could have delivered pizza's or uber delivery the last 12 months to make up his lost pay or at the very least, cut it in half. Sheesh!

[JusticeHarlan]

[Anonymous User]

My first firm cancelled the entire program without pay and without guaranteeing return offers.

I found a job at a MidSize firm paying around 130k by applying. That’s the answer.
Take some action other than complaining on an online forum about how pissed off you are that the firm offering to pay you 180k to be a secretary is terrible. If you can’t find another firm, then just half-ass it at the firm you have an offer at until you get canned.

I must say, though, that you do come off a bit as an entitled brat. You don’t seem to understand the crippling effects of the pandemic and how good of a position you are in relative to everyone else — even if things didn’t go exactly as you thought they would. That’s called life, and the sooner you get used to it and start reacting positively to it slapping you in the face the better. Sure, your firm acted “unfairly,” but relative to the rest of the world you are still in an immensely privileged position.

So, go ahead and apply to other firms. That’s the only other option you have that could change what you perceive to be a “terrible” situation.