What kind of social faux pas will lead to no offers? Forum

[AntipodeanPhil]

1. At my 100% offer V10, a male SA was kicked out of the summer program after he (i) sent a series of creepy text and online messages to a female SA who had repeatedly told him to stop, and then (ii) said something vaguely racist to a male SA of Colombian descent. Note that (ii) wasn't enough on its own - it's only when the female SA complained about him that they kicked him out.

2. a friend of mine was a SA at a firm with a 90%+ offer and got no offered. He claims it is because he (i) told a male partner who pushed in front of a woman at a bar that he was being rude (the male partner started yelling at him) and (ii) told another partner that he didn't want to accept her assignment because he was busy and it wasn't real work (it was one of those assignments firms make up for summer associates).

[Anonymous User]

To the person asking about firm emails, do not gossip or talk shit or anything over email, internal chat service, etc.

Be aware of your surroundings. If you run into X senior associate who casually mentioned during happy hour or whatever that Y partner is a tough grader, don't bring it up again and don't repeat it and please always check to make sure you are alone in the bathroom if you need to vent to someone, although I would recommend going outside if you do.

[The Lsat Airbender]

Don't throw up on a partner or otherwise display egregious behavior (e.g. the Latham summer a couple years ago that blew off multiple flights to a firm retreat, then showed up with hookers and blow)

Please tell us more.

ATL deleted the story. Just google "Latham Summer Fired".

Realistically, it's pretty hard for a summer to get shitcanned/no offered due to a social faux pas -- you have to do something egregious. I've known of a bunch of summers over the years (at my firm and others) who have been shitcanned and it's always been some variation of:

1) doing terrible work for important people (fly low and work for other associates, don't seek out the head of the group like an asshole)

2) getting handsy with other people (both men and women have gotten in trouble for this)

3) getting wasted and then doing dumb shit (summer trying to get up on the stage at a comedy club, aquagirl, etc.)

4) being completely unable to read the room/having terrible judgment (engaging in inflammatory political activity outside of the firm, taking a vacation during the SA, using your firm email to send cease/demand letters for family members in random minor legal disputes)

Are the firms monitoring our emails? I know they can, but do they?

They'll do it if and when:

- they need evidence to shitcan you, e.g. as part of an investigation related to harassment or embezzlement or something.

- if you do something really weird (sending a bunch of files to your personal email address, say) that flags the IT Security software. The above example of sending letters to family/neighbors might fall into this category.

- the emails become the subject of deal litigation or a FINRA investigation or something—firms will generally fight tooth and nail to avoid producing this stuff, though.

Otherwise it's pretty don't-ask-don't-tell.

[The Lsat Airbender]

To the person asking about firm emails, do not do not gossip or talk shit or anything over email, internal chat service, etc.

This is good advice. Your emails are MUCH more likely to be leaked by the recipient than to be backdoored into

[Anonymous User]

- if you do something really weird (sending a bunch of files to your personal email address, say) that flags the IT Security software. The above example of sending letters to family/neighbors might fall into this category.

Do you know if this gets flagged the other way around? I've been forwarding receipts from my personal email to my firm email in order to send it in for reimbursement, since I don't believe I have an easier way of getting it onto my work devices.

[The Lsat Airbender]

- if you do something really weird (sending a bunch of files to your personal email address, say) that flags the IT Security software. The above example of sending letters to family/neighbors might fall into this category.

Do you know if this gets flagged the other way around? I've been forwarding receipts from my personal email to my firm email in order to send it in for reimbursement, since I don't believe I have an easier way of getting it onto my work devices.

Sounds impossibly difficult to sort that kind of traffic apart from the dozens of people receiving outside documents every hour of every day. And if what you're doing is above-board (which this example is) then you don't have much to fear from tripping a wire anyway.

[LBJ's Hair]

- if you do something really weird (sending a bunch of files to your personal email address, say) that flags the IT Security software. The above example of sending letters to family/neighbors might fall into this category.

Do you know if this gets flagged the other way around? I've been forwarding receipts from my personal email to my firm email in order to send it in for reimbursement, since I don't believe I have an easier way of getting it onto my work devices.

probably, but I don't know why you'd care, since they're just receipts

if you're emailing yourself The Protocols of the Elders of Zion or w/e then yeah, that's a bad idea, they might find out, don't do it

[legalpotato]

- if you do something really weird (sending a bunch of files to your personal email address, say) that flags the IT Security software. The above example of sending letters to family/neighbors might fall into this category.

Do you know if this gets flagged the other way around? I've been forwarding receipts from my personal email to my firm email in order to send it in for reimbursement, since I don't believe I have an easier way of getting it onto my work devices.

probably, but I don't know why you'd care, since they're just receipts

if you're emailing yourself The Protocols of the Elders of Zion or w/e then yeah, that's a bad idea, they might find out, don't do it

So you are telling me that listening to progressive/theater rock is grounds for a no-offer?

[lolwutpar]

It's basically been said, but bears repeating:

The firm's IT department has neither the time, resources nor inclination to monitor emails, internal messaging, etc. They will only do so if given a reason. Email is less safe but internal messaging is generally "safe" and tons of people say very inappropriate shit on it. I suppose it's a nonzero chance it bites you, but pretty damn close to zero.

[Anonymous User]

As the person who originally posted the "don't email your relatives' gas company a C&D" bit, the takeaway isn't that IT is reviewing your activity, it's that the C&D gets forwarded up to the recipients' legal who then asks why your vault 50 shop is sending one of its clients a C&D.

Broader lesson is don't do dumb shit when you're clearly representing your firm.