Career Services - Don't go for a 1L SA... True? Forum

[mephistopheles]

If you get no-offered as a 1L, its likely that you don't belong in Biglaw and would get no offered as a 2L anyways. Or burn out as a second year associate.

[bk1]

Look, this is just a ridiculous conversation. If you get no-offered as a 1L, its likely that you don't belong in Biglaw and would get no offered as a 2L anyways. Or burn out as a second year associate.

This is just taking the opposite extreme. I mean on one hand we sometimes have people who say not getting an offer is never that person's fault and on the other we have the whole blame the victim crowd (e.g., you) who say that it's entirely the no offered person's fault. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Are people who get no offered at one firm or during one summer more likely to get no offered at another firm or during another summer compared to others? Sure, I don't think that's an unreasonable position. Would they definitely get no offered? Do they not "deserve" to be in biglaw? Would they burn out as a 2nd year? lolno, those are fucking absurd things to believe.

My 1L biglaw summer was the easiest job I've ever had. If you actually get no-offered due to economic reasons and not your own incompetence, then you should be able to explain that at OCI. Firms understand.

No, firms actually do not understand.

For what its worth, I summered at a V50, got an offer, was asked about it a couple of screeners, and will be spending my 2L summer at a V5. The V5 never asked whether I was offered.

Thanks for your random anecdote that sometimes firms don't ask about offers?

[mr.hands]

Look, this is just a ridiculous conversation. If you get no-offered as a 1L, its likely that you don't belong in Biglaw and would get no offered as a 2L anyways. Or burn out as a second year associate.

Do 1L SAs at Wachtell belong in biglaw? Because Wachtell categorically refuses to hire them back for 2L summers. I'm sure that it has nothing to do with them being incapable for doing biglaw work. Don't flatter yourself, chief.

My point is that people have different experiences at different firms. You have no idea how or why firms make those decisions and this is a ludicrous statement.

[bk1]

Do 1L SAs at Wachtell belong in biglaw? Because Wachtell categorically refuses to hire them back for 2L summers.

Nobody thinks of firms who don't give their 1Ls offers to come back 2L summer (e.g., Wachtell, Munger, etc) as no offering those summers.

But I agree with your overall sentiment.

[kalvano]

So basically it'll generally be:

Person X worked here from June-August.

Split was involuntary.

Though, can the old employer tell the new employer why the split was involuntary? Like, financial issues, performance issues, etc.

They may not even say whether it was voluntary or not.

They can say most anything. Most places choose not to so as not to be liable to something a secretary may say, and just to avoid getting involved. A blanket policy is easier.

[Anonymous User]

I didn't read through this whole thread cause it looks like a clusterfuck, but I thought i would add my anecdote.

I was a 1L SA at a firm that doesn't invite the 1L SA's back for 2L summer. Only one firm asked me during OCI if I got an offer, but most often I was proactive about explaining the situation.

Its hard to say whether it hurt or helped me. I didn't do too well in OCI, but maybe if I hadn't had the 1L SA I wouldn't have a job at all. Or maybe I would have more offers. I have no idea. If I had to guess though, I'd say it was helpful to have had some experience in various firm departments and be able to talk about why I liked/didn't like them and how that was informing what I would want for next summer.

If I had any advice for another 1L SA, I would say get some experience in each major department, and have some talking points about what you liked/didn't like about each one. That way, when you're interviewing at OCI, if the firm in question is looking for people to join lit, you can say "I love lit, here's why, this is what I did this past summer," and if they want you to do corp, you switch it up. My mistake was picking which dept I liked most and going into interviews with this confident "i already know which department I want to work in cause i've already been an SA" approach. That was a mistake and turned interviewers off.

[Anonymous User]

.

[mephistopheles]

if i could do it all over again, i would not have worked at a firm my 1l.

and give up the 30k? yeah, right

[A. Nony Mouse]

Look, this is just a ridiculous conversation. If you get no-offered as a 1L, its likely that you don't belong in Biglaw and would get no offered as a 2L anyways. Or burn out as a second year associate. My 1L biglaw summer was the easiest job I've ever had. If you actually get no-offered due to economic reasons and not your own incompetence, then you should be able to explain that at OCI. Firms understand.

For what its worth, I summered at a V50, got an offer, was asked about it a couple of screeners, and will be spending my 2L summer at a V5. The V5 never asked whether I was offered.

Dude, this is so untrue, besides being entirely unhelpful.

[Anonymous User]

Your career services person is a moron. This advice is so bad it causes me physical pain.

this.