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

[fl0w]

Does anyone else here rely a lot on law review articles for legal research? Or am I doing it wrong

It's sort of rare when one hits your topics, but when it does, it's a goldmine. Though I'd only really mine the stuff for citations. They are often written by people who haven't practiced a day in their life.

snag the citations yeah. But don't cite to them or really pay attention to the reasoning because it's rare that they are THAT on point.

[fruitlobber]

Does anyone else here rely a lot on law review articles for legal research? Or am I doing it wrong

I use them to find the big cases that are relevant to whatever issue I'm researching, but I don't cite to the law review articles themselves.

Yeah that's how I'm using them too. Seems like a nice way to get a roadmap, at least for some of the stuff I've been researching.

[fishfry111]

[

[2014]

http://www.law.yale.edu/studentlife/cdo ... lehour.htm

Saw that in another thread. Thought y'all might enjoy it.

Useful but every time I click it I get pissed off that 10-1-.5-.5 is not 7.5 like they say it is.

[fl0w]

http://www.law.yale.edu/studentlife/cdo ... lehour.htm

Saw that in another thread. Thought y'all might enjoy it.

Useful but every time I click it I get pissed off that 10-1-.5-.5 is not 7.5 like they say it is.

It's just preparing you for how bad attorneys are with math.

[Anonymous User]

So I really like my firm, but how could I tell if they like me? Always friendly in the hallways, short convos, etc. I get positive feedback on assignments, but sometimes a let's fix this. Friendly with all the summers. I'm admittedly a little bit odd but don't look weird or say mean things. Would there be any cues I am not liked? I feel like if I were them I would treat all summers the exact same way, then cut the ones I didn't like.

[jbagelboy]

So I really like my firm, but how could I tell if they like me? Always friendly in the hallways, short convos, etc. I get positive feedback on assignments, but sometimes a let's fix this. Friendly with all the summers. I'm admittedly a little bit odd but don't look weird or say mean things. Would there be any cues I am not liked? I feel like if I were them I would treat all summers the exact same way, then cut the ones I didn't like.

It sounds like you're totally fine to me.. Everything you said sounds good. Wouldn't you be skeptical if you never received any critical feedback?

[Druid]

So I really like my firm, but how could I tell if they like me? Always friendly in the hallways, short convos, etc. I get positive feedback on assignments, but sometimes a let's fix this. Friendly with all the summers. I'm admittedly a little bit odd but don't look weird or say mean things. Would there be any cues I am not liked? I feel like if I were them I would treat all summers the exact same way, then cut the ones I didn't like.

It's a waste of time to try and predict, IMO. Do your work and try not to think about the offer. I know it's impossible but do it anyway.

[txdude45]

So I really like my firm, but how could I tell if they like me? Always friendly in the hallways, short convos, etc. I get positive feedback on assignments, but sometimes a let's fix this. Friendly with all the summers. I'm admittedly a little bit odd but don't look weird or say mean things. Would there be any cues I am not liked? I feel like if I were them I would treat all summers the exact same way, then cut the ones I didn't like.

I could be doing this wrong, but I've been judging based on stuff like do ppl I've worked with give me new assignments, do associates call me for lunch, and am I getting invited to post-event hangouts, or random impromptu drinks/dinners. If you aren't checking any of these boxes, you may be in trouble.

Justification:
1) You can always find someone new to give you an assignment. With 250+ attorneys, it's impossible not to. However, if you have repeat business, you are doing work people are happy to receive and are probably good on the work product front.

2) If people don't want to eat with you, they probably don't want to sit across from you for 1+ hours, which means you probably don't meet their "could I work 14 hours straight with this person" test (totally arbitrary period of time for sake of example).

3) If people don't want to chill with you, you aren't connecting with them on an interpersonal level. When people are close to one another otherwise, "would I hangout/drink with them" is probably a tie-breaker (this is definitely different for across firms, but my firm is very social intra-firm).

Obviously 1 is the most important, but 2 and 3 seem to be easy differentiators.

I've only been at this for a month, so someone else please correct me if I'm way off base.

[Old Gregg]

o associates call me for lunch

Mixed incentives there since lunch is free for the associates who take you.

[brotherdarkness]

.

[Anonymous User]

Is it plagiarism to take sentences from past work product that happens to be right on point?

Is just the tip still intercourse?

[Druid]

Is it plagiarism to take sentences from past work product that happens to be right on point?

Is just the tip still intercourse?

Accidental anon. Was me.

[brotherdarkness]

.

[Nelson]

Is it plagiarism to take sentences from past work product that happens to be right on point?

Is just the tip still intercourse?

Accidental anon. Was me.

Lol okay. Didn't know the rules on this. Given that 99% of the work I do is just a slightly different iteration of something that had been done a zillion times before, I was hoping it might be more acceptable to cut and paste.

Ask the person you're doing the assignment for. You aren't passing it off as your own work. It's not plagiarism unless you pretend you wrote it and it's not going to be your name on the final product anyway.

[fl0w]

Is it plagiarism to take sentences from past work product that happens to be right on point?

Is just the tip still intercourse?

I believe "just the tip" was the party game replacement of the likes of Twister and Jenga.

[09042014]

They let you search it so you can wholesale rip it off. Hell I steal shit from other filings from other firms. Ain't no plagiarism in law.

[brotherdarkness]

.

[Druid]

Is it plagiarism to take sentences from past work product that happens to be right on point?

Is just the tip still intercourse?

Accidental anon. Was me.

Lol okay. Didn't know the rules on this. Given that 99% of the work I do is just a slightly different iteration of something that had been done a zillion times before, I was hoping it might be more acceptable to cut and paste.

I'm just being an asshole with a one-liner. Not an actual response.

[jbagelboy]

Lmao. I just listened in terror for about 6-7 minutes as an associate I've been working with a lot, whose office is about 15 ft from mine, and who is embroiled in some pretty late night litigation, yelled angrily on the phone describing someone with four assignments due, one a week late, who would have to finish them by tomorrow morning at 9AM, working all night if necessary, who needed discipline and whose work behavior was inappropriate. For a minute I thought I was completely fucked because I'm the only summer working with this attorney right now.


I only figured out at the end of the call he was talking to his wife about his son's schoolwork. Jesus.

[Anonymous User]

.

[smaug_]

Lmao. I just listened in terror for about 6-7 minutes as an associate I've been working with a lot, whose office is about 15 ft from mine, and who is embroiled in some pretty late night litigation, yelled angrily on the phone describing someone with four assignments due, one a week late, who would have to finish them by tomorrow morning at 9AM, working all night if necessary, who needed discipline and whose work behavior was inappropriate. For a minute I thought I was completely fucked because I'm the only summer working with this attorney right now.


I only figured out at the end of the call he was talking to his wife about his son's schoolwork. Jesus.

This is amazing. (I'm sure it was terrifying for a second, though.)

[txdude45]

Lmao. I just listened in terror for about 6-7 minutes as an associate I've been working with a lot, whose office is about 15 ft from mine, and who is embroiled in some pretty late night litigation, yelled angrily on the phone describing someone with four assignments due, one a week late, who would have to finish them by tomorrow morning at 9AM, working all night if necessary, who needed discipline and whose work behavior was inappropriate. For a minute I thought I was completely fucked because I'm the only summer working with this attorney right now.


I only figured out at the end of the call he was talking to his wife about his son's schoolwork. Jesus.

Could have been a warm-up/practice run.

[NYSprague]

They let you search it so you can wholesale rip it off. Hell I steal shit from other filings from other firms. Ain't no plagiarism in law.

Usually stuff is used over and over again because it has been upheld or standard practice or something. Summers should really try to understand why provisions are written the way they are and why no one wants to reinvent the wheel.

[NYSprague]

So I really like my firm, but how could I tell if they like me? Always friendly in the hallways, short convos, etc. I get positive feedback on assignments, but sometimes a let's fix this. Friendly with all the summers. I'm admittedly a little bit odd but don't look weird or say mean things. Would there be any cues I am not liked? I feel like if I were them I would treat all summers the exact same way, then cut the ones I didn't like.

I could be doing this wrong, but I've been judging based on stuff like do ppl I've worked with give me new assignments, do associates call me for lunch, and am I getting invited to post-event hangouts, or random impromptu drinks/dinners. If you aren't checking any of these boxes, you may be in trouble.

Justification:
1) You can always find someone new to give you an assignment. With 250+ attorneys, it's impossible not to. However, if you have repeat business, you are doing work people are happy to receive and are probably good on the work product front.

2) If people don't want to eat with you, they probably don't want to sit across from you for 1+ hours, which means you probably don't meet their "could I work 14 hours straight with this person" test (totally arbitrary period of time for sake of example).

3) If people don't want to chill with you, you aren't connecting with them on an interpersonal level. When people are close to one another otherwise, "would I hangout/drink with them" is probably a tie-breaker (this is definitely different for across firms, but my firm is very social intra-firm).

Obviously 1 is the most important, but 2 and 3 seem to be easy differentiators.

I've only been at this for a month, so someone else please correct me if I'm way off base.

I would add that if people take time to review and correct your work it's because they want you to succeed. If you were hopeless it is easier to just glad hand you along and get someone else to do it.

But also, stay ahead of deadlines if possible. Things change and you don't want to have not started something because it wasn't due yet.