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

[smaug_]

I guess I learned something new.

Still seems really odd to me, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chem]

I guess I'm not a valued summer associate. I honestly thought I was contributing to the bottom line with my cutting edge research and keen insight into the law. I wonder at what point in this sentence sarcasm detectors went off

[Anonymous User]

i mean, i've been billed and what not, but a $100 raise?

that must be for people with 3l oci grades, i guess

[fl0w]

I guess I'm not a valued summer associate. I honestly thought I was contributing to the bottom line with my cutting edge research and keen insight into the law. I wonder at what point in this sentence sarcasm detectors went off

The word "contribute" is the earliest I could imagine the sensor going off. Everything before that is what I think everyone should understand about themselves as a summer.

[Anonymous User]

My checks went up $500 since the first. Assumed tax stuff just changed. I think I'm doing well but I am sure it's just taxes. This subtle bribe thing is a flame. You'd have to be pretty crazy to interpret it as "oh, they read my brief, loved it so raised me." You'd also have to be pretty retarded to instill this plane. There's no way law firms are that Dumb. Most people either don't notice or assume taxes changed.

[OfThriceandTen]

Last week's pay was down a cent, so I gotta think that can only mean cold offer imminent.

[mephistopheles]

Last week's pay was down a cent, so I gotta think that can only mean cold offer imminent.

at best, man, at best

[rpupkin]

Yikes. Sorry y'all, I did not mean for my post to be taken seriously. No, my firm does not offer raises to individual summer associates. Nor am I aware of any law firm that does such a thing. It would be a huge, pointless hassle for a firm to award merit-based increases to summers. As for the gentleman who claimed that he has received two raises since starting, I assume he's just confused about how withholdings work. Or he's lying. Or both.

[PepperJack]

Yikes. Sorry y'all, I did not mean for my post to be taken seriously. No, my firm does not offer raises to individual summer associates. Nor am I aware of any law firm that does such a thing. It would be a huge, pointless hassle for a firm to award merit-based increases to summers. As for the gentleman who claimed that he has received two raises since starting, I assume he's just confused about how withholdings work. Or he's lying. Or both.

Anyone that believed you should be no offered. There is a necessary sarcasm radar to succeed.

[jbagelboy]

Lol @ any summer thinking they are SO important to a firm that the partners would get together to talk about how to reward them & they would literally receive an above market raise mid-summer. Jesus, I guess it actually happens though.

And props to rpupkin on the troll, not bad

[Anonymous User]

wrong topic sorry

[txdude45]

If you can order food after X time and you go to the gym for two hours and come back to finish 30 minutes work, which puts you past X, is ordering food morally wrong?

[NYSprague]

^^^^^
You know the client pays for your dinner or the firm writes it off. There isn't a magic bank that pays for food. I would be angry at anyone on any of my deals who pulled a stunt like this and would kick your ass. Maybe nicely at first. If you were a summer, I would be sure recruiting knew.

[Tiago Splitter]

^^^^^
You know the client pays for your dinner or the firm writes it off. There isn't a magic bank that pays for food. I would be angry at anyone on any of my deals who pulled a stunt like this and would kick your ass. Maybe nicely at first. If you were a summer, I would be sure recruiting knew.

I would kick your ass much harder than you kicked his for pulling that kind of tattling bullshit.

txdude if you were forced to be in the office late to work on that and couldn't finish it earlier then yeah it's fine. If you could have finished things earlier and are just sticking around for the free meal then that's pretty weak.

[txdude45]

Yeah, I figured that would more than toe the line. Be not afraid, the client went uncharged.

[Nebby]

Bill baby bill.

[jbagelboy]

^^^^^
You know the client pays for your dinner or the firm writes it off. There isn't a magic bank that pays for food. I would be angry at anyone on any of my deals who pulled a stunt like this and would kick your ass. Maybe nicely at first. If you were a summer, I would be sure recruiting knew.

I would kick your ass much harder than you kicked his for pulling that kind of tattling bullshit.

txdude if you were forced to be in the office late to work on that and couldn't finish it earlier then yeah it's fine. If you could have finished things earlier and are just sticking around for the free meal then that's pretty weak.

I agree but just as a side note I think NYSprague is a midlevel biglaw associate, not an SA, so its more 'supervising' than tattling

[Anonymous User]

I think they just say billable, but aren't. IDK anyone in my class who has ordered food. I've stayed till 11ish many times. Unless I've been trolled on the importance of what I was doing, there were a few times my work might've impacted the matter. I think I deserve some free macaroni and cheese for that. But like a wise man once said, "She who do her work in silence will but well need not speak to one day be noticed by the mac and cheese gods."

[Danger Zone]

^^^^^
You know the client pays for your dinner or the firm writes it off. There isn't a magic bank that pays for food. I would be angry at anyone on any of my deals who pulled a stunt like this and would kick your ass. Maybe nicely at first. If you were a summer, I would be sure recruiting knew.

I would kick your ass much harder than you kicked his for pulling that kind of tattling bullshit.

txdude if you were forced to be in the office late to work on that and couldn't finish it earlier then yeah it's fine. If you could have finished things earlier and are just sticking around for the free meal then that's pretty weak.

I agree but just as a side note I think NYSprague is a midlevel biglaw associate, not an SA, so its more 'supervising' than tattling

Still tattling

[Anonymous User]

I think they just say billable, but aren't. IDK anyone in my class who has ordered food. I've stayed till 11ish many times. Unless I've been trolled on the importance of what I was doing, there were a few times my work might've impacted the matter. I think I deserve some free macaroni and cheese for that. But like a wise man once said, "She who do her work in silence will but well need not speak to one day be noticed by the mac and cheese gods."

I've ordered food on two late nights I stayed at the firm. One night an associate hounded me until I ordered.

Make sure you NEED to be there that late (ie writing a motion that has a firm deadline) before doing this.

[jbagelboy]

^^^^^
You know the client pays for your dinner or the firm writes it off. There isn't a magic bank that pays for food. I would be angry at anyone on any of my deals who pulled a stunt like this and would kick your ass. Maybe nicely at first. If you were a summer, I would be sure recruiting knew.

I would kick your ass much harder than you kicked his for pulling that kind of tattling bullshit.

txdude if you were forced to be in the office late to work on that and couldn't finish it earlier then yeah it's fine. If you could have finished things earlier and are just sticking around for the free meal then that's pretty weak.

I agree but just as a side note I think NYSprague is a midlevel biglaw associate, not an SA, so its more 'supervising' than tattling

Still tattling

Fair

[NYSprague]

^^^^^
You know the client pays for your dinner or the firm writes it off. There isn't a magic bank that pays for food. I would be angry at anyone on any of my deals who pulled a stunt like this and would kick your ass. Maybe nicely at first. If you were a summer, I would be sure recruiting knew.

I would kick your ass much harder than you kicked his for pulling that kind of tattling bullshit.

txdude if you were forced to be in the office late to work on that and couldn't finish it earlier then yeah it's fine. If you could have finished things earlier and are just sticking around for the free meal then that's pretty weak.

If someone went to the gym for two hours just so they could get a free meal, when they are being well compensated would not trust them in regard to billing or anything else. People who cheat at little shit like this for no purpose are the people I don't trust.

If they had been working hard for days and took a break and then worked a few more hours, I wouldn't care.I'm the one who drafts the bill and have to check this stuff because clients don't want to pay for it. It isn't the money, it's the idea that someone else owes you dinner, when you don't need to be working late.

And yeah I'm tyrannical.

Recruiting wouldnt care other than to may go over policies again. These firm comped meals are paid for by somebody. I would never jeopardize someone's offer.

Why would you do this anyway? To save a few bucks?

[Tiago Splitter]

I think they just say billable, but aren't. IDK anyone in my class who has ordered food. I've stayed till 11ish many times. Unless I've been trolled on the importance of what I was doing, there were a few times my work might've impacted the matter. I think I deserve some free macaroni and cheese for that. But like a wise man once said, "She who do her work in silence will but well need not speak to one day be noticed by the mac and cheese gods."

I've ordered food on two late nights I stayed at the firm. One night an associate hounded me until I ordered.

Make sure you NEED to be there that late (ie writing a motion that has a firm deadline) before doing this.

I don't think you need to freak out too much. If you're there late and doing real work, order food. I know we're not associates, but plenty of full time associates at my firm start late and go to the gym during the day in part because they know that if they stay late they get a free meal and a car ride home. You shouldn't swing back by the office just to get the free dinner, especially as a summer, but don't get carried away on some one man crusade to save your biglaw firm 30 bucks.

If someone went to the gym for two hours just so they could get a free meal, when they are being well compensated would not trust them in regard to billing or anything else. People who cheat at little shit like this for no purpose are they people I don't trust.

If they had been working hard for days and took a break and then worked a few more hours, I wouldn't care.I'm the one who drafts the bill and have to check this stuff because clients don't want to pay for it.

And yeah I'm tyrannical.

If you suspected this happened one time and went to recruiting over it then you'd be lucky to get off with just a severe beating. You do you, but don't say you weren't warned.

[NYSprague]

I think they just say billable, but aren't. IDK anyone in my class who has ordered food. I've stayed till 11ish many times. Unless I've been trolled on the importance of what I was doing, there were a few times my work might've impacted the matter. I think I deserve some free macaroni and cheese for that. But like a wise man once said, "She who do her work in silence will but well need not speak to one day be noticed by the mac and cheese gods."

I've ordered food on two late nights I stayed at the firm. One night an associate hounded me until I ordered.

Make sure you NEED to be there that late (ie writing a motion that has a firm deadline) before doing this.

I don't think you need to freak out too much. If you're there late and doing real work, order food. I know we're not associates, but plenty of full time associates at my firm start late and go to the gym during the day in part because they know that if they stay late they get a free meal and a car ride home. You shouldn't swing back by the office just to get the free dinner, especially as a summer, but don't get carried away on some one man crusade to save your biglaw firm 30 bucks.

If someone went to the gym for two hours just so they could get a free meal, when they are being well compensated would not trust them in regard to billing or anything else. People who cheat at little shit like this for no purpose are they people I don't trust.

If they had been working hard for days and took a break and then worked a few more hours, I wouldn't care.I'm the one who drafts the bill and have to check this stuff because clients don't want to pay for it.

And yeah I'm tyrannical.

If you suspected this happened one time and went to recruiting over it then you'd be lucky to get off with just a severe beating. You do you, but don't say you weren't warned.

Lol. If the person was in front of me and just made one mistake, you are probably right, I wouldnt tattle. Order food if you are there late working. But don't go out for a few hours and come back to work just to get dinner. That isn't how the policy works.

That shit won't fly with partners once your an associate. Dont stretch out work just to get a car or food. Go home when you can. Your life will be better.

[txdude45]

Just to clarify: I went to a class at the gym and was stuck around when offered a comped 1-hour personal training session (sidenote: not sure if the trainer just thought I was a surefire repeat customer or that I was fat as hell and needed the extra work). Being in the office late was incidental, but I felt bad because I didn't think I would be there for more than ~30 minutes. Ended up there for an hour and a half, so I should have just ordered food.