For those lucky enough to get a 1L SA Forum

[TheBigMediocre]

This is a curiosity question since I don't know how the system works.

For the rare individuals who are studly enough to get a 1L SA...Do these positions lead to full-time offers? Are they expected to come back 2L summer?

[NYAssociate]

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[Anonymous User]

On this same note, what about for smaller firms? I hope I am asked to come back next year......

[NYAssociate]

On this same note, what about for smaller firms? I hope I am asked to come back next year......

Why not just ask recruiting? The question isn't gauche or anything.

[miamiman]

NYAssociate, since we're on the topic of legal employment broadly, might you be able to discreetly give us a V range for your firm and your imperfect but educated guess as to the recruiting to take place (at your firm) in a few months...

[NYAssociate]

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[miamiman]

V10. Haven't gotten anything official from recruiting (and no, I won't ask). Things are at pre-ITE levels work-wise. We are definitely looking for more people. Whether that means that next summer's class will be larger than our current one is unclear, but it wouldn't surprise me at all.

(tyvm)

Might I ask a) whether you're junior b) corp/lit and c) and which departments you see as pre-ITE busy?

[NYAssociate]

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[miamiman]

Ok. Thanks.

[NYAssociate]

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[miamiman]

Make sure you see the edit above.

Got it. Guessing you're at Skadden or DPW but its unimportant. Thanks for the protips.

[A'nold]

NYAssociate: you are a good example of how you can be successful on paper, but still be a failure at life. Congrats.

[NYAssociate]

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[PKSebben]

NYAssociate: you are a good example of how you can be successful on paper, but still be a failure at life. Congrats.

Huh?

I admit I am confused, too.

[A'nold]

Probs too harsh but from all of the posts I've seen dude is extremely stuck up and talks down to other posters. Douchiness is still douchiness whether at Skadden or McDonalds. But I admit I could have misjudged. I apologize if I was off base.

[NYAssociate]

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[Anonymous User]

So having a 1L SA gig at one firm would not hurt you when doing 2l OCI?

I have a good contact at a V50 who stated he would try to get me 1L SA (provided my grades don't suck and it's still a long shot), but I was afraid to take him up on the the offer because I do not want to work at that firm post-grad. I was afraid that if I did a 1L SA, firms during my 2L OCI would not want to hire me because they would wonder why I didn't just go back to the 1L firm. I thought this might look disloyal to 2L OCI firms or that they would think I did a shitty job at the 1L firm. Is this not true?

[chadwick218]

I received a SA offer from a very strong, selective regional firm. It will likely lead to an offer. I don't plan to accept.

[Pearalegal]

I received a SA offer from a very strong, selective regional firm. It will likely lead to an offer. I don't plan to accept.

Its humble of you to let us know you landed an amazing position that is evidently of no interest to you when you don't seem to plan on answering any of the OP's questions.

[howcani111]

how do 1L's get SA positions?

[doyleoil]

how do 1L's get SA positions?

apply? interview? $$$$?

this is a very confusing question

[howcani111]

how do 1L's get SA positions?

apply? interview? $$$$?

this is a very confusing question

it's very rare for your first year summer to get a biglaw paid position. I was wondering how do people ususally get these (for the most part). Is it just personal connections that pull you over?

[doyleoil]

how do 1L's get SA positions?

apply? interview? $$$$?

this is a very confusing question

it's very rare for your first year summer to get a biglaw paid position. I was wondering how do people ususally get these (for the most part). Is it just personal connections that pull you over?

connections are always good - but most people just blast a bunch of resumes out there - that isn't a bad way to land a few interviews, assuming you go to a good school and haven't put up a terrible first semester - probably need a more personal touch than just resume blasting to really make something stick though

[Pearalegal]

how do 1L's get SA positions?

apply? interview? $$$$?

this is a very confusing question

it's very rare for your first year summer to get a biglaw paid position. I was wondering how do people ususally get these (for the most part). Is it just personal connections that pull you over?

connections are always good - but most people just blast a bunch of resumes out there - that isn't a bad way to land a few interviews, assuming you go to a good school and haven't put up a terrible first semester - probably need a more personal touch than just resume blasting to really make something stick though

And this is pure speculation, but I imagine real work experience before law school helps as well.

[Anonymous User]

'1L SA' is too amorphous. First, I'm starting with the assumption you mean a good (high paying, prestigious) SA position. Second, I'm assuming you're already at a school good enough that your resume will even be looked at (think: T14).

If you want to work in a major city, good luck. Most of those firms do 2L recruiting and really have no incentive to pick up 1Ls. It happens, but it tends to be firms 'off the beaten path' (smaller, etc) or through exceedingly strong connections. Like, really strong.

In secondary markets (or tertiary markets, or whatever - NOT DC/LA/Chi/NYC/SF) things are different. A lot of firms in those regions feel like they 'lose' students to major city legal markets, and like to bring on 1L SAs. they then 'report back' about the cool firm in location X and might be won over at the end of 2L summer because nobody likes giant faceless megadeath corporate law.

Significant and direct ties to the small market helped some people I know land gigs there even with below median grades.

My 1L SA came as a combination of a lot of factors described above. People with better grades than I had struck out, people with worse grades than I got positions - but overall VERY few people got 'real' 1L SAs. Even those that came through were often quite short or only for part of the summer.

Suffice to say that you might get lucky blasting your resumes across the country, but I don't know anybody who did. Instead, the SAs came from people who took a very intense but TARGETED search of places where they knew names or knew their connections to the small market would make them stand out.